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"         Take notice, Japan. The Koreans are on a learning curve as steep as Mount Everest, and Kia&amp;#039;s latest sherpa-hauler, the Spectra5, is eyeing the summit in the entry-level ranks.   Actually, there are two Spectra body styles \u2014 a 4-door sedan in LX , EX and SX trim levels, and the hatchback Spectra5, its word/numeral nomenclature a nod to Mazda and handsome styling that looks like the result of a gene-splice experiment involving the Toyota Matrix and Honda Civic Si.   With a deeper air dam, flared rocker panels, a tidy roof spoiler, a black mesh grille and standard 16-in. alloys with P205/50R-16 Goodyears (the sedans get 15-in. steel wheels with 195/60R-15 rubber), it looks the part of a sporty urban runabout.   Yet the Spectra5&amp;#039;s most appealing aspect is actually the sum of several tweaks to shock valving, spring rates and anti-roll bars that act upon its strut-at-each-corner suspension, because it strikes us as the first Kia that&amp;#039;s reasonably entertaining in the twisties. We&amp;#039;re not talking Miata-like levels of responsiveness or flingability here; rather, enough precision, steering feedback and roll control to make attacking the serpentine stuff a pleasure instead of a tire-punishing chore.   It&amp;#039;s fully consistent with parent Hyundai&amp;#039;s master plan to endow Kia cars with a sportier, more European feel. At the same time, the 5&amp;#039;s praiseworthy bump absorption won&amp;#039;t rattle your teeth on the crumbling urban infrastructure either. If you don&amp;#039;t care for the 5-door body style, the same appearance and handling changes can be found in the SX sedan, due for a later, mid-2005 introduction.   Whatever the trim level, you get 4-wheel disc brakes (ABS is a $400 option, and not available on the base LX) and engine-speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering. On the safety front, all Spectras come standard with six airbags \u2014 two frontal, two seat-mounted side and two full-length side curtains, which pop down out of the headliner.   Gas it on the straights, and you&amp;#039;ll find more power than last year&amp;#039;s 1.8-liter Spectra, thanks to its Hyundai-designed Beta engine, a 2.0-liter dohc 16-valver with another Kia first: variable timing for its intake camshaft. Output is 138 bhp and 136 lb.-ft. of torque, respective gains of 14 and 17, unless you get the PZEV-SULEV version with 132 bhp and 133 lb.-ft. that&amp;#039;s fitted to 4-speed automatic versions in California, Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Vermont. The fatter midrange acceleration is appreciated, as is the newly refined sound and reduced vibration at the 6400-rpm redline \u2014 think sewing machine or well-oiled food processor, not wood chipper.   There is room for improvement in the driveline, however. The linkage of the 5-speed manual, though more solid than last year&amp;#039;s, feels a mite sticky into and out of each gate, and the 4-5 shift will occasionally balk. Clutch take-up tallies another demerit; it seems it either grabs just off idle or slips with slightly higher revs, leaving you searching for the engagement sweet spot.   Spacious Spectra interior has upgraded plastics, better refinement.   Elsewhere, there&amp;#039;s a lot to praise. Now built on the Hyundai Elantra platform (with an additional 2.0 in. of wheelbase and 0.4 in. greater width than last year&amp;#039;s Spectra), these Kias have best-in-class interior room, with huge rear doors allowing access to a rear-seating area that&amp;#039;s an easy fit for 6-footers. Front seats are reasonably comfortable, and the straightforward instruments and dark-upper/light-lower dash treatment are easy on the eyes. Vent-control knobs are large, with legible markings.   Attention to detail is markedly improved in a lot of areas \u2014 nicely textured dash plastics, tight panel gaps, a solid thunk on door closure; and other subtleties, like damped lids for the glovebox and overhead sunglasses holder, and a fan that&amp;#039;s relatively quiet on its highest speed.   The Spectra5 and SX sedan get extra interior tchotchkes such as leather wrap for the steering wheel and shift knob, a sportier seat cloth, aluminum pedal pads and metalicized interior trim.   Prices are certainly reasonable, with $12,620 buying an LX sedan and the SX 4-door and Spectra5 in the $15,000 neighborhood. But we say pony up for the better-handling models; you&amp;#039;ll thank yourself in the middle of the first cloverleaf. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a10195/2005-kia-spectra5/>