#08 KIA SPECTRA WINDOWS#

But hey, check the velour-lined coin tray!

The steering-wheel rim is wimpy thin, and there's no lateral support in the driver's seat. The interior's soothing gray plastics and velvety-soft seat fabric would flatter an entry-level Buick. Good stuff, but isn't Kia's trying to send a sporting message? The Spectra's cabin garbles the company line. While they've gotten somber and techy, Kia serves up the old cheery, pretense-free flavor. Japanese cars used to have interiors like this: simple, mood-enhancing, with low cowls and easy sight-lines.

#08 KIA SPECTRA WINDOWS#

Those proportions feel better from inside, where the Spectra's tall roof and big windows create a bright, airy ambiance. Tight panel gaps and liberal daubs of chrome keep the Spectra from shouting 'cheap,' but the car's proportions are fundamentally awkward. Call it a 'character line'вЂ“ provided the character in question is Quasimodo. The Spectra's strongest feature is its oddly-shaped profile. In fact, the Spectra's sheet-metal is so deeply, profoundly generic it makes Liz Lang for Target seem like haute couture. The Spectra offers disinterested onlookers styling cues cribbed from Honda and Toyota. Let's start with this: it ain't a looker. Might we expect a sort of value-leader Mazda 3 (Spectra pricing starts at $12,985), combining sporty reflexes, features galore and a low, low sticker? At the risk of giving the game away: no, we mightn't. Lest we forget, Kia fancies itself the 'sporty' arm of the unflatteringly acronymed Hyundai Automotive Group the econo-minded Spectra is the company's best-selling model. The Kia Spectra: 'Simply put, it's a blast to drive.' Simply put, we'll see about that. It's time to judge these vehicles against their own self-proclaimed brand values.

We here at TTAC reckon it's time to stop treating the Korean brands like they're special-needs children. The review practically writes itself: just recap a few Letterman-esque Hyundai jokes, feign shock at how much the brand has come along, issue some heavily-qualified praise ('it's endearingly almost Toyota-like!') and Bob's your uncle. Lazy automotive writers love assignments on Korean vehicles.

08 kia spectra