Kia Magentis (06-10) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 10 November 2009
Kia may have a strong reputation for making good value small hatchbacks and people carriers, but not many people consider the Korean make when it comes to larger saloons. The Magentis is just that - a four door car that's similar in size to the Volkswagen Passat, but unfortunately that's where the similarities end. The dull styling and cheap-looking cabin do it few favours, while a cramped driving position and flimsy handling make it far from enjoyable to drive. It does come well equipped and there's plenty of rear leg room. It was facelifted in 2009 with a sharper look and improved handling, but it still fails to impress. The Ceed hatchback may be smaller, but it's a far superior Kia.
3 out of 5

Other Kia reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Both the 2.0-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol engines are competitive on fuel consumption with averages of 37mpg and 47mpg respectively. The 2.7-litre V6 is best avoided unless you only intend to cover a low number of miles per year. Servicing costs should be low, but group 13 insurance is high for this class (2.7 V6 is in group 15) and unlike other Kia's, the Magentis originally only had a three-year warranty as standard. However, models from January 2010 have a seven-year warranty.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,705 - £2,046 *

Diesel

£1,364 - £1,687 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12,500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage. This was changed in January 2010 to seven years/100,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£170.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    158
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    220
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Magentis performs respectably on the eco front and it's not surprising that the diesel is the best engine for economy. It returns a useful 47mpg while emitting 162g/km of CO2. The newer CRDi, introduced when the Magentis was revised in 2009, emits 158g/km of CO2 (making it cheaper to tax) while returning the same 47mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2