The Wheels boss was firm: He would enjoy a week’s worth of blacktop bliss driving the upscale Audi TT coupe. I would drive the Kia compact….Have fun.

Now, as a man who knows his place among the auto reviewers’ pecking order, I accepted my task stoically – muttering to myself all the way to the parking garage, out of earshot of the Wheels boss. Because he who gives out the keys, after all, can taketh them away.

Arriving at the garage, I found the Kia Spectra SX: black exterior, dark trim inside. Hmmm. Nice set of wheels, kind of sporty look, rear spoiler in the back adding just a hint of attitude. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, I thought. No Audi TT screamer, but, hey, I could give some rest to the decade-old minivan I drive.

So I set out with the sporty Kia toward home — smooth ride, a good amount of pep, solid braking with antilock grip all around. Not so bad, I thought. And when I got home, my son looked out in the garage. “Hey, Dad, is that one of those pocket rockets?” Well, I must admit the lighting could be better in the garage and “pocket rocket” doesn’t really describe this modest little four-door, but it’s close.

The Kia Spectra SX certainly surprised me. It was economical, claiming about 27 miles around town and 33 on the highway if obeying all posted speed limits. It was also fun to drive. It had a firm grip on the road and enough pep from its 138-horsepower four-cylinder engine to have some fun. It also featured a manual five speed, which had a bit of a finicky clutch, but I quickly got used to it and offered a smoother ride to passengers for the rest of the week.

This year’s model also includes new styling up front and out back, with a revamped grille, bumper, lights and deck lid. Inside, Kia has restyled the dashboard, put in some new seat fabrics and boosted its audio system. Overall, the Kia is about an inch or so longer than last year’s model, but, hey, who’s counting?

The Spectra looks like many of the compacts, with a rounded front and rear. The styling was attractive, but not distinctive, but, hey, with a price tag on the sunny side of $18,000 for everything, including a few bells and whistles, one can’t complain. The SX model is the sportier, peppier edition and came with nicely done 16-inch alloy wheels, which added a touch of styling to this model.

The interior was roomy for me and my son, who are six-foot and six-foot-two, respectively. I also fit a couple of adults inside the car without complaint. Granted, we didn’t drive to Florida, but for trips around town and on the highway, it was plenty roomy. The trunk also was also spacious for a compact.

The bottom line for the Spectra is very affordable — at least by today’s automotive pricing standards. It starts at $15,995 for practically everything as standard equipment. On the SX model, Kia added $400 for antilock brakes, $300 for an in-dash CD changer (which includes an input for an MP3 player, a wise addition) and $700 for a power sunroof with a tilt feature (which I used often). Add in the freight and handling and you arrive at $17,995.

That price includes a number of important safety features, including front and side air bags and curtain bags and a few other safety features, including front and rear crumple zones.

The only disappointment that I experienced was the awful reception on the radio – AM and FM – which I began to wonder could have been a defect in the radio. That became annoying. But the multiple CD disc player worked well and the easily accessible input jack for an MP3 player was a nifty novelty put to good use. So I’ll just assume that the radio needed some tweaking because I haven’t encountered a radio yet with these reviews that couldn’t pick up local stations without a lot of hiss or crackling.

I’ll assume the poor reception would be a warranty issue, which by the way is another plus with this sporty little sedan. It comes with Kia’s 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty (engine, transmission, drivetrain), which should give most buyers plenty of peace of mind.

So I must admit that I ended my week on a better note. The Kia Spectra SX was fun to drive, comfortable, spunky and did get a few nice notices from other drivers. An Audi it isn’t, but it’s a contender for those looking for an economical car that can still get up and go, with a generous warranty and plenty of standard features that will keep you comfortable and safe. [Source: Theday]