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:

    Tire specification and pressure label
    The tires supplied on your new vehicle are chosen to provide the best performance for normal driving. The tire label located on the driver's side center pillar gives the tire pressures recommend ...

    Wiper blades
    Blade inspection NOTICE Commercial hot waxes applied by automatic car washes have been known to make the windshield difficult to clean. Contamination of either the windshield or the wiper blad ...

    Manual transaxle
    Manual transaxle operation The manual transaxle has five forward gears. Press the clutch pedal down fully while shifting, then release it slowly. A special safety feature prevents inadvertent ...