Kia Amanti Interior Review
The Kia Amanti we drove was a festival of black leather, black upholstery, and white marking on all the switches, controls, and gauges, a simple, well laid out and very appealing interior scheme with very little crowding of controls. Everything was well placed and easily understood. Everything we touched and used felt like quality, with smooth actions and positive stops on everything that moved.
Because our test car was loaded with almost $6000 worth of optional equipment, our expectations were high, and they were met.
The cabin is quite roomy front and rear, with plenty of leg and head room for six-footers in the rear, along with separate air conditioning circuitry and a second 12-volt power point. The seats were thick, supportive and nicely coved, front and rear, and the driver's seat had plenty of adjustment range including lumbar support.
There was a 3-D effect to the instrument package that we liked a lot, with a centered gear indicator that switched back and forth between manual and automatic modes. We particularly liked the layout of the buttons on the steering wheel for the cruise control and sound system, beautifully integrated and easy to use.
The Infinity sound system was easy to use, clean and powerful through its nine speakers, but was lacking an Aux input for digital music players, a significant minus these days. Another feature we really liked was the top center digital display screen with trip computer, a large display with large, easy to read markings for time, day, date, temperature, mileage, distance to empty, etc. However, a navigation system is not currently offered, a deal breaker for some buyers.
Kia Amanti Road Test
The first-generation Kia Amanti was a step up from the Hyundai XG350 upon which it was based, but a step behind the competition in several areas, notably engine performance and refinement. This time around, that has been fixed, in spades.
The 264-hp 24-valve V6 engine is now competitive with just about everything else in the class in terms of power output, smoothness and quietness in operation. It sounds virile and healthy when booted or downshifted, and it has a whopping 32 percent more power than its 3.5-liter predecessor, so accelerative power is prodigious, even at 3770 pounds. Yet, in fifth gear overdrive, you can hardly hear it running. If it had a sixth-gear overdrive like most of its contemporaries, it would be even quieter at highway speeds. The transmission shifted quickly and quietly, and is equipped with a manual-control gate for performance driving.
The EPA classifies the Amanti as a large car, and it is, with a 106 cubic-foot interior volume, but it drives and feels like a smaller, more nimble car overall.
We liked the way the new suspension system handled bumps, potholes and crashes, but we thought there was still a bit too much body roll (the car leans in corners). The power steering system doles out steering assist according to engine speed, not vehicle speed, a cheaper strategy. As a result, it is overboosted and uncommunicative, though within acceptable limits for a family car.
The brakes are as powerful and as quick to act as the throttle, which means they're very good, very linear brakes, with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution as backup.
Kia Amanti Lineup
The 2007 Kia Amanti comes as one model, equipped with a 264-hp V6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission.
Standard features include cloth upholstery, dual-zone air conditioning, cruise control, power seats, power express windows, power heated mirrors, power locks, an AM/FM/CD/cassette sound system with six speakers, a keyless entry system, and a tilt steering wheel.
Options include the Leather package ($2500) with leather upholstery, heated memory seats, Infinity sound system with subwoofer, trip computer and monitor screen, power pedals; the Premium package ($1300) with black and aluminum interior trim, added gauges, 17-inch wheels and tires; the ESC package ($500) with electronic stability control, traction control and brake assist; and the Wheel package with 235/55R17 tires and painted alloy wheels. Other options include the power tilting sunroof ($900), pearl white paint ($200), and cargo mats ($55).
Safety features include front, side and curtain air bags; anti-lock brakes, tire-pressure monitoring, active headrests, seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, and a LATCH child-seat system.