The new Magentis is a modern, high-quality, high-value saloon, which offers customers clean, crisp, handsome styling, improved power, higher performance, better handling, a smoother ride, more space, more luxury, a larger trunk and enhanced fuel economy.Created by Kia design teams in Korea, Germany and the USA, New Magentis, on sale in spring 2006, will enter the D-Segment in Europe and will be offering customers a choice of gasoline and diesel engines. Available only in European Magentis models, Kia's new 2-litre 140 ps CRDi diesel engine features a variable-geometry turbocharger (VGT) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) as standard, for optimum performance and economy, with clean Euro4 compliant emissions.A special 'Europe Only' interior, with an all-black or grey-black seating and trim combination, will replace the grey and beige two-tone treatment used in other markets. Front and rear seats have also been developed for the European market, with longer cushions and larger side bolsters on both the cushion and backrest. These seats will be standard fit for diesel powered models and will be introduced on petrol models later in 2006."New Magentis continues the recent Kia tradition of introducing new models which are attractively styled, comfortably appointed, technically sophisticated and thoroughly modern," enthused Mr Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation.For Kia, the new Magentis will feature a total of nine derivatives. Depending on the model selected, customers can choose from two equipment levels (LX and EX), two gasoline engines (2.7 and 2-litre) and one diesel engine (2-litre) with five or six speed manual and four or five speed automatic transmissions, and an extensive range of optional equipment.Taller 1480 mm (+70 mm), wider 1805 mm (+15 mm) – excluding the old model's protruding door handles – and longer (+5 mm) than the model it replaces, the new Magentis has a longer wheelbase of 2720 mm (+20 mm) and reduced front overhang of 935 mm (-25 mm) to create improved interior packaging, which offers significantly more cabin space, together with a larger 420-litre trunk.The new, fully independent MacPherson Strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension systems are designed to deliver a supple, comfortable ride with agile, responsive handling and good stability under the toughest road and weather conditions."With significant improvements in every category – design, comfort, performance, quality and safety – plus its new diesel engine and new transmissions, and specially developed 'Europe Only' seats and interior trim, New Magentis will certainly have great appeal to existing and new Kia customers all across Europe," commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe.Kia's range-topping Magentis model can be ordered with a powerful, responsive, upgraded quad-cam 2.7-litre 188 ps V6 'Mu' petrol engine with VIS (Variable Intake System). Also available is the all-new 'Theta' 2-litre 144.5 ps petrol engine an impressively quiet, state-of-the-art four-cylinder powerplant with CVVT. The new 2-litre CRDi SOHC diesel engine produces 140 ps and 305 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 2,500 rpm (output to be confirmed). All three engines comply with Euro4 standards.Unusually in the D-Segment, all Magentis engines will be available with an automatic transmission. Both petrol and diesel 2-litre engines can be ordered with a four-speed automatic transmission as an extra-cost option, while the 2.7-litre is mated to a new five-speed automatic gearbox as standard. Fitted with Kia's Sport Mode automatic transmission, these gearboxes offer a choice of fully automatic changes or driver-controlled sequential-manual gear selection. As standard, the 2-litre petrol engine is fitted with a five-speed manual, while the 2-litre diesel engine is supplied with an all-new, six-speed manual gearbox.Each New Magentis is fully equipped with active and passive safety measures to avoid hazards and protect occupants in real-world accidents. The all-new bodyshell is manufactured with a large percentage of high-strength steel. ABS with EBD, front and side airbags, front 'active' head restraints and three-point seatbelts for all five occupants, are fitted as standard. In addition, ESP stability control, reverse parking sensors and curtain airbags are available as options.Despite predictions that overall D-Segment sales in Europe will gradually decline to 1.48 million units by 2010, Kia is determined to maintain or grow its segment share. Depending on individual market conditions, Kia intends to triple sales of New Magentis – targeting sales of almost 10,000 units annually in Europe.New Magentis is manufactured in Korea at Kia's Hwasung 3 assembly plant. It is an exclusively Kia product, independently developed and built on the new MG platform, unrelated to the Hyundai Sonata, which uses a different wheelbase and suspension systems. In future years, the MG platform will also form the foundation for the replacement Kia Carens model.The new Magentis and the Sonata do share several engine and transmission components.
