Kia is a growing brand in the UK. Year on year sales are up and quietly, but tellingly, the brand's foothold in the marketplace is strengthening. Buoyed by new models such as the
Sportage and top-selling
Picanto and underpinned by the continuing sales success of the
Sedona MPV, the brand grows in stature and confidence. The latest offering in the family car sector is the new Kia Magentis we test here. Offering
Mondeo dimensions for
Focus expenditure, the brand's core strength of value for money quotient continues, but here we find, not for the first time, that this isn't the only selling point.
The styling of the Magentis is very much like any generic Euro or Jap 'box; a safe play unlikely to offend or deter potential customers but at the same time it isn't going to win any based on flair. There are a number of contemporary design cues around the car in terms of the shape of the light clusters and such like but by and large it is a little bland and certainly doesn't stand out in a crowd. Whether this is a positive or not depends on your perspective.
What the shape does lend itself to is a spacious and roomy cabin. Four adults and their luggage are accommodated in comfort with ease. The interior is on the low budget side of luxurious, but is a world away from the nasty hard plastics of old, and not a million miles away from the echelons of the mass market offerings. The seats are comfortable, but lack the structure and support you'd find in something like a Mondeo or
Audi A4.
This would be an issue if the Kia Magentis was intended to be a dynamic back road weapon, but from the off it is clear that that is not the case. The chassis isn't intended to rival a Mondeo in terms of outright dynamic prowess and tilts heavily toward the comfort side of the balance. Around town and on country roads it deals with bumps and ridges well but it is on the motorway that it shows its best form.
Close your eyes in the Magentis and you wouldn't be able to easily tell it apart from something like a Vectra. There is a little more engine and wind noise, but with the stereo on a low setting, that is drowned out. That won't isolate some of the vibration through the pedals, but this is never overly intrusive or tiring. Twice in its week with us we used the Magentis for trips of 100 miles or so. Twice we returned impressed by its composure and mile munching ability on the motorway.
So surprised was I by the discovery of the Magentis's abilities that when the Editor popped around for a visit I threw the keys at him and asked him to reassure me that I wasn't going mad. Somewhat pleasingly he confirmed that this was not the case and that the car is indeed an impressive mile covering tool. Obviously the story is not so much of a revelation on our uneven back roads.
The Magentis makes a good fist at traversing our favourite B-roads, but ultimately lacks the chassis stiffness and composure to entertain. Body roll is fairly pronounced and the handling is slightly wallowy, but this is the trade off for the other strengths and as such will be a worthwhile sacrifice for many buyers, the majority of which don't want to hoon around back roads.
Driving wise the Magentis is a painless if uninspiring tool. The steering is overly light and corrupted by the transmission of mid corner bumps. The brake pedal is mushy (although stopping power is never in doubt) and doesn't inspire confidence at first acquaintance. The gearshift is smooth and direct, but by and large you wouldn't buy a Magentis to drive for fun.
Under the bonnet, the 2-litre four-cylinder common rail diesel does an honest job. Neither massively powerful nor refined, it is something of an average engine, but it gives the Magentis's relaxed chassis just the propulsion it needs; relaxed, torquey and effortless. It gets vocal when extended and outright pace against the clock isn't great, but stay within the confines of the mid-range and performance is adequate and economy good. Again, it performs well at a cruise complemented by the long sixth gear ratio.
In summary, the latest Kia Magentis is probably a few years behind the competition in terms of the overall package. Improvements to design, interior quality and NVH would brighten the picture considerably, but it already offers an excellent common sense option. Obviously the price, at 15-20% less than the usual suspects such as the Mondeo and Honda Accord, is a big selling point. If cheap, comfortable, practical family motoring is your priority and you want a new car, on a sensible budget with the reassurance of a good warranty then the Magentis makes a compelling argument for itself.
Kia Magentis UK range overview
- Kia Magentis 2.0 GS: £14,495
-
Kia Magentis 2.0 CRDi GS: £15,495
- Kia Magentis 2.0 LS: £15,995
- Kia Magentis 2.0 LS Auto: £16,995
- Kia Magentis 2.0 CRDi LS: £16,995
- Kia Magentis 2.0 CRDi LS Auto: £17,995
- Kia Magentis 2.7 V6 LS Auto: £17,495
