![]() The rear hatch is invisible from behind the car. The GSX gets front and rear air dams, door-sill extensions and spoked 6×14-inch alloy wheels with P185/65R14 Kumho radials. Blacked-out B-pillars create the impression that the Spectra is coupe rather than a four-door sedan.Ī winglet attached to the rear of the GSX suits the overall shape of the car, and a rear wiper/washer is optional on both the GS and GSX. A fine crease at door-handle height keeps the side from being too plain. The windshield has an average rake, and the greenhouse comes out of the designer’s standard playbook. The Spectra’s profile won’t upset anyone. Bumpers and mirrors are body color, an upscale feature for a car in this price range. The front bumper is integrated into the body profile, its plastic cover encircling the cosmetic grille above the bumper and the larger, functional radiator opening below it. Bulges in the sheetmetal that sweep back across the hood trail the high beam bezels. Between the clear-lens headlamps and the grille sit round high beams. The front end seems to owe a lot to the Ford Taurus, with elliptical headlamps and a central grille opening with a crossbar a red Kia badge substitutes for Ford’s blue oval. Options include antilock brakes ($800) and CD stereo ($295). They come with a 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic transmission ($975) driving the front wheels. At $12,995, the Spectra GSX adds air conditioning, alloy wheels, power windows, central locking and an aggressive-looking body kit.Īll Spectras are powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 125 horsepower. The base trim model is designated the GS and lists at $10,795. The Spectra lineup consists of one body style: a hatchback with four passenger doors and a quasi-fastback roofline. If price sells cars, then we could see a lot of Spectras rolling off showroom floors. The company was certainly serious when it set Spectra’s base price at just $10,795. marketing department, noted for its sense of humor, was kidding with those descriptors, but maybe not. According to Kia, the sporty Spectra is geared toward a younger buyer who “hates traditional neckwear” and subscribes to the motto, “So many women, so little time.” At first, we thought Kia’s U.S. The Spectra, however, has sportier pretensions. It is powered by the same 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine. Kia Spectra is based on the Kia Sephia sedan. So Kia management decided to take the risk and introduce the five-door hatchback to the U.S. Then a group of American dealers saw the Spectra in Korea they convinced Kia management that Americans would go for the Spectra. This wisdom, based on sales, says Americans like five-door hatchbacks even less than they like three-door hatchbacks.īecause of this, Kia had not originally planned to offer its popular five-door hatchback in America. Conventional wisdom says Americans don’t like three-door hatchbacks.
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