Driving
The Kia is available with 2.0-litre or 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines, but we prefer the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. There's a fair amount of diesel clatter at idle, but once on the move it delivers power progressively, and at cruising speeds is impressive refined. It serves up its power in a progressive manner too. So it's a shame the Kia's clutch action is snappy which, combined with a less-than-slick gearbox, makes smooth progress difficult. What's more, dynamically the Magentis feels flimsy. It rolls through corners, and this increased body movement means it works its front tyres much harder. There's also a lot of dive when braking, and the middle pedal is soft under-foot too. The steering is light and vague, and never inspires confidence. Unfortunately, the soft dynamic set-up doesn't translate into a decent ride quality either, because while the Kia is cushioned over smooth surfaces, the dampers don't control suspension movement. As a result, it can become crashy over imperfections, while kickback through the wheel is a problem. Still, stability control is standard.
See also:
Steering wheel
Power steering
Power steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the vehicle.
If the engine is off or if the power
steering system becomes inoperative,
the vehicle may still be ...
Vehicle load limit
Tire and loading information label
The label located on the driver's door
sill gives the original tire size, cold
tire pressures recommended for your
vehicle, the number of people that
can ...
A safer drive thanks to new 'active' and 'passive' technology
Kia invests heavily in R&D programmes directed at enhancing both the active
and passive safety of its vehicles to deliver the highest levels of occupant
protection.
To ensure that owning and ...