Kia Magentis

Our verdict

The KiaMagentis misses the point in spectacular fashion. Not cheap enough to be a bargain, not stylish enough to be cool, not premium enough to be thought of as anything other than a charmless, cut-price Mazda 6.

Comfort

The same soft suspension that makes the Magentis such a humble handler increases its ability to deal with the bumpy stuff, but there's a feeling that this is a car set up by chaps who don't understand British potholes.

Performance

There's a range-topping 2.7-litre V6 petrol with 185bhp that flings the Magentis to 62mph in 9.1 seconds and on to 137mph. If that's a bit frenetic for you, try either of the two-litre four pots, one petrol, one diesel. The oil-burner has 138bhp, gets to 62mph in 10.4 and does 125mph. The petrol has 142bhp, hit's the benchmark in 10.2 and on to 129mph. Ignore the V6.

Cool

About as cool as genital warts.

Quality

Not up to European standards, not up to the standards of its own C'eed. Grey is the order of the day; grey and plastic.

Handling

Even though the latest Magentis has Europe-specific suspension it's still some way off the pace in terms of handling. Soft springs and dampers mean that the angle of attack can get a bit excessive and there's precious little grip in corners.

Practicality

A large (ish) 420-litre boot and seating for five make for a decent airport taxi.

Running costs

The diesel gets 47.1mpg, the small petrol 36.7 and the V6 30.7mpg. Purchase is relatively cheap, depreciation is relatively catastrophic.