Day-by-Day Review: 2009 Kia Magentis LX

By James Bergeron

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2009 Kia Magentis LX

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Well, I don’t have much of a funny anecdote to throw out there today — writer’s block, perhaps. Last week I was in the all-new Kia Borrego; this week, once again, I’m in a Kia, but this time, it is the Magentis. Refreshed only slightly for the 2009 model year, the Magentis is the sister car to the Hyundai Sonata, which has garnered a great amount of praise over the past couple of years.

My tester is the Kia Magentis LX with Premium Package; to be honest I was not very familiar with the package layout for the Magentis until I researched it today. The LX is the base model but still comes with a good number of standard features, such as air conditioning, power windows and locks, cruise control and a CD player — and is the only Magentis model available with a 5-speed manual transmission. You can read the full list in the Autos buyer’s guide here.

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The LX Premium adds 16-inch alloy wheels, tilt and telescopic wheel, power sunroof, fog lamps, eight-way power driver’s seat, and electronic stability control. My tester, however, seems to be missing the tilt and telescopic wheel. Either it was forgotten on the production line or perhaps this was a late addition; that would explain why my early-build model is missing it.

The family resemblance to the Sonata is rather striking. The body shape and interior feel and finish are so similar it is eerie — almost like General Motors badge engineering, but I won’t go there. The ride and handling is supposed to be tuned slightly differently for the Kia, adding a more sporty flair, although I’m not too sure many Magentis buyers are looking for a sports sedan.

From the short time I have had behind the wheel so far, I would say the Magentis pulls off traditional family sedan well. Let’s see if my perception changes over the course of the week.

2009 Kia Magentis LX
MSRP as tested (excluding destination): $25,495

For more information on Kia and the Magentis visit Kia Canada

Day 2:

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In my day one text, I mentioned my tester seemed to be missing telescoping steering even though it was listed on the specifications sheet. Well, it turns out I was mistaken and my tester does have telescopic steering, and I’m just a wimp. You better eat your Wheaties if you plan on adjust the wheel in this car, as it is one tough cookie to move.

The rest of the interior is, well, basic but still has a few features that are unique in this price range and definitely worth mentioning. The auxiliary input and USB connector as standard are a nice touch; most manufacturers are only adding USB connectivity in their decked-out luxury models, while Kia is offering it in their intro-model sedan.

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Other items you don’t see very often are a sunroof and sunglasses holder, even in much more expensive vehicles. As a general rule, it seems that you either get one or the other, but not both, but Kia bucks the trend and offers the two together. The sunroof also operates with a one-touch open and close, although the close button is recessed and a little hard to find in the dark.

Again missing in this Kia is ambient lighting inside, which means fumbling around in the dark at night, and at this time of the year, it seems like that is all the time.

The Magentis’ heated seats are absolutely wonderful — heated cloth just can’t be beat as you start off closer to warm than with leather. The heater seems to work extremely well too — nearly burning my hands with the air from the vents — and has been a very welcome feature the past couple of mornings.

The rest of the interior is basic but functional, with two cup-holders, and an armrest with a storage bin inside (it does not move forward and aft but it does provide my shorter frame with an elbow rest). There is a deep storage bin just under the HVAC controls; if you have large hands, be careful what you store in here, as you may never reach it again.

The rear seats fold 60/40 but in typical sedan style, not completely flat. The opening is also hampered size-wise by the rear frame, but I was able to fit a rather large TV credenza, in its box, through the hole.

Day 3:

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So I was out to supper with some of my friends, and of course the conversation turned to the Car of the Week. Honestly, I never mentioned anything about cars the entire dinner (I was quite surprised, myself). It wasn’t until we hit the parking lot after a large mile high chocolate ice-cream cake did they ask, “How do you like the Magentis?”

I wasn’t sure what to say; the mood was light, so I blurted out: “It’s magentic.” Okay, corny joke, but whatever, the Magentis is actually very nice — full stop.

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Not “nice for a Kia”, or “nice for the price;” just overall very well done. The ride is smooth and quiet, and although calling it sporty would be a stretch, it handles fairly reasonably as well.

Bumps and holes in the road are soaked up without a fuss, and the fit-and-finish is up to my expectations of a modern vehicle for basic transportation. I can’t help myself but compare the Magentis with the Corolla. Read that any way you wish, but I see it as comfortable basic transportation and so far, it seems to be rather thrifty as well.

My tester is equipped with the 2.4-litre four mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is a little quick to upshift to save fuel, and the engine does sound a little coarse if you are trying to get out of your own way in a hurry. The ECO light in the dash — which lets you know when you are driving economically — looks like a gimmick (well, it is, actually) but it works: just like the shift light in the Cobalt I had a few weeks back, the ECO light turns driving into a game of “try to keep it lit.”

Seems to be working; according to the on-board computer, I am achieving some good fuel economy so far.

Day 4:

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I will freely admit it: the Magentis didn’t offer a very exciting week behind the wheel, but it did offer a week of fairly good fuel economy, easy driving and basic transportation. The trunk, with 60/40 rear folding seatbacks, was large enough for the many purchases I made this week, too.

I did a little more highway traveling this week than I normally do, but then again, it was also a little on the chilly side, which is not conducive to good fuel economy. Despite the cold weather, I averaged 9.2L/100km. Not bad — not bad at all!

*Rating out of 5: