Kia Spectra

Name: 2002 Kia Spectra
Brand: Kia

EPA MPG: NA

First Take

You'd have to search far and wide to find a worse new car than the Spectra. Available as either a four-door hatchback or a conventional sedan, it's essentially the same as the now-defunct Sephia. The Sephia sedan we tested suffered from an awful ride, a noisy cabin, a crude, unrefined powertrain, uncomfortable seats, and clumsy handling. Cabin materials felt cheap and insubstantial, and weak detents allowed the doors to swing shut--sometimes on a leg--when the car was parked on an incline. The Spectra sedan also received a poor offset-crash-test score from the IIHS.

Reliability Details

Owner Satisfaction Details

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2002 Sedans & Hatchbacks Reliability

No Data Available

Crash and Rollover Tests

IIHS Front Moderate Overlap

IIHS Front Small Overlap, Driver

IIHS Side Crash

NHTSA Overall Crash

NHTSA Overall Frontal-Crash

NHTSA Overall Side-Crash

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Crash and Rollover Tests

IIHS Front Moderate Overlap

IIHS Front Small Overlap, Driver

IIHS Side Crash

NHTSA Overall Crash

NHTSA Overall Frontal-Crash

NHTSA Overall Side-Crash

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Kia vs. Other New Car Brands

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Owner Reports

Owner Satisfaction Owner Satisfaction

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

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2015

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2018

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2020

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2024

Driving Experience

Comfort

Value

Kia vs. Other New Car Brands

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Kia vs. Other New Car Brands

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Crash and Rollover Tests

IIHS Front Moderate Overlap

IIHS Front Small Overlap, Driver

IIHS Side Crash

NHTSA Overall Crash

NHTSA Overall Frontal-Crash

NHTSA Overall Side-Crash

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2002 Small sedans/hatchbacks Ratings

2002 Kia Spectra

$2,725

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser

$2,775

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Ford Focus

$2,775 - $3,425

EPA MPG 28 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Honda Civic

$3,025 - $4,825

EPA MPG 34 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Hyundai Accent

$2,850

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Hyundai Elantra

$2,925 - $2,975

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Kia Rio

$2,850

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Mazda Protege

$2,925 - $3,425

EPA MPG 27 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

$2,850 - $3,200

EPA MPG 26 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Nissan Sentra

$2,800 - $3,925

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Subaru Impreza

$2,950 - $4,900

EPA MPG 24 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Toyota Corolla

$3,325 - $3,675

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Toyota Prius

$3,150

EPA MPG 49 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Volkswagen Golf

$3,075 - $4,500

EPA MPG NA

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

2002 Volkswagen Jetta

$2,825 - $4,075

EPA MPG 38 mpg

Road test

Reliability

Owner Satisfaction

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Features & Specs

4-door hatchback

sedan

2 front, 3 rear

Front

1.8-liter 4 (126 hp)

5-speed manual
4-speed automatic

In most cases, automotive warranties are based on the vehicle identification number (VIN), and the warranty will be valid regardless of ownership. The dealership can tell you exactly how much warranty is left.

Read more about extended warranties

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Model History

2004-

Current Generation

The redesigned 2004 Spectra offers a comfortable ride, quiet interior, and good fit and finish. The four-cylinder engine delivers lackluster acceleration with the automatic and unimpressive fuel economy. A Spectra5 hatchback was available starting in 2005. The Spectra comes with standard side- and head-protection air bags, but it still got a Poor in the IIHS side-crash test. ABS can be extremely hard to find.

2000-2003

2000 Redesign Year

The Spectra is merely a lightly restyled four-door hatchback version of the noisy, uncomfortable, and shoddily built Sephia. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine provides adequate acceleration, but the automatic transmission shifts abruptly and often. In 2002, the Sephia and Spectra names merged to just Spectra.