2008 Kia Amanti

*Est. $25,395 to $27,995

Pros

The theme that runs through most evaluations of the 2008 Kia Amanti is value. The Amanti offers only one trim level, but standard features are abundant, and the Amanti does get a lot of points for its interior styling, fit and finish, and comfort.

Cons

The Kia Amanti's performance inspires criticism in a number of areas, particularly in handling and ride quality, and reviewers find its exterior styling unoriginal. The Amanti's fuel economy disappoints reviewers, and some are disappointed at the lack of an optional navigation system or rear fold-down seats.

Our Analysis

The 2008 Kia Amanti projects itself as a luxury family sedan at an affordable price. Seats are cushy, and materials are generally attractive and high-quality. The cabin is spacious enough to inspire most sources to label the Amanti a full-size sedan, and it's also among the quietest in this segment. Kia provides long warranty coverage, including a ten-year/100,000-mile powertrain guarantee. But testers say the Amanti's performance doesn't quite measure up; although it's well-composed on some surfaces, many driving conditions seem to cause noticeable shuddering, bobbing and rocking, and some find the suspension too buoyant. The Kia Amanti is one of the heaviest vehicles in its class, and fuel economy is unimpressive. Reliability ratings are rather mixed. Most reviews state that the Amanti leaves a lot to be desired when evaluated against the exceptional reliability and value retention enjoyed by standouts like the Honda Accord (*est. $20,360 to $28,060) and Hyundai Sonata (*est. $17,670 to $24,625), but point out that its hefty complement of standard features, well-appointed interior and low sticker price may endear the Amanti to bargain-conscious buyers.

Review coverage for the Amanti, Kia's flagship sedan, is somewhat sparse, and many of the reviews we found date from 2005 or earlier. Still, we were able to uncover helpful features from a number of sources. Consumer Reports is well-known for the thorough nature of its evaluations, and editors here provide a wealth of information regarding the 2008 Kia Amanti's performance, including how the car as a whole ranks against others in its class. Consumer Guide provides timely analysis that shows how the Amanti compares to a segment average. Editors at Edmunds.com offer a good single-vehicle review of the 2008 Amanti. Car and Driver and Motor Trend offer the best comparative reviews, though some aspects of the Amanti's design have changed since the original articles were published. Editors at BuyingAdvice.com include the Amanti on a list designed to highlight the most reliable large sedans on the market, but they don't include much information on where they acquired their data for the line-up, unfortunately.

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Our Sources

1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe

Consumer Reports performs evaluations of virtually every family sedan on the market, including the 2008 Kia Amanti. One of the best parts of this review is the editors' reliability analysis, based on past-model-year data gleaned from reader surveys. However, only subscribers are privy to Consumer Reports' data.

Review: 2008 Kia Amanti Review, Editors of Consumer Reports

2. The Car Family

In this blog entry, The Car Family provides a two or three paragraph assessment of most family sedans. The four-member team is more positive about the Kia Amanti that most other reviewers, calling it "under appreciated" with a "surprising lush ride." Handling isn't that precise, but it's fast on the highway.

Review: The Compleat Guide to Family Sedans, The Haskvitz Family, Mar. 21, 2008

3. Edmunds.com

Editors here evaluate the 2008 Kia Amanti on measures such as performance, design and safety, and include an easy-to-understand summary of the results; they call the Amanti as "a strong dark-horse candidate in the upscale family sedan segment." Although this review doesn't include the results of any official head-to-head assessment, the Amanti does get some comparison with its rivals.

Review: 2008 Kia Amanti Review, Editors at Edmunds.com

4. ConsumerGuide.com

Consumer Guide evaluates the top-selling vehicles in America with comprehensive road-testing, then judges them against a class average. Consumer Guide uses a number-heavy format for its test results, but this is nonetheless a helpful resource. The 2008 Kia Amanti's overall score is slightly below the average for other large cars, but it posts strong numbers in the areas of quietness, control design and fit and finish.

Review: 2008 Kia Amanti Review, Editors at ConsumerGuide.com, Mar. 1, 2008

5. Motor Trend Details/Subscribe

Motor Trend's extensive process to find its Car of the Year begins by testing each new and significantly redesigned vehicle available in a given model year. Each participant is rated on value, superiority and significance, and the car with the highest wins the contest. The Kia Amanti wasn't a strong contender editors say especially conservative drivers will be quite satisfied with the Amanti, but buyers with even a marginal interest in performance may want to look elsewhere. Several of the judges' concerns were addressed with the Kia Amanti's 2007 redesign, however.

Review: 2005 Car of the Year Test Kia Amanti, Editors at Motor Trend

6. Car and Driver Details/Subscribe

This head-to-head evaluation from 2005 matches the Kia Amanti with five other large family sedans, all priced around $30,000. The Kia Amanti slides into last place here. The Amanti is the heaviest among this pool of full-size sedans, and acceleration, ride and handling all suffer somewhat as a result. The Amanti's most recent redesign attempted to rectify several of these issues, though, so this review may not be a fair assessment of the 2008 model year.

Review: $30,000 Family Sedans Comparison Test, Patrick Bedard, July 2005

7. BuyingAdvice.com

Winners here are included based on historical reliability; numerical ratings are included for each, but the origin or meaning of the rating isn't clearly explained. The attached narrative reviews are also very short and lack detail. Still, this review offers a helpful starting point for prospective buyers who are interested in a roomier family car. The Kia Amanti takes second place on this list.

Review: 5 Most Reliable Sedans (Large), Editors at BuyingAdvice.com

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