The four-door Spectra sedan is Kia’s lower-priced alternative to such cars as the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla, which, to paraphrase the late Rodney Dangerfield, is a tough crowd to go up against, particularly after receiving a poor frontal collision rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But the Spectra answers whatever advantages these Japanese and American competitors might offer in terms of refinement and resale value with its low pricing, impressive 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, and array of standard features.

Owing to its poor IIHS rating, the Korean-built Kia doubtlessly wants you to know that – in addition to its dual front and front-side airbags – curtain-side airbags are now part of its many standard features. These protect the heads of those who had only just been enjoying the availability of such other standard equipment as a 138-horsepower four-cylinder engine borrowed from Hyundai’s compact Elantra (with which the front wheel-drive Spectra shares its platform), four-wheel disc brakes, and a five-speed manual transmission. That’s on the base LX model. Owners of the midrange EX get air conditioning and fog lamps among the features thrown into the mix, whereas sporty SX drivers need pay nothing extra for their rear spoilers, 16-inch alloy wheels (rather than fifteens), and sport-tuned suspensions. Also, the car offers a newly available wagon, dubbed the Spectra5.

Think of these as stations on the front-drive Spectra’s path toward achieving the goal of matching the competition in terms of quality, performance, and safety.

The Spectra starts out with smart lines that, overlooking its complex arrangement of grille louvers, are taut and balanced. Like the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf, the car represents a trend toward having a make’s mid- and even low-range models look like scaled-down versions of their luxury offerings. This stands in contrast with the approach of, say, the Dodge Neon, which, retro-style, extends the once cost-influenced tradition of having a marque’s economy models look as cute as members of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety did when they were just babes on bear rugs.

The test Kia, a midrange EX four door sedan, was nothing too fancy considering it was a press car. Sure, it came with the optional sunroof, cruise control, and alloy wheels that brought its price to more than $15,500, but under it all was an elemental road-going unit equipped with a stick shifter and standard (non-antilock) brakes. That said, we must note that even the basic Kia brings more standard equipment to the party than does virtually any other car in its price class. In addition to the airbag array mentioned, this includes a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a tilting steering wheel, and a well-designed dashboard with a premier AM-FM CD sound system.

Despite the tilt wheel and driver’s seat vertical range, we had a difficult time finding an optimal driving position and noted that the Kia’s front seat accommodations and interior materials were generally below average for its class. However, the 60/40 folding rear seats’ passengers were much better off, especially if small enough to hail from someplace more like the IIHS than the NBA.

We drove the Kia along the highways, byways, and back-roads leading to the village of Accident, which, despite its curious name, is enchantingly nestled in the mountains. Along this route, the Kia performed admirably, the continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) of its Elantra-supplied four making it lively off the mark and capable of maintaining adequate non-passing highway speeds without much flogging. While road and engine noise intruded (particularly when the motor reached about 4,000 rpm), the Spectra’s solid structure helped to absorb bumps with notable elan. High-speed maneuvering was dicey, however, and while the Spectra’s brakes and steering were responsive, its cornering grip proved weak. Fuel use came in at 29 miles per gallon.

Needless to say, the Spectra got us to Accident and back in perfect safety. And the way that this 5-year-old Kia model is improving, we think that one year soon it’ll reach its other goal as well.