KIA MAGENTIS Review

Summary:

What we like: Well equipped, Warranty

What we don't like: Average driving dynamics

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KIA MAGENTIS review in detail:

The Magentis is Kia's midsize sedan and, like other vehicles of this type, it's aimed at families desiring comfort, decent performance and value. The Kia Magentis is obviously not intended as a sport sedan. However, around town, the Optima does feel a bit like a sport sedan, thanks to its relatively quick steering, tight suspension tuning and unexpectedly generous helping of road feel. If you start getting serious with the car on twisty roads, much of that quasi sport sedan feel goes away, though. Fortunately, most buyers won't be putting these kinds of demands on the Magentis.

Styling of the Magentis will suit many as it is pleasant enough in a conservative way.

Kia has focussed on providing safety in the Magentis. Australian imports come not only with an electronic stability program (ESP) to assist the driver to avoid a crash, but also front, side and curtain airbags to give the occupants a better chance of surviving one. In NHTSA crash tests, the Magentis earned a top five-star rating for its protection of occupants in frontal and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the Kia Magentis as "Good" for frontal-offset crash protection, which is the non-governmental institute's highest rating.

The Magentis boasts interesting textures and glowing blue gauges similar to those in the Honda Accord, and most surfaces have a high-quality look and feel. There's plenty of legroom up front, and the seats are well-shaped and supportive with nicely padded bottom cushions. Legroom is good in back, but the seat bottoms are a little short, offering less support for long-limbed occupants. Two adults and three children will be able to stretch out in real comfort.

Boot space is large and is relatively easy to load, though the opening is compromised by the rearward placement of the back window.

The steering of the Magentis doesn't offer a lot of feel for what is happening at the front wheels, and the suspension is a little on the soft side. Not all drivers want to push their cars and the Magentis certainly provides a smooth, quiet ride.
However, it becomes relatively noisy on coarse-chip bitumen surfaces.

Buyers are offered a choice between four and six-cylinder engines. The four displaces 2.4 litres, so isn't a lot smaller than the 2.7-litre six, but the bigger engine is nice and smooth and doesn't cost a lot more.

Kia gives a five-year 130,000km warranty on the Magentis.

When will the KIA MAGENTIS be updated next?

The KIA MAGENTIS update is expected to be around 0 2007

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