Minnesota Focus Owners Club

So, I'm down in louisiana for a trip to the corporate headquarters for my new job. Rented a compact for the drive...wanted a Focus of course, but no havie...so I got a Kia Spectra EX. I have to say, it drives quite nicely. Now, this is not a handling car. It does a fair job. But the ride is downright nice and quiet. I...um...pulled the flat panel filter before I left and popped on a cone....just because I had one laying around . The car is tuned for off the line torque. It moves off the line better than my Focus or the wifey's Civic ever did. Kinda like a V-6. The tranny is good too. The only time it crapped out was on the shift to od at 100 . I had to backoffthe pedal a little for it to shift.
Topped out at 115. Add a nice free flow exhaust and tighten up the suspension...and i'd be happy with it for a daily driver. The suspension soaks up bumps like a larger car.
Oh, and the mileage....excellent as well. I "drove it like I rented it" and got 250 out of a half a tank

Overall. not bad. I was really expecting something less....

I would have run no filter and a dry shot from the end of the air tube

Kia Spectra gets worst crash test rating

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/pla ... b1f5fd3178

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kia Spectra is the first vehicle since 2001 to get the insurance industry's worst safety rating in a frontal crash test, according to results released Sunday.
The Spectra, a small, four-door sedan that starts at $13,240, got the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's lowest rating of poor after a crash test dummy's head, chest and legs were injured in the 40 mph crash test. The last car to get that rating was the Chevrolet Cavalier in 2001.

"Most manufacturers have figured out how to design vehicles to do a good job protecting people in frontal crashes," said Adrian Lund, the institute's chief operating officer. "Kia lags behind its competitors."

Kia Motors America said it has met with institute officials to determine how to improve the vehicle's performance. The company also said it was comfortable with the level of safety the Spectra provides.

"Occupant safety is a priority for Kia," the company said in a statement. "In the development of this product the Spectra has undergone a battery of tests, and we continue to have a high degree of confidence in the real-world protection offered by this vehicle."

Only two small cars — the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra — earned the institute's highest rating of good in this round of testing. The Suzuki Forenza and the Saturn ION were rated acceptable, the institute's second-highest rating.

The institute tests vehicles in a 40 mph crash and rates them based on three criteria: the amount the vehicle crumples into the driver's space, injuries to the crash test dummy and a slow-motion analysis of how well the seat belt worked.

A good rating means a driver wearing a seat belt probably would suffer only minor injuries in a similar crash. A poor rating means a risk of severe injury exists.

Lund said he was surprised the Spectra performed so poorly. The institute has conducted this test for a decade and most manufacturers have built vehicles that can withstand it, he said.

Lund said 11 small cars have good ratings. Besides the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra, they are the Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta, the Subaru Impreza, the Suzuki Aerio, the Mini Cooper, the Toyota Corolla, the Ford Focus, the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Honda Civic. Most of those cars were tested earlier by the insurance institute, which tests vehicles as they are redesigned.

shudup you ruin teh fun. We can tell you are a parent.

that was for the old model...the new one is not the same car.

I was wrong, I did not research far enough, I just saw kia and bad crash test results here is the new results

2006 Kia Spectra SX

pricing details
Invoice: $15,920

Retail: $16,995

Target Price: $16,287

COST OF OWNERSHIP $27,704


Safety and Crash Test

safety features

ABS Brakes OPT
Driver Air Bag STD
Passenger Air Bag STD
Side Air Bag(s) STD

child safety features

Passenger Air Bag Cutoff Capability NO
Child Safety Locks STD
Integrated Safety Seats N/A

crash test data

NHTSA Side Impact Rating - Front **** 4
NHTSA Side Impact Rating - Rear *** 3
NHTSA Frontal Crash Test - Driver **** 4
NHTSA Frontal Crash Test - Passenger **** 4
IIHS Crashworthiness Rating Acceptable