2006 Kia Spectra5 consumer reviews

I got my Kia Spectra5 for a Birthday gift for myself. I was looking at Subaru WRX (Used) & other sporty hatchback cars. After days of test driving I went by the Local Kia Dealer (In Prescott,Az) I had no clue they had a sporty hatchback so I took the 5speed out for a spin, I was impressed right away, This was not the junk Kia I have heard about, I enjoyed the way the steering felt & the car was kinda quick. I have had my car since Aug. 2006 I have 55k miles on it and drive it like a race car. fun car to drive! you can find performance upgrades at a few different sites & forums both were very helpful in finding the info on the parts I was looking for on my Kia. I would tell anyone thinking about a Hatchback to give the Spectra5 a test drive you may like it as much as I have!

I bought my 2006 kia spectra 5 in 2007 brand new. It has a 4 cylinder auto transmission. We've put almost 150000 km on it now and "no problems"! We live out in the country so there's a lot of highway miles on it and I've had to replace all the tires once. Im so impressed by the gas mileage and quality of this car. It also has great looks and is quite powerful for a little engine. We have done zero maintenance on it besides oil changes. I have never changed the timing belt or transmission fluid like I should have and maybe I should soon, but up to this date, its the best car I've ever owned overall. I would definitely buy KIA products again. THANKYOU KIA!!

Overall this is a good car. It's really fun to drive and is zippy. It handles like a go-cart, which is a plus. The turning radius is excellent. The exterior styling is sporty and the interior is roomy in the front. The cargo area is very spacious. The biggest two negatives that I have with this car is 1) It really needs a 6th gear (Manual 5 speed revs high on the interstate which makes it a little noisy. Also first gear is really short). 2) If you press the gas while not in gear, it takes a LONG time for the engine to wind back down, much longer than normal.

I've owned a wide variety of cars both American and foriegn. I bought this car new in 2004 and haven't looked back. The vehicle goes through bulbs like crazy but is certainly something that I can live with considering the car now has 140000 miles on it and still runs great.

Model yr 2006. After putting in 3,000 miles, I took it on a trip to Woodstock, GA, which is 2,150 miles one way from my place in southern California. First day, my wife and I drove for 16 hours and negotiated 900 miles, non-stop, except for fuel and personal necessities. Second day, we drove for 12 hrs. and 10 hrs. on the 3rd day. We went through heat in AZ and NM, (A/C worked great) thunderstorm (rain and wind) in part of TX and we felt secure in this car under those conditions. We drove 7 to 10 MPH over the speed limit most of the time, so you can imagine how fast we were going when we got to part of TX where the speed limit is 80 MPH. We could had been going faster than that, (the car is extremely capable of doing so) but we were very concern of getting a speeding ticket. This car is competent and reliable. The sports tuned suspension is a big plus, especially when going fast through the curvy highways. I never felt intimidated by the big rigs doing 80 plus MPH. I can honestly say that there is no car out there, in this car's price range, that can match this car in performance (handling and power), comfort, reliability, and of course, styling and fit and finish. An AWESOME car!!

I just bought a 2006 Kia Spectra5...brand new. First off, I received a very good deal since the 2007 Kia's have been out for a while already. I can't talk about the reliability of the car since I just bought it; however, I can tell you that I know I'm going to be happy with this car for a long time! It drives perfectly...handles like a pro. It's got very good "get up and go" and is roomy enough for everything I need. The layout of the interior is very nice. Anyone looking for a "sports-type car" but can't afford to spend a fortune should look into buying one of these!

i bought this car in October of 06. Thus far i have had no complaints. i just wish there was a little more storage room or roof rails standard. that would've been a little helpful. This car handles like a dream with its sport tunes suspension. its pretty peppy to. the radio isnt bad. sometimes the reception isnt awesome because it has a small antenna on the hood. The speakers are great. i love this car.

i love my car ....:).. great on gas ..i think is one of the best i drive in this level... amazing all around....never have problem & with the money i pay.....well i fell i hit the jackpot...i'm recomend to evrybody... be smart... save your money...and drive with class...:)

I bought a 2005 Kia Spectra5 a couple weeks ago with 14,000 miles on it. I had done a lot of research on economy cars, so Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Toyota were at the top of my list. Honda and Toyota have been very pricey, especially in the used car market, so I concentrated on the Korean cars. They've come a long way. The Spectra has a 2 liter engine that has more power than you would expect. I'm a conservative driver, so I wasn't looking for "sporty", but for an economy car, this one is! Around town MPG tested out to be 24, just like the book said. I expect it to get close to 34 MPG on the highway when not using the A/C. It's fun to drive, lots of room, controls are well laid out, and the engineering seems to be very good. No problem getting up to cruising speed and the brakes work very well. I feel I got a lot of value for around $12,000.

The 2006 KIA Spectra 5, is a pleasant surprise. At first glance, this is a sharp looking car, especially with tinted windows. A fairly reasonable list of standard extras helps make this car an excellent value. The Spectra 5 handles very well, and as long as you're not expecting sports car power, is peppy enough. Steep hills are OK, unless you have 3-4 passengers, than a little gutless, but not surprising. My only semi-serious complaint is the drivers side leg room for your right leg. If on a long trip, and using the cruise control, there is nowhere to fully straighten out that leg. The interior is nice, with sharp looking, and functional displays, as well as easy to use radio and climate controls. The seats are firm and comfortable enough, although they could be better. Rear leg room is pretty good, unless the passengers in the front are really tall. If your passengers are pre-teen, then that won't really matter. The head room is incredible. A few years ago, you could'nt have given me a KIA. But they have worked hard to improve the quality, and have backed it up with as good a warranty (5 year bumper to bumper, my deciding factor to purchase this car)as I have ever seen. Overall, I highly recommend the KIA Spectra 5. And did I mention the warranty?!! OH YEAH!