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:
Tires and wheels
Tires care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tire
inflation pressures and stay within
the load limits and weight distribution
recomme ...
Seats
Front seat
(1) Forward and backward
(2) Seatback angle
(3) Seat cushion height (Driver’s seat)*
(4) Seat warmer*
(5) Headrest
(6) Armrest (Driver’s seat)*
Rear seats
(7) Folding the seat ...
IS BIGGER BETTER?
While we’d certainly argue that when it comes to cars bigger isn’t always
better, the wider and longer Optima is now in line with its main competitors
delivering added interior space. Rear sea ...


