2006 Kia Amanti

The full-size Kia Amanti should be especially appreciated by those who miss big, soft Buicks and other roomy, upscale American sedans from the 1970s -- well-equipped, rather glitzy cars that provided virtually effortless driving.

The Amanti seemingly is from designers who deliberately got stuck in the past, when buyers of most large U.S. sedans didn't know -- or care -- about sharp steering or adroit handling. It's almost as if Hyundai-owned Kia was told to build a retro-style sedan for the 60-plus American crowd that was happy with a large, comfortable, rather flashy car. Those folks never had any interest in, or knowledge of, sports sedans.

The Amanti looks distinctive, with its massive grille and rather cluttered-looking rear end. The oversized, shiny outside door handles add to the glitz, but help make it easy to enter the car.

All the old American sedans had rear-wheel drive. The Amanti sharply differs in that regard because it has front-wheel drive, which General Motors began emphasizing for its models in the late 1970s.

The $27,795 Amanti is meant to be driven gently. Its rather vague steering reacts slowly to quick inputs, and it has a soft, floaty ride and just-adequate handling. Even mildly aggressive driving causes considerable body lean, and the car has pronounced noseplow in turns. The brake pedal is soft, but has a linear action despite being occasionally touchy.

The Amanti does best when driven moderately. Its front-drive setup gives it good straight-line cruising ability on highways, where strong crosswinds don't threaten to blow the car into the next lane.

A quiet, 3.5-liter, 200-horsepower V-6 provides lively in-town acceleration, although lots of engine revs are needed for the best acceleration, and 65-75 mph passing time is average because the Amanti weighs a hefty 4,021 pounds. The old American sedans also were heavy, but had much larger (and fuel-thirsty) pushrod V-8s with more horsepower and torque.

The Amanti's dual-overhead-camshaft V-6 works with a responsive five-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift feature, which few Amanti owners probably ever use -- it's the kind of car you just stick in "drive" transmission mode and go.

Estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway. Premium grade gasoline is recommended.

The Amanti has an unusually large number of features for the money, with some comfort, convenience and safety items found standard only on more expensive autos. Its resale value is questionable, but it has one of the best warranties, including 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage.

Newly standard for 2006 are leather upholstery, a sunroof and heated front seats. Other standard items include power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate controls, tilt leather-wrapped wheel with radio controls, AM/FM/cassette/CD player, cruise control and power mirrors, windows and door locks with remote keyless entry.

Standard safety features include front and rear side air bags and curtain side air bags, besides anti-lock all-disc brakes.

Among the few options -- and one definitely worth having -- is a $500 Electronic Stability package containing traction control, an anti-skid system and a brake assist feature for surer panic stops. A $1,000 Infinity package contains an upscale sound system with an in-dash 6-disc CD changer and memory system for the driver seat and mirrors.

A large, generally upscale interior with good fit and finish easily accommodates four to five tall adults and probably helps sell lots of Amantis before prospective buyers even leave a showroom to take the car for a test spin. The back seat is especially roomy. It's comfortable, except for a center area that's rather stiff. However, a large pull-down armrest can occupy that center spot.

All doors have storage pockets, rear windows lower all the way and an unusual touch is ashtrays in the rear doors -- a reminder that smoking is common in other parts of the world where the Amanti is sold.

Gauges can be quickly read in the hush-hush interior, and all controls are easily reached. Front seats have handy Mercedes-style controls on doors and are large and comfortable, although they provide virtually no side support in curves. Nicely placed front console cupholders have a cover to keep them from sight to help allow a neat-looking interior. And a large, covered front console bin provides handy storage for items such as cell phones.

The large trunk has a low, wide opening and a lid that opens smoothly on twin hydraulic struts. (Some costly cars use manual lid hinges.) However, rear seatbacks don't flip forward to enlarge the cargo area because Kia thinks such seatbacks would hurt the solid car's torsional stiffness.

The hood also opens with twin struts to reveal a large plastic engine cover to hold down noise, and you won't get clothes dirty if you must reach a fluid filler area in the engine compartment.

The Amanti is generally a bargain. Some think it's a throwback in terms of ride and handling, but others miss old cars that had its softer personality. 

2006 KIA AMANTI
PRICE: $27,795

LIKES: Roomy. Well-equipped. Floaty ride. Nice interior.

DISLIKES: Average handling. Moderate highway acceleration. Questionable resale value.