Kia Magentis (06-10) - Review

Ride comfort is good on smooth surfaces such as motorways, but it struggles to cope with bumpy or rough roads and can get crashy as a result. The driving position is cramped too, which is particularly noticeable on long journeys, but on the plus side there's great rear legroom so passengers in the back get a good deal. Air conditioning is standard across the range and all windows are electric. Noise levels are also low, with engine noise in the diesel model particularly well suppressed at speed. Facelifted models come with even better noise insulation and there's less engine noise at high revs.

The Magentis has a decent boot with 452 litres of space - that's bigger, for example, than a Peugeot 407, but smaller than saloon versions of the Ford Mondeo or Mazda6, both of which offer at least 500 litres. The Kia suffers as it's not a hatchback and there's no estate version available either, so buyers after practicality will have to look elsewhere - Kia's own Ceed SW is a good place to start. Up front there are a few useful storage areas but nothing exceptionally practical.

Kia has tried to match the mainstream European and Japanese models for interior quality. Everything feels well screwed together, but there's no hiding the fact that it appears substantial savings were made in the cost of the materials, particularly in the entry-level GS model. The after-market audio system has fiddly controls and sticks out like a sore thumb. And while Kia should be applauded for moving away from dull grey colours, the all-black interior is sombre and the driving position cramped. It's worse on GS models which only have height adjustable steering. Elements like the flimsy central storage bin do little to help either. Facelifted models come with a vastly improved and easy-to-use integrated stereo and more upmarket instrument dials. Leather seats are standard and the overall quality feels better.