Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Kia Motors Early this summer, Kia dealers will offer a six-piece body kit, tall rear wing and a tuned exhaust system.

Soup it up

Kia earns its sporty tag

Young drivers will appreciate Spectra 5's low price, plus its 10-year warranty.

By Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News

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With standard four-wheel disc brakes, standard side and curtain airbags, and with four stars from the feds and an "acceptable" rating in crash testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Kia Spectra 5 is an attractive vehicle choice for young drivers, especially those looking for a sporty car for less than $16,000.

Having a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty only strengthens this car's appeal. However, to make the five-door hatchback version of its compact car even more enticing, Kia soon will offer a variety of budget-priced but dealer-installed body, exhaust and wheel packages for those who want to give their Spectra a "sport compact" treatment.

Early this summer, Kia dealers will offer a six-piece body kit, tall rear wing and a tuned exhaust system with dual center outlets -- parts and installation for $1,425.

Even sooner, a Starex sport wheel package will be available. To keep prices down, these wheels are sized to accept the standard tires that come on the Spectra. Those who want to enhance their vehicle's appearance won't have to spend money on larger, higher-performance and higher-priced tires.

Kia dealers also will offer Eibach springs that lower the Spectra's stance for around $300 for a set of four.

If warranty issues can be addressed, Kia would like to offer a supercharger option to boost the output of the Spectra's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from its stock 138 to more than 200 horsepower.

I recently drove several souped-up Spectra 5 prototypes and was impressed with the quality of the parts for the body kit and with both the look and the tone provided by the cat-back exhaust system.

The lowering springs make the car's handling more dynamic. That performance can be enhanced by 18-inch wheels and high-performance tires; cars I tried wore Goodyear Eagle F1s or even grippier Nitto Neo Gens.

The supercharger installation fits nicely between the engine and firewall. For those who can afford another $3,000, the performance boost is impressive.

Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer. You can reach him at (602) 300-4518 or ledsall@cox.net.