On the subject Butterfield commented, "The Spectra5 was designed to be the sportiest Kia ever."
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| The Spectra5 was designed to be the sportiest Kia ever, and just one look will affirm that. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
It is that, at least from a styling perspective. With its black mesh grille, blacked out headlight surrounds, deep front air dam, integrated fog lights, rocker extensions and lowered rear valance, it stands out from Kia's conservative family like the late Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers) playing guitar in The (late) Carpenters (a squeaky-clean ultra-light pop band for those of you under 40).
Under the skin are even more go-fast goodies, including performance-oriented fully independent suspension tuning right out of the box, plus standard 16-inch 8-spoke alloy wheels within P205/50R16 performance tires, and even a strut tower brace. Aiding handling further are stabilizer bars front and rear, rare in the entry-level compact class.
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| The interior of the Spectra5 also gets the sport treatment, with leather accents and metallic trim throughout. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Inside, the 5 gets perforated leather trim wrapping the steering wheel and shift knob, plus a two-tone color scheme highlighted by sport fabric seats and door panels. Requisite metallic accents spice up the cabin too, while metal foot pedals give it a custom racing touch.
While the new Spectra5 is the sportiest version of the Spectra lineup, it's doesn't compromise practicality to attain this status. Rather, its 5-door configuration makes loading and unloading cargo extremely easy, and larger, more wagon-like design upping capacity to 518 liters (18.3 cubic feet) behind the rear seats. While a liftback version of the old Spectra was available, it wasn't as spacious.