#2002 KIA SPECTRA REVIEW MANUAL#

If you were touting this one for a blind date, you'd promise, 'So easy to talk to.' We'll see. Mitsubishi's new-for-oh-two Lancer is another character blessed with neither a pretty face nor a muscular engine. It, too, is new for 2003, but Suzuki has chosen a quirky approach that pretty much ensures it will be a memorable character actor rather than an Oscar winner. What could surprise? Probably not the tall-boy Suzuki Aerio. Going in, Toyota versus Honda is too close to call. We have test tracks and measuring equipment linked up with satellites and, to fill in the subtle details, the seats of our calibrated trousers. But we testers don't consult with conjurers. For that reason alone, Las Vegas oddsmakers would surely nod toward Toyota if we asked them. In the game of new-model leapfrog, Toyota's all-new Corolla for 2003 represents fresher technology. Honda introduced its seventh generation of the famously satisfying Civic in 2001, a car that's lighter and more efficient than ever before. The Japanese, of course, sit still for no one. Are they there yet? We'll know by the end of this test.

And we think it's only a matter of time until Korean cars gain the quality and sophistication necessary to compete on merit. In the small-car world, these are the price leaders, following in the path of Japanese makers who relied on low prices to push into the U.S. Yet they share few major components apart from a towering warranty - 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain, 5 years/60,000 miles on the rest of the car. The Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Spectra are products of the same Korean industrial giant, Hyundai Motor Company. As a four-door sedan, though, it has yet to prove itself. What a cutie it was in its younger days, and what a winner it is now in PT Cruiser clothes. The Dodge Neon is the other home-team player. In four-door form, it packs an impressive amount of useful space into a good-looking designer box. The Ford Focus, three-time honoree on our 10Best Cars list, has to be the heavy in this group.

#2002 KIA SPECTRA REVIEW MANUAL#

A few Chevy Cavaliers were up and running following a heavy makeover for the new model year, but none was available with a manual transmission.Īnswering the call were two Americans, two Koreans, and six Japanese. The new Saturn Ion was in the pipeline for an autumn debut, but no sample was available by summer's end. Ten hopefuls showed up along with two envelopes bearing regrets, the latter from divisions of GM. Anti-lock brakes and side airbags a plus. The casting call said, 'Wanted: Cars for the role of all-around four-door. May we show you something in a frugal car? No, no, we're talking affordable cars here, not cheap ones. What if the economy doesn't roar ahead in the '00s as it did in the '90s? What if cheap gas is just a memory? What if the GDP stumbles into the dreaded double dip and car shopping is guided by - groan - 'new realities'? As they say down in the squint print of those mutual-fund ads, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

2002 kia spectra review