Before this test started, I had worked myself into the position of being one of the few motoring journalists never to have driven a Kia Magentis. I should immediately add that there was nothing sinister or even deliberate about this - it was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when the car was launched to the UK press.For a few weeks after this event, there was no shortage of secondhand reports about the new Kia. Colleagues talked of little else. Some went so far as to suggest that this was the best medium-sized saloon money could buy, beating the Mondeo, Laguna and various VW Group products.Journalists don't talk like this very often, so - discounting the possibility of bribery, threats or other forms of cajoling behind these remarks - I was intrigued when a Magentis arrived at CARkeys so I could see what all the fuss was about.Actually, most of the story is in the figures. Several cars of this size have luxury models with large V6 engines. A large V6 is the only engine fitted to the Magentis - there is no non-luxury option. In complete contrast, the prices are definitely in the budget sector. They start at £12,995, and the most you can spend is £15,995 for the top of the range version, complete with automatic transmission, traction control, leather, climate control air-conditioning, side airbags and multiple other goodies. Compared with the car's rivals, this is pocket money.Impressive stuff, but it wouldn't mean much if the Magentis wasn't any good. Well, you can forget that idea, because this is the best Kia yet in an increasingly impressive range. The 2.5-litre engine is whisperingly quiet (you can't actually tell it's a V6 until you are going hard enough for the characteristic sound to make itself heard in the cabin) and with 166bhp it has enough power to make driving all but effortless.Ride quality is very good, though slightly firmer damping would eliminate the front-end confusion that sometimes happens on undulating roads. On the other hand, exactly the same trouble afflicts every German car of the same type that I can think of, so Kia is not trailing the opposition in that respect. As long as the roads are smooth, the Magentis is pretty much on a par with its far more expensive rivals.Kia claims a high level of luxury for the Magentis, and while this is perhaps true in comparison with other cars the Korean company has built, you don't feel particularly cossetted. The interior looks fairly simple, but it's certainly comfortable. The body shape is undramatic but reasonably stylish, in a way that Hyundai, for example, has not yet been able to achieve to anything like the same extent.There's a five-speed gearbox manual gearbox if you want it, but the test car came with the Sports H-matic auto, which seemed an appropriate match for the engine. Shift quality is not as seamless as on other automatics you can buy these days, which is one of the few obvious signs that this is an inexpensive car. There is a sequential shift option, after the current fashion, but I don't think I used it more than half a dozen times in a week's driving - there just didn't seem to be the need.Undoubtedly there are better cars available with the same amount of room and performance, but they all cost thousands of pounds more. Kia comes very close to admitting that, going by past performance, the Magentis is likely to suffer from high depreciation, and if that is a major worry you would definitely be better looking elsewhere. At the same time, because it is so cheap its value has less far to fall over the first three years, so the actual amount lost might not be too large.You can consider that either way and act accordingly. What is unarguably true is that in terms of initial value for money the Magentis has no obvious rival on the market.Second opinion: There's very little of the old "never mind the quality, feel the width" about the Magentis, although the LX interior trim materials and colouring have a touch of the Dullsville Motors about them. You just can't go past that phenomenal price, although I don't think the H-Matic transmission, pretty smooth and part Porsche-designed as it may be, is worth an extra 8% on the cost of a manual LX. The Magentis knocks the opposition sideways for passenger and luggage space at the price - some manufacturers talk this kind of money for superminis - and yet that's a very strong performer of an engine. Styling? I thought it was pretty smart, and I don't mind the Cadillac-like grille. As for Hyundai, well, Kia's parent company will be coming out with its own version of the Magentis design quite soon. Ross Finlay. Engine 2493cc, 6 cylinders Power 166bhp Fuel/CO2 25.9mpg / 257g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.8 seconds Top speed 130mph Price £13,995 Details correct at publication date
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