| Launch Report Kia Magentis |
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Upsetting The Market Kia has decided, quite wisely, not to mess about with a too-complex UK model range. From the on-sale date of July 2, the Magentis will be sold only in V6 form. The LX costs £12,995, the LX Sports with H-Matic sequential transmission comes in at £1000 more, and the better equipped SE automatic costs £15,995. Of course, if sales really take off - and I don't see why they shouldn't - other models could be brought in. That "H"? Well, the Magentis is the sister car to the latest Hyundai Sonata, sitting on the same platform and using the same 166bhp engine. But Kia, now wholly owned by Hyundai (where DaimlerChrysler, of course, is a shareholder) has done an excellent styling job. With a faint touch of Cadillac about the grille, a fair amount of exterior chromework, and strongly presented projector headlamp clusters, the Magentis is a car with a confident air. There's absolutely nothing about the external appearance which should make owners fidget about being seen in this bargain-price saloon from the Pacific Rim. It's better looking than many class rivals from bigger European and Japanese manufacturers, and it murders them on price. I'm not wild about some interior details, though, either in the LX or in the SX with its leather upholstery and wood-effect trim. The problem areas are the usual ones, on the fascia and the door panels. Kia just hasn't got to grips with colours or textures on the vinyl surfaces. Korean manufacturers often don't. If these were improved, at what I'm sure would be minimal cost, the car would look like a million dollars - well, like another couple of thousand pounds, anyway. It's The Price, Again As it stands, the Magentis is just amazing value. It's a full five-seater with headroom and legroom right up to the best European standards, and there's also a capacious boot. The instruments are neat and restrained in design, and everything's in the right place - except that the boot release switch is half-hidden under the driver's door armrest, and Kia is still fitting control stalks in that old confusing Korean fashion. The wipers are to the left and the lights/indicators to the right. Of course, somebody driving the Magentis regularly, and not nipping in and out of different cars in the demented way of motoring writers, would get used to all this in about two minutes. Performance? Well, a 166bhp V6 isn't going to lose much with a sequential automatic transmission, which works smoothly but does, inevitably, soak up some power. Not too much power, by the feel of things, though. The manual car hits 62mph in a purposeful 8.5 seconds, and the automatic is maybe about 0.3s behind. The Magentis is a strong performer, and you certainly wouldn't think from the way it handles that this is Kia's first 2.5-litre V6 effort, in the UK market, at any rate. Of course, Hyundai has been there before. There's good cornering power and a composed ride. With either transmission system, the Magentis offers crisp mid-range acceleration, and, while it isn't being promoted as a sports saloon, it's a lot sportier when the roads start winding, thanks partly to its multi-link rear suspension, than a lot of other cars with big engines and small prices. It's quiet running, too, and the specification details make it clear how much effort has been put into keeping road and mechanical noise as low as possible. Kia is making positive noises about residual values, an area in which some of its previous cars scored well, but it's in original price that it's providing the real shocks. Bear in mind how the market's view of Skoda has been transformed over the last couple of years. Watch out - here comes Kia. |
You don't have to admire the Korean way with model names to appreciate that the new Kia Magentis is stunningly good value for money. Here, at an entry-level price similar to the ones many manufacturers ask for smaller 1.6-litre hatchbacks, is a very roomy 2.5-litre V6 saloon which has - and this is rare among Korean cars - real presence on the road.
