| Model year | 2006 |
| Year of manufacture | 2006 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
4.8 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 18000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 50000 miles |
| Previous car | Buick Park Avenue |
Summary:
Be cautious
Faults:
We've been having problems with the ESC OFF light coming on for no reason - we've had it to KIA for at least 5 times for this same problem and they can't seem to get it fixed - I'm tired of having the vehicle in the shop all of the time.
General Comments:
Great looking car - very comfortable on long trips.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 22nd September, 2009
| Year of manufacture | 2005 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
6.5 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 12000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 35000 miles |
Summary:
This headlight problem is destroying an otherwise pleasant experience
Faults:
Headlights keep burning out.
General Comments:
I have noticed that other KIA owners are having problems with headlights burning out. I am beginning to think this is a design defect. This is quite annoying! I may need to sell it! What can be done? Class action suit?
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 13th August, 2008
I understand that this may be corrected with the replacement of the wiring harness. This came from a Kia dealership forum.
I too have a headlight problem, otherwise I been very pleased with my Kia. Buying Mercedes replacement bulbs can be quite expensive. I like the comfort and styling of the Kia. I think it has a classier style than the Lincoln it looks a lot like.
| Model year | 2005 |
| Year of manufacture | 2005 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.5 V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
9.4 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 22000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 34000 miles |
| Previous car | Mercury Sable |
Faults:
I have a Carbon Gray Amanti that has the leather package and does not have the electronic stability control (ESC). ESC should be standard on this car because of its weight. The Amanti handles smoothly during highway cruising, however, it tends to "float" when encountering humps in the road.
On a few occasions the transmission didn't shift out of low gear. When I started to accelerate slowly from a full stop, the car stayed in low gear for what seemed like a prolonged period of time. I let off of the accelerator and the car shifted into the proper gear.
At 30,000 miles, I had the required maintenance (Transmission fluid changed etc.,.) performed by the KIA dealer, and have not experienced the problem since.
The lunging that others have experienced, I've experienced also, however, since the 30K service, I haven't experienced this again either.
These foibles in the cars performance have been negligible.
I believe that the car could get a little better fuel mileage than it does. It's rated at 27mpg and gets about 22mpg. It could be the low octane fuel causing the low gas mileage. Maybe I should use medium grade and see if there is any difference! Then again; with the price of fuel rising?
There needs to be an arm rest for the left arm. I find that I rest my elbow on the little space where the window inserts into the door. That's not wide enough! After a long ride with my elbow on this tiny ledge, it starts to hurt. With the window down, this isn't a problem. Just drive in warm weather with the window down ;-}
General Comments:
The amenities more than make-up for the shortcomings of this car.
I've been delighted with this car and get nothing but accolades from folks about the looks of this vehicle.
People just can't figure out what they're looking at... Mercedes 300 class, Jaguar S-Type, or a Bentley Continental Flying Spur. That last one is quite ominous!
Someone in Korea must have a relative that works at Bentley Motors :-}
My neighbor has had several Jaguar's and purchased an '07 S-Type recently. We parked them side by side and checked them for similarities inside and out. All I can say is "amazing!" There's more room in the back of the Amanti than the Jaguar. See for yourself. There's also more room in my wallet for $$ too.
For the price and the warranty, this car is an exceptional value by anyone's standards.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th March, 2008