These days, when it seems like everyone wants to question Detroit's vehicles, Rob57 from Minnesota thinks he has a solution for the Big 3: Build cars like Kia does. He and his wife recently purchased a 2009 Spectra5, and for a variety of reasons have found it to be the perfect car for them. However, their one small gripe is with a design issue that may turn off potential buyers. Read the review and then post your own here.
These three images — two more after the jump — of the new Kia Forte hit the internet last night without much info about the new sedan. Kia provided us with the three images, so they are indeed official. However, U.S. Kia representatives say they have no further information about the Forte, especially in regard to when or how it will show up in the U.S.
Rumors on the internet have it replacing the current Spectra sometime in 2009, with the Spectra name probably being retained. As the next major U.S. auto show isn’t until November in Los Angeles, we don’t see the Forte/Spectra coming to the U.S. until early 2009 at the earliest.
What these images show is that the front design of the Kia Koup concept and yet-to-be-released 2009 Optima is indeed the future look of the brand. The rear reminds us of the Mitsubishi Lancer. Overall the design is somewhat generic, but it’s still leaps ahead of the current Spectra. If Kia continues to beat competitors on price and buyers continue to favor value, the Forte/Spectra will do well. With the new Optima, Spectra and highly anticipated Scion xB-competitor the Soul, all slated for release next year, 2009 could be huge for Kia.
Sometimes we see a reader review that is so spot on we wonder if we wrote it ourselves. After having the 2007 Kia Spectra in the Cars.com fleet recently, we pretty much agree with everything Idaho Guy from Boise, Idaho — shocker — is saying. Of course, we didn’t have as much real-world driving time and mileage figures. Nor do we usually name our test vehicles. Here’s to Phil, the winner of our no-prize attached Reader Review of the Week:
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