2009 Kia Spectra SX

Pros

Tight turns, good gas milage, manual gear box

Cons

Road noise (but not a deal breaker)

Purchased As New

I changed my 19 year old 525i BMW taking advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program. This is actually my fourth Kia (two in the US and two in Colombia, SA). So far, I'm happy with my sporty Spectra. I was able to get the Copperhead which is a real head turner. Suspension is tight and takes the car smoothly through the corners. Manual gear box is a blast. If you want to slowly cycle through the gears it does it decisively. If you're feeling preppy, the same. Fifth gear is nicely set to smoothly handle the constant freeway ups and downs. Cruise control keeps the car evenly steady at highway speeds. My experience is that after about 5,000-7,000 miles the motor really comes alive. From then on it happy accelerating. My other car is a 5 year old Kia Sorento and we have driven it all around the country (we live in Miami) and it just seems to get better all the time....read morehide

Pros

Great Price, Loaded, Sharp Looking, good fuel economy

Cons

132 HP 4-Cyl could have used more ooomph.

Purchased As New

I traded in my 91 Acura using the Clunkers for Cash credit & Kia had a $3500 rebate on Spectras. So I got a great deal for the SX trim. I miss the Acura's torque & 200 HP but I love the fuel economy with the CVVT 4-Cyl. I was able to get the "Copperhead" color, so the car looks sharp & it has fog lights and a rear spoiler. Before you laugh at the spoiler, I was cruising the I-10 at 105 mph & this engine was up to the task. At 85 mph & below the cabin noise was minimal. The 6-speaker, 6 disc CD player sounds fantastic at all levels of output. The interior is nicely done, looks good without having a cheap plastic feel to it. I am 6'1" & with the adjustable driver's seat, I have no problems getting comfortable behind the wheel. The trunk was bigger than I expected and it has 60/40 split fold-down rear seats that provides plenty of luggage space.

I took some local back roads and the suspension was solid and the car felt glued to the road even as I took the curves at a goodly amount of speed. The brakes bring the car to a quick stop with no spongy fade. I look forward to taking my new Spectra on a long road trip to visit family in TN. The 700 mile journey will allow me to wring this car out & see if it holds up for the 11 hour drive.

I feel I got an excellent value for the price paid & the folks at my local Kia (Premiere Kia of Kenner) dealer were really great to work with, no BS, no pressure and they answered all of my questions. My other choice was the Honda Fit but it was too expensive for my limited budget but I have no issues with getting the KIA Spectra. I think we will have a long-term relationship that will be worth the effort.

Oh yea, I almost forgot. The SX trim has remote start (automatic only) which is really great here in the broiling sultry heat of SE Louisiana. I can start the car from inside my house, let it run with the AC at full blast & then go out a few minutes later & get in a nice, comfortable, chilled car. Life is good when you have that option when the heat index is in triple digits. So with the KIA Spectra SX, you really do get a lot of bang for your hard earned buck....read morehide

Pros

Extremely tight turning radius, brakes have good feel, as does the handling.

Cons

Too small of a gas tank, doors rattle when the speakers are turned up halfway.

Went from a 2002 mitsubishi Eclipse GS to the Spectra SX. Gets good gas mileage, but kinda offputing when you have to refill the tank every 300 miles. I never thought I would buy a KIA, but they actually did a good job for a respectively "up and coming" car company. Only real downside was the options availiable. I bought it fully loaded and the highest trim package availiable, and has no more options than my midgrade '02 mitsubishi did. Still trying to get kia to fix the door rattling, not "blowing the windows out loud" but a song with a nice bass track is annoying....read morehide