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| Since it debuted in model year 2001, Kia's Magentis has been a bit of a wallflower in the hotly contested midsize sedan market. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| Kia hopes its new, completely revised Magentis gets a little more attention than its conservatively penned predecessor. (Photo: Kia Canada) |
Revised Magentis to Premiere in Frankfurt this September
Since it debuted in model year 2001, Kia's Magentis has been a bit of a wallflower in the hotly contested midsize sedan market. The top selling Honda Accord and Toyota Camry get most of the limelight, and more recently Chrysler's 300, albeit more of a large car, has literally stolen the show.
But Kia hopes its new, completely revised Magentis gets a little more attention than its conservatively penned predecessor, thanks to sleeker styling, a larger overall footprint, and the always critical value proposition the South Korean brand's vehicles offer.
And there's a good chance that its new D-segment four-door will turn more heads than the original. While hardly as neck-snapping as Dodge's new Charger, for instance, the new Magentis will appeal to those looking for a slightly less dramatic, but still understatedly elegant entrance. After all, some people would rather not have their car announce its arrival from blocks away, preferring a more subtle approach.
This is one of the reasons why Toyota sells so many Camrys, that and unshakable customer loyalty developed over decades of reliable service. But Kia, ranked quite low in J. D. Power and Associate's dependability (VDS) and initial quality (IQS) studies, doesn't have such laurels to rest on, and therefore has to be better than the best when it comes to styling, performance, and perceived quality, plus hit the market noticeably more affordable than its top-selling Japanese rivals.
While the Magentis has clearly been designed so as not to offend, and performance is limited to a 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder in base guise and 2.7-litre V6 in top trim levels, its value proposition will have to be very convincing indeed.
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| A little checking will show that it's almost identical in size to its Korean segment rival, the recently revised Hyundai Sonata. (Photo: Hyundai Canada) |
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| Only the rear end design shows similarities with the new Hyundai Sonata, mostly in the taillights. (Photo: Kia Canada) |
To its credit is the new Magentis' overall size, longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model. The wheelbase has been pushed out to 2,720 mm, which allows greater legroom front and rear, a larger trunk, and a smoother ride. Its 4,735 mm length, 1,805 mm width and 1,480 mm height, make it one of the largest in its segment. Yes, a little checking will show that it's almost identical in size to its Korean segment rival, the recently revised Hyundai Sonata, which measures in with a 2,730 mm wheelbase, plus a length of 4,800 mm, width of 1,832 mm, and height of 1,475 mm.
This "coincidence" is hardly news to those up on Kia. As you may remember from the previous 2005 Spectra, 2005 Sportage and 2006 Rio reviews, which share general architectures with the upcoming Hyundai Elantra, new Tucson and future Accent respectively, Kia was purchased by its larger competitor recently and is now undergoing a systematic metamorphosis, with the replacement of each new model, whether Kia or Hyundai, sharing as many common components as possible. And compared to some competitive automakers which try to take advantage of economies of scale by cloning a successful model, giving it a new grille treatment and selling it under another banner, Kia and Hyundai have done a pretty good job of separating their twins at birth.
The new Magentis is no exception to this rule, sharing much with Hyundai's terrific new Sonata and looking fairly different in the process. Only the rear end design shows similarities, mostly in the taillights, but the changes are enough to give Kia's new sedan a unique fingerprint on the midsize segment.
Due to the new Kia's roots, it's safe to assume it will be a strong performer in a variety of ways. First of all, it should handle as well or better than most of its peers while delivering a compliant ride. Compared to its rivals, acceleration should be strong in base guise, but most likely biased more towards fuel economy rather than out-and-out speed.
