![]() The Spectra's profile won't upset anyone. The windshield has an average rake, and the greenhouse, for sedan and hatchback, comes out of the designer's standard playbook. A fine crease at door-handle height keeps the side from being too plain. Blacked-out B-pillars create the impression that the Spectra is coupe rather than a four-door sedan. Spectra's styling is pleasant, albeit vaguely derivative. The front end seems to owe a lot to the Ford Taurus, with elliptical headlamps and a central grille opening with a crossbar, where a red Kia badge substitutes for Ford's blue oval. Between the clear-lens headlamps and the grille sit round high beams. The LS and GSX also get fog lamps. Bulges in the sheetmetal that sweep back across the hood trail the high beam bezels. 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. Bumpers and mirrors are body color, an upscale feature for a car in this price range. Last year's frumpier Sephia sedan gained the sleeker front-end styling of last year's Spectra GS/GSX. For 2002, that styling was massaged slightly. GSX ($13,195) comes standard with air conditioning, alloy wheels, power windows, and central locking, plus a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescope steering wheel and an aggressive-looking body kit.Īll Spectras are powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine rated 126 horsepower. They come with a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission ($975) driving the front wheels. ![]() GS ($11,395) is the base-level hatchback. Air conditioning ($960) is optional. LS sedan ($12,595) adds air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and locks as standard equipment. LS also allows the buyer to add options including a sound system with a CD player and a CD changer, antilock brakes and cruise control. The base trim model is just called the Spectra ($10,995). An AM/FM/cassette stereo is standard, but air conditioning ($960) is optional. The competition has some catching up to do.Kia Spectra lineup consists of two body styles: a conventional four-door sedan and a hatchback with four passenger doors and a quasi-fastback roofline. In addition to the mandatory two frontal airbags, front-seat occupants are protected by seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and full-coverage side curtain airbags protect front- and rear-seat occupants. No other car in this price range or size class, nor many costing thousands of dollars more and in larger classes, offer the same, full complement of standard airbag supplemental restraints. The trunk is larger.Īll these advances and improvements pale, however, alongside the new 2004 Spectra's occupant safety features. There's more headroom, more hip room and more rear legroom. Four-wheel disc brakes are now standard, where the previous model had rear drum brakes. The track is wider, which improves handling. ![]() The wheelbase is longer, which improves the ride. The engine is more powerful, more fuel efficient and cleaner. ![]() Mechanically, the new 2004 Spectra is all-new. It's also priced only a couple of hundred dollars more. The new one is all-new, with sharper styling. The old one is a carryover from the 2003 model year. That the company's dealers have two 2004 Spectra models for sale is the consequence of federal fuel economy regulations, not the car maker's choice.įortunately, it's easy to distinguish the new 2004 Spectra from the old 2004 Spectra. ![]()
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