Kia
The Kia Spectra is a car that doesn’t mind moving quickly when it gets out on the highway. The needle on its fuel gauge, however, is quite reluctant to move; the Spectra gets terrific gas mileage. Combine that with its spacious interior, solid performance and low price and you’ve got a compact sedan with great value.
WHAT’S NEW: Some exterior tweaks have been made to the Spectra for this model year. The high-trim SX model has snazzy 16-inch alloy wheels, as does the hatchback version, known as the Spectra5. The base LX and the EX have a new front end.
ABOUT KIA: Kia, after struggling for its first few years in the U.S. with quality problems, has hit its stride over the past three or four years. It is making very nice, affordable vehicles that are getting high quality marks. It plans to build a manufacturing facility in Georgia, but weak sales, overcapacity in Asia and financing troubles could lead it to slow work on the factory.
