That was my first reaction on spotting the silver 2008 Kia Amanti with black interior and leather trim sitting in our driveway. I could not believe this classy car was a Kia!
Driving it made me even more excited. This sporty-looking, smooth-driving, automobile seemed too luxurious to be made by the South Korean automakers, the same guys who first brought “very inexpensive” cars to the U. S. I remember some folks even sneered at the Kia as being “too cheap” to buy even with fantastic warranties and the lowest prices in town.
The Amanti quickly dispels all that. The sporty styling features chrome accents on the front grille, door handles, and body-side moldings, along with clear-lens halogen headlights with front projection fog lights, tinted windows, and a dual exhaust.
The full-size sedan is the flagship car of Kia Motors America, who recently announced the Amanti had topped the large car segment in the Strategic Vision Total Value Index or TVI®, which considers complete consumer ownership experience as well as the buyer’s beliefs about the economic consequences of purchasing the product.
The Amanti boasts a unibody frame on a platform 250 pounds lighter than previous generations, and a 3.8 liter all-aluminum DOHC V6 engine that generates 264 HP and 260 pound-feet of torque with a five-speed gated automatic transmission with Sportmatic™ shift that gives it an extra power boost. Thanks to a precise power rack-and-pinion steering system, and super suspension and shock systems, drivers enjoy a smoother ride that contributes to the overall feeling of being in a luxury sedan.
Amanti’s many amenities that help push it toward the luxury class include stylish upgrades like leather seat trim, 17-inch chrome wheels, power adjustable pedals, a premium Infinity sound system, dual zone automatic temperature control, power front seats, power windows, and heated outside mirrors.
Safety features include eight airbags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, Lower Anchors & Tethers for Children (LATCH), engine immobilizer, and a tire pressure monitoring system.
The base price of the Amanti I drove was $25,495, but added options including an Electronic Stability Package, leather trim package, heated front seats, Infinity Audio system with 9 Infinity speakers with subwoofers, a 4-inch monitor with trip computer, and a power sunroof, brought the total to $31,695.
The estimated fuel economy ranged from 17 in town to 24 on the highway for an estimated fuel cost of $2,209.
And it’s good to know that while the Kia’s prices may have gone up, the 10 years/100,000 mile warranty is still there, with 24-hour roadside assistance also available.
Jo Ann Holt is a car columnist and journalist based in Dallas, Texas, and a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association; [email protected].
