2010 Kia Magentis: Taking simplicity too far
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Despite a style makeover two years ago, the Kia Magentis still finds itself far from the limelight. Indeed, those in the hunt for an intermediate sedan tend to look to the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, among others. Even the Hyundai Sonata, which shares several mechanical features with the Magentis, has been turning a lot more heads. But that’s not to say that the Magentis is a bad car…
We should admit right from the get-go that there’s nothing spectacular about the Magentis’ style. Its lines are ordinary, but on a positive note, it won’t go out of style quickly. You could almost say that this intermediate sedan is taking simplicity too far! However, that alone doesn’t explain the near complete absence of the Magentis from our roads (only 1033 were sold in Canada in 2009). Nevertheless, it’s not an ugly car and the changes made in 2009 give it a little pep.
A welcoming, if eccentric, passenger compartment!
The passenger compartment is cut from the same cloth as the rest of the vehicle, and simplicity is the rule. The dashboard, for example, is more about function than looks, but it isn’t exactly hideous either! The gauges are readable and the controls are located where you’d expect to find them. There’s a lot more black on the dash, but the handful of aluminium accents (plastic aluminium, no less!) enhanced the passenger compartment of our LX-V6 test model. By the way, note that the audio system has a sound that should satisfy even the most indifferent ears… I’ve never found the front seats of any Korean car particularly comfortable, and the Magentis is no different. Moreover, they have no lateral support, but I must admit that almost none of the Kia and Hyundai owners that I’ve met gave the front seats of their car a bad grade. As usual, I’m the only one who got it right..
The rear bench and space is decent, as long as you’re no more than six feet tall. The middle seating position, on the other hand, seems to have been specially made for an old enemy who owes you money. The 60/40 seatbacks lower to increase the trunk space, but it doesn’t make the trunk floor flat. And yet, the dimensions are good and the opening is large, which is a feature that is more and more rare. Since there’s no handle inside the trunk lid to help close it, expect to get your fingers dirty, especially in winter.
Mechanics
The Magentis has two possible engines. First, there’s a 2.4-litre four-cylinder featuring 175 HP and 169 lbs-ft of torque. A five-speed automatic transmission connects this power to the front wheels. A five-speed manual transmission is also available, which is excellent news, even though it won’t be very popular! Our test vehicle came with a 2.7-litre V6 with 194 HP and 184 lbs-ft of torque. For this engine, the only transmission offered is the five-speed automatic.
Just as its appearance suggests, the Kia Magentis isn’t the most original car around, but its V6 is modern and it offers good accelerations and pick-up that are largely free of torque effect in the steering wheel. The transmission runs smoothly, and we don’t have anything negative to say about it – with the possible exception of its surprisingly useless manual mode. Not even the wheel-mounted paddle shifters help the matter. During our week-long test drive, we recorded an average fuel consumption of 10.3 litres/100 km, which is in line with Kia’s figures of 10.5 in town and 7.0 on the highway. On this subject, we’d be remiss not to mention the fact that all of the other vehicles in the category have better numbers…
On the road, the Magentis is as sporty as an Audi R8 is family-friendly… In any case, as soon as you push it, even a little, the car, traction and lateral stability control systems – which come standard on all versions – intervene with the authority of a Christian Brother. If that isn’t enough to curb the enthusiasm of the two or three Magentis owners that are more excited than the others, the four-wheel independent suspensions are definitely comfort-oriented. And they manage to maintain that comfort, regardless of the road conditions. The steering isn’t very precise and its lightness is matched only by its lack of feedback. The brakes are in the same boat, with a pedal that has a long way to go in the event of an emergency stop and that offers hardly any sensations at all. At least the ABS is subdued and the stopping distance is about average.
That was the bad news... Now, the good news!
Thus far, our opinion of the Magentis has been rather lukewarm. However, there are more than aesthetic and dynamic factors to take into consideration when choosing a vehicle. Price is of utmost importance, and Kia really took care to keep the Magentis affordable. A Magentis base model (LX) goes for $23,700 and its equipment proves to be excellent (power locks and windows, electric heated rearview mirrors, intermittent and variable-cadence windshield wipers, heated front seats – only one position, but they are heated just the same!, climate control, AUX and USB outlet, ABS brakes and six airbags, etc.). Very few competitors offer as much equipment for the price.
And then there’s the matter of the warranty. Kia has a 5 year/100,000 km warranty that covers the car almost from bumper to bumper! In this regard, only Hyundai can match what Kia proposes. Sure, Mitsubishi has an even better warranty, but between you and me, a Magentis is a hundred times better than a Mitsubishi Galant…
The Kia Magentis is definitely not for everyone, but those who don’t care about having a car that turns head should take a good long look at its good equipment level, attractive price and serious warranty. On the other hand, the resale value of Kia products isn’t very high, but at least their reliability has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years.
