2008 Kia Amanti Luxury 3.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

Fabulous car for long highway drives

Faults:

There is a right side steering rack leak (minor) with boot wetness, but no puddle on the driveway yet, no drop in power steering fluid level yet. The boot has been damp for a year. I will change when the condition worsens.

Recently the driver's side sun visor lost tension in the home position and droops about an inch.

In cold weather there is valve ticking for the first few minutes until the car warms up. I have seen information stating this is normal for this engine, the noise disappears after oil pressure is up and the lash adjusters do their job.

With the power there is significant torque steer that I don't remember in my more problematic 2004 Kia Amanti that I owned previously.

Nothing else wrong with the car in the year I have owned it.

General Comments:

Where do I start!

Beautiful styling inside and out. I have the luxury package + all other packages. Nice leather on the seats, very, very comfortable. Great power from such a big car and can run with '08 Lexus ES and '08 Acura TL base. There is significant torque steer that takes a bit of getting used to.

I have black with black tinted windows. The car looks like a limousine.

I previously owned a 2004 Kia Amanti that was sadly in a total loss collision with an SUV. I was not injured and can speak very highly in the overall safety of this car. This is why I replaced it with an '08 Amanti.

The '04 had a number of faults: ghost mirror and seat movements, hard starts, unpredictable lunging, quirky shifting, acceleration lag, rusting on hood and rear wheel wells, bad radio reception, power steering cooler line leak, rear suspension issues, and a very heavy-handed ESC system and aggressive acceleration tip in that led to some very choppy launches on ice.

I am happy to report that the '08 has not demonstrated any of these issues. I really like the modern interior, the perforated leather seats that are also more comfortable front and rear than the '04. The ESC and the acceleration mapping is much improved. Very smooth and engages only as much as needed. Seems more sophisticated and controlled.

Overall, an amazing car with tons of room, great looks and great power.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st July, 2016