Test drive Kia Spectra 2004 - 2009 sedan

Last year's snow

The summer operation of the car is one thing when the greatest trouble is a regular rain for him. And a completely different winter: cold, snow, icy roads, a short day and a long night. Therefore, the next route of our wards of the Volga, dozens and spectra laid in the Arctic, to the White Sea.
Volga GAZ 31105
Manufacturer: OJSC GAZ
Year of release: 2005
In operation while driving: since March 2005
Mileage at the time of the report: 24 500 km
Previous publications
in the journal: 2005, No. 7, 10
VAZ 21104
Manufacturer: OJSC AvtoVAZ
Year of release: 2004
In operation at the wheel: since December 2004
Mileage at the time of the report: 35,000 km
Previous publications
in the journal: 2005, No. 4, 10
Kia Spectra
Manufacturer: OJSC Izhavto
Year of release: 2005
In operation while driving: since June 2005
Mileage at the time of the report: 25,300 km
Previous publications
in the journal: 2005, No. 9, 10

Of course, it was not dreamed of simulating the cold, which the penguins could not be in the climatic chamber, only refined frost is unlikely to fully recreate all the hardships and hardships that can fall out of the car during field tests.
The dark December morning our caravan headed for Murmansk according to the all -knowing Internet, winter there already twisted the nuts with might and main. Not Oymyakon, of course, where frosts are incompatible with automobile life, but not a red clearing with the only accessory of winter snow.
The beginning of the route with a length of four and a half thousand kilometers was a successful road clean and relatively free, the frost is rather formal, just below zero, and before the polar night, two more days of the journey. Cars behave quite regularly: the Volga growls and eats gasoline with excellent appetite, a dozen habitually takes a dozen to the right, just goes the spectrum. Apparently, on the inhabited highway with housing, gas stations, shops and other benefits of civilization there is no place for a feat. In any case, while we manage to stay away from this place.
Passed Veliky Novgorod, Chudovo, leave for Petrozavodsk. It got dark, it was the time to reveal the eternal theme of the quality and reliability of domestic cars on the road. But, apparently, the one who has, considers it differently to the night we get without incident.
Without incidents, does not mean without comments. A long movement in the winter darkness attracted attention to those disadvantages that you usually do not attach much importance. But about them a little later.
A polar day in mid -December is crushed for several hours, and after a week, half -dusk remains completely from it. Our photographer was lucky for several days turned out to be cloudless, and the sun above the horizon was still rising in full height. Daytime photos are taken just in these short gaps. But aside the lyrics, much more interesting to decipher the notes of on -board magazines.
Volga
Setting up the cabin to the desired mode was not so easy. The engine that regulates the temperature is confidently kept only in extreme positions. Between them, a zone of uncertainty, where it is not easy to choose the optimum. Even worse, if you flood the cabin, it seems at night. Firstly, in the darkness the desired lever cannot be found, first you should turn on the light in the cabin, then it would be good to turn off the fifth gear (otherwise the hand will have to go through the box lever) and only then make the first attempt. With the third or fourth, it is finally possible to achieve the desired result. By the way, in order to turn on the light in the cabin, you will have to extinguish the lighting of the instruments. They have one switch. Such an algorithm, unfortunately, is not the only mystery. This is the following: the switches on the panel are highlighted only in the position on, so you have to feel the right one. Over time, of course, reflex motor skills will be developed, but why not do humanly?
Using a cigarette lighter is also not easy: the button is hidden in a deep square well, to extract it from there art. By the way, for no apparent reason, tension was lost on it and the radio was hung on one of the fuses to happiness, their block is easily accessible.
The intra-axial rear-view mirror did not acquire a day or a day, which is why the light of the cars walking behind the cars now and then whips through the eyes. Of course, at night you can only use the outer ones, but in the slush, they quickly overgrown with dirt, and the left on our car also trembles.
Some of these revelations have long been known, others can be considered when buying a Volga and weigh their significance ahead of time. But what about the acquired inheritance? The springs were noticeably sagging by 25 thousand, the reverse transmission flies out, and the first turned on with a blow, the tanger of the gear lever collapsed, but the gearbox of the rear axle howled worst of all! Well, the owner of the plant made a belated, but the right decision to finally turn the production of the Volga symbol of the era of developed socialism. Moor did his job.
TEN
The award sheet of Lada turned out to be shorter than the previous one, but the brilliance of the medals did not fade. By 30 thousand mileage, the left front door sank with washers under the loops. A tangible gap in the steering mechanism appeared, the upper supports of the front racks thundered, and a driver's seat pillow was served. Other little things have no direct attitude to winter exploitation by our conversation. In such cases, the time has come. It’s only a pity that so soon.
For example, a fluid belt of a curve, a curve, stubbornly drives him on a rebid. Replaced in the kit, but there is no belief that the new will work out the resource. The expansion tank of the cooling system burst, the right headlight barely reacts to the hydraulic tank.
The heater caused the greatest troubles. Only a quarter of indicator power (the one that develops in the cylinders of the engine) turns into useful work. The rest, and this is in maximum power mode of more than 250 hp. (!), They are heated by the atmosphere. True, peak loads are rarely used, but a quarter is enough to heat a country house, not to mention a couple of cubic meters of salon. However, despite the powerful blower, the heat from the stove is consumed stupidly lost in the labyrinths of the ducts, goes through their huge cracks. The simplest refinement of the heating system only partially solved the problem, but soon the motor -editor of the air damper refused. Then it was not possible to buy it to the damper was secured in the maximum heating position. With short trips, this seemed enough.
Another thing is many hours of riding: to escape from the heat with open windows the right way to catch a cold. Therefore, an experienced driver on the third day of the trip bought a regular heater crane, crashed it into a power pipe, and the control cable brought it into the interior under the steering column. In the future, the penny system confirmed its trouble -free. And at the same time, multifunctionality the next day jammed the thermostat in the open position. There was no analogue in stores, so before the end of the trip the thermal mode of the engine was supported by the old man in the old man in front of the radiator and the run through the heater.
Gentlemen, Vazovtsy, when will you learn to be tolerantly collecting cars? The price has already brought the price to foreign cars, and you pull the old song competitors, do not give life, support, for the sake of a domestic manufacturer! Only money loves money, not patriotic calls. By the way, what does your top management go on?!
Kia Spectra
Justice requires an objective assessment of cars in equal conditions. Well, the conditions are met by the vehicles of the trail. Let's see what the spectrum presented us. The list of malfunctions ends in the second position we bring it without bills.
1. The mileage is 24 750 km, the near light indicator on the instrument panel does not burn.
2. A regular telescopic antenna once advanced only half the move. The reason at night has frozen condensate on the tubes. The defect was sprouted with liquid for thawing locks.
That's all, the rest of the comments relate to the design. The driver's seat pillow is perhaps too overwhelmed. Apparently, it will be useful to install spacers two to three centimeters high under the rear fasteners of the chair.
The progress of the front suspension is not enough. If she gets into the potholes, she shoots to the stop. It is inconvenient to open the trunk to increase the premium of the springs. There is no headlight corrector on our car, which, of course, does not correspond to its class.
Now let's recall how many surprises our editorial dresses presented the previous models of the IL-Auto conveyor. Yes, the cars were cheap, drove in the very least and someone already liked it. Only this deadly branch of the evolution of our auto industry was and no matter how sorry, but sooner or later it would have to be sawed off. Before, perhaps better.
 
Andrey Sidorov
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"