By Tim Plouff

Take heart in your options. If you have done everything that you could to maximize your personal fuel economy; i.e. checked your tires’ air pressures, replaced your air filter, tuned up the ignition, and altered your jack-rabbit driving habits, then maybe ‘the old girl’ that you know, all paid for too, might be the best alternative for you. Your overall costs are less than with a new vehicle, figuring in depreciation, higher insurance, and new car payments. So if your old car or truck still has life in it, use it.

But if you need a newer transportation appliance or you want or need a second or third vehicle for another driver in the family and it just doesn’t make sense to use an older vehicle all of the time, then you still have several options.

Late model used cars, or in the industry vernacular — previously owned, present lots of potential benefits. The major amount of depreciation has already been booked, so you should not be upside down in your loan as soon as you leave the lot. This leaves you with a retail that is more appealing to buyers who want new but the checkbook says “no way.”

Used cars still carry some kind of limited warranty; more if it is still under the manufacturer’s new car warranty period, less if it’s the dealer’s plan. The only type of used cars, including program cars, to particularly shy away from is the original model years of any new product. These infants tend to have more teething issues than cars and trucks that have rolled down the assembly line for several years.

But some drivers just have to buy new and the industry has a whole host of choices available to make even entry-level buyers reasonably content with their selection. In fact, builders like Kia make buying new a wiser choice than used considering the added value that today’s newer products have over their predecessors. Think about more airbags, improved brakes, larger tires, better sound insulation, more powerful engines with enhanced emission controls plus better fuel economy and more interior amenities.

Since Hyundai became the controlling partner of Kia, these two Korean brands have teamed up to streamline costs while creating more reliable, more comfortable, more appealing American-focused products.

Kia is still not a brand to lust over, but the plethora of improvements in engineering, design, and build quality make the case that this brand is following the same path that made Honda, Toyota, and Nissan mainstays of our automotive world. I can recall the ridicule that Honda and Toyota experienced with their early cars in the ‘70s. By 1986, Honda had introduced its luxury brand Acura and only four years later Toyota’s Lexus debuted. Today, these two luxury marquees are considered some of the best-built automobiles in the world. The Koreans have been paying attention.

This week’s Kia Spectra5 hatchback is more than just basic appliance-like transportation or an economical grocery-getter, although it can do those tasks, too. Endowed with six air bags, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, 16-inch wheels, air conditioning, keyless entry, plus power everything, this new Spectra5 is a surprisingly adept small car.

The Spectra lineup was revised last year, but the sporty Spectra5 hatchback/wagon wasn’t added to the sedan until this year. Just a bit larger than the budget-minded Kia Rio ($9,740), the Spectra line offers more room and added amenities at only a slightly larger price. The Spectra sedan begins at $13,160 (including freight) while my bright red Spectra5 hatchback starts at $16,510 very well equipped.

Kia intended the Spectra5 to carry a bit more sporting swagger so that compact car class buyers would have another choice. With styling that closely mimics the Mazda3, the Spectra5 features body-colored accents like a lower front air dam, rocker panels, bumpers, door handles, and extended roof spoiler. Alloy wheels and 16-inch rubber complete the upscale look outside.

Inside, the roomy interior works hard functionally and dynamically. Slotted pedals, brushed aluminum trim, leather covered steering wheel, and correct ergonomics make the Spectra easy to drive. It doesn’t appear that any scrimping has taken place as the controls and switchgear could just have easily come from a Toyota product. You get an appropriately shaped left foot pedal, plus retained accessory power and a cabin that is surprisingly hushed for a small car. The only pieces missing are a real trip computer and an outside temp reading. Occupants are left with only positive impressions.

Hatchbacks have a mixed success history in America, while the rest of the world loves them. The Spectra5’s shape swallows a lot more gear than the sedan version ever could, and does it conveniently with a flexible hold that allows any number of odd sizes and dimensions. Add a rear wiper to clear the window and the wagon/ hatch body just makes a lot more sense than a conventional 4-door sedan.

Spin the new 2.0-liter engine to life and 138-hp await your command — 14 more ponies than last year’s powerplant. With the front tires showing evidence of hard use (abuse?) the Kia proved that a little bit of neglect wasn’t going to change its demeanor. The clutch and shifter never protested as I pursued accelerative pleasure — an effort that required frequent trips to the engine’s redline. Serious power, and automotive joy, doesn’t appear until 4,000 rpm’s are visible on the tachometer. Still, the Spectra proved to be thrifty with over 31-mpg average fuel economy after a week of earnest motoring.

Summer’s pleasant heat did exact a toll on the engine’s output when the A/C was called into action. Rapid bursts required not one downshift, but two lower gears if I expected to overtake any other traffic with reasonable authority. The engine doesn’t growl or protest the use and spins without shiver all over the rev range.

During 30-plus years of motorcycling, I’ve used the best helmets from the USA, Japan, and Europe. My current lid is the best one I’ve yet owned. It’s light, very quiet, and meets all of the pertinent safety standards — at an economical price too. This helmet is made in South Korea.

I mention this as another reference to the changes that have occurred in all things manufactured in Korea. There is a change in emphasis on quality and continuous improvement, changes that have shown up in much higher JD Power scores for Hyundai and Kia. A growing cadre of drivers is discovering these virtues.

You’re not buying just a warranty anymore with Kia. You get added comfort, more standard features, and a solid feeling of quality. Shoppers who dismiss the Korean brands because of some previous prejudices are selling themselves short on options. Car builders who disregard the brand do so at their own peril.