Kia Amanti 2006 and earlier

clintondee · November 2005

are they giving the 2006 Amanti a face-lift? is leather and sunroof going to be standard?

billh6 · November 2005

I went to the International Auto Show in Orlando this weekend. Of course I went right to the Amanti. OMG.. it was mobbed with people admiring it. Of course I had to tell every person, couple, that I own one and love it. The salesmen were happy to have me hang around. They sold 6 from the convention center over the weekend alone. The salesman was telling them that with the '06 all is standard, and that they will have body change in '07. Now that's just what he told me. Anybody know what that red rectangular indicator is on the wood grain above the emergency flasher on the '06? Bill

billh6 · November 2005

Hi Captain Bob: Well, I immediately called my stock broker. She loves Sir John Templeton. Once she verifies his quote she will call me back with her suggestion on what I should invest. I asked her if she had heard of a Kia Amanti. She says, yes, isn't it that cute little car? I said, NO! It's a luxury sedan. Anyway, she thanked me (and you) for the tip for herself and her clients. She will get back to me. Thanks, Bill - Orlando.

billh6 · November 2005

Stock broker called and said no, that Kia Motors does not trade in the states, only in Korea. Not sure why they don't have an international dept., but they do not. I assume Sir John does. Bummer. Bill - Orlando

topgear · November 2005

That's the "payment due" lamp that lights when the next payment is due. This will not light up if the car is paid in full from the dealer. Actually I haven't seen this yet as I have yet to see an '06 model anyway. I hope you like my little joke.

-P

magmax · November 2005

Hello Bill, I haven't seen a 2006 Amanti yet but wonder if the indicator could be the tire pressure warning light? I believe the 06 models have a tire pressure sensor as standard equipment.

MagMax

gaboy · November 2005

Dear billh6,
Boy, did someone feed you some real bull. I've had my Amanti oil changed at two different Walmarts over the past 8 months, and without any problems. And AfterMarket or not, an oil filter isn't going to make any kind of noise. Good luck. GaBoy

mechanic80 · November 2005

I just went over the sales literature and video for the '06 AMANTI, and it does not offer tire pressure monitoring (TPMS). The indicator you mentioned is the "PASSENGER AIRGAG OFF" indicator. The few changes I know of; elimination of the rear passender assist straps and the onboard computer no longer displays MPG.
All '06 AMANTI come with sunroof, leather and heated front seats, but the electronic stability package is optional as is the Infinity sound package (which includes the auto down side mirrors and 2 position memory on the driver's seat.) Hope that's helpfull.

captainbob · November 2005

is it possible to have the rear window electric sun shade put on the AMANTI .that is similar to the new hyundai Azera

mechanic80 · November 2005

I've seen pictures of the Korean version of the Amanti and it had the rear sunshade. Maybe you can get a source on the Asian parts.

magmax · December 2005

The passenger airbag warning light is also on my 05 Amanti so that's nothing new. Interesting about the lack of mpg on the computer. Maybe they didn't want owners to know the mileage? The equipment is different in every country and for Canada, which until now had only the single loaded model, there will be a base model and then a loaded version for 2006. Apparently if there's going to be a Kia variant of the Hyundai Azera, it won't be coming until the 2007 model year, just in time for me to consider a trade. Of course, by then the new Kia Optima will have appeared and that might be a very interesting car to consider as well, especially for those who want a more compact vehicle for city driving.

max

wmscott · December 2005

I scored a flawless Silver 05 Amanti with 14K miles for $18,500 from the dealer in Puyallup WA. Wife's B-day present and we have put about 2,500 miles on it so far. I love darn near everything about the car so far. We have averaged 20.5 MPG in mostly 2 lane driving which is better than I expected.

I put on the factory mud flaps, they went on very well and look fine. I wish they where a little longer though. The only things I don't like so far is the Passenger Airbag Disabled Light above Stereo Contol and not keeping windows clear in Auto Climate mode. Somtimes it will let me turn on the AC while in Auto mode to clear the windows and sometimes it won't.

The wife complains that the drivers window is hard to crack to vent. I agree but tell her to crack the sunroof instead. The Tec's at the dealer don't know if the body computer can be programed or not??? If anyone knows the hack for it let me know. I would like to make the dome light stay on when the doors close at least until the key is in.

I hear the complaints about engine power but I seem to have problems not spinning the tires on slick roads. There is plenty of power since I don't feel the need to turn and burn in my luxury car. I love the luxury car ride too!

I love the leather but the seat heaters could be a little faster. My SAAB 9000T had seat heat that took about 4 seconds to heat up. I had the SAAB living in Germany and it was smooth as silk at 130MPH! I got rid of it because the electrical system was a nightmare. Had to remove the engine to replace the brake light switch!! Windows kept sticking down in the rain. I also found driving the Autobahn at 130MPH burns up a set of tires in about 15K miles! So I don't buy SAABS any more. Same reason I will never buy another GM truck.

WE love the car so far! :P

wmscott · December 2005

I would not recommend stock in any Korean company just yet. Transparency is still an issue in Korea. The corporations there are mostly Chaebols (family run). They may be publicly traded but I don't trust them. :sick:

iluvmysephia1 · December 2005

Buying stock in Kia? Well, I have to admit I have thought of it before, since Kia is by far my favorite kind of car. I didn't know we could buy stock in Kia. Have they opened it up for public trading? Interesting point, chime in if you know the answer, OK, anybody? I wouldn't be afraid of buying and selling Kia stock because of the chaebol. In fact, now would be the time to buy stock in Kia. Buy and hold, 50 shares to start. Then buy another 50 shares in six months, etc. Only buy if you plan on holding onto it for a while, though.

wmscott, they had to remove the engine to replace your brake light switch in your SAAB? Whoa..that's a funny way of doing business, to say the least.

rroyce10 · December 2005

.... **I scored a flawless Silver 05 Amanti with 14K miles for $18,500 from the dealer in Puyallup WA ...**

Lucky ...? .. maybe for the dealer at $18,500 ...

Did you do a Carsmack, did you check the service record.? .. lotsa Kia rentals in your area and 14k is a lot of miles for "maybe" an 8 or 9 month old vehicle ... the dealer couldn't had much more than the mid to high $15's in it on a bad day ...

$16,5/16,900 I could maybe see - but $18,5..??? ........ Yikes.! ........

Terry.

centerfield44 · December 2005

I've been to that dealer looking at their cars and found the prices OK but not great. Found a new 04 Amanti last winter at Carpros in Tacoma for over a thousand less then the Puyallup dealers best price.

billh6 · December 2005

I just went out and tried to crack my driver's window and it cracked.. as a matter of fact, it shattered all over the garage. :P Just kidding. But I can tap tap and tap and it goes down just a slight bit. I see what you mean about the dome lights not staying on until key is in igition. I never noticed that. I guess because I'm in the garage and the light is on shining through the sunroof.
Congrats on your new car. I think you got a great deal. I love mine also.

magmax · December 2005

Congratulations. I think you'll be very happy with your car and with the deal. I noticed the same two things about my Amanti: the AC's automatic vs. manual controls don't work the same way as my previous Maxima used to and I never know when my AC is on and when it's off. I've just decided to stop worrying about it. As for the delayed interior light, yes, I agree that it goes off far too soon, again at least twice as fast as on the previous Maxima. It needs to remain on for at least 60 seconds, I'd say. I've got an appointment to have what the dealer called a "dry bushing" in my left front suspension looked at and will ask them at the same time whether the AC can be adjusted and whether the delay in the interior light can be reprogrammed.

MagMax

mechanic80 · December 2005

I hear the complaints about engine power but I seem to have problems not spinning the tires on slick roads

You have the ESP program? I'm sure you do if it's a loaded model with sunroof. There should be an ESP button near the drivers seat heater control. It is active every time the car is started. Mine barely allows any wheelspin yet doesn't hamper the drivetrain the way my Q45 Infinity used to.

billh6 · December 2005

Funny you mention that because I have ESP and for the first time I pulled out in traffic kinda fast and tires squeaked a little. I guess that means I'm ok with the power.

hifidan · December 2005

Hi, everybody, just wanted to let you known, it's been one month and a half, and I'm happy to report that I really love the car. Nothing went wrong so far. We have had a couple of snowstorms and the traction control and ABS work great, very stable and secure ride. My only quibble is the around town mileage. I do very short trips less than 4 kms and I so far only get 24 liters/100 kms. which is really bad. On the highway things really improved to a good 8 liters/100 kms. Can't wait for next summer to really hit the road for the holidays
Cheers
Dan:)

billh6 · December 2005

Dan: Thanks for your follow-up. We are not surprised about your trouble-free Amanti. I honestly believe they are well-made vehicles that will serve us for years to come (although I'm anxious to see the changes to the '07, as I might trade up).
Bill - Orlando

billh6 · December 2005

Well, my sister knows how happy I am with my Amanti, and although she couldn't afford one like mine, she did buy the '06 Optima loaded with leather, like a cherry color, that was in the showroom. I told her that the body style with change on '07 also, but she didn't care. It was just what she wanted. I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoy mine.
Bill - Orlando

sfchap · December 2005

My wife is leased an 05 Amanti starting 1OCT05. She has returned the car on two occassions for driving and testing due to an intermittent hesitation. I have had it happen once. Sometimes when starting up, when you push on the accelerator, it is as if it stays in idle, the revs do not seem to rise nor does it accelerate no matter how hard you push down on the accelerator. In my experience, I let off of the accelerator completely and then punched it down hard; this caused the engine to high rev and the car to accelerate. It does not seem to do this when just driving around, however one time my wife did have it happen as she sought to enter an on ramp on the interstate. We are concerned that this might happen in a high speed situation and be dangerous among other traffic. Or that it might also betray a more serious potential condition as well.

The dealer techs have said and supposedly had confirmed from factory engineers that this is a unique and not before seen event. Has anyone else experienced this or heard about it? Do you have any thoughts.

Charles

mechanic80 · December 2005

That's the first I've heard of that problem. The AMANTI is a "drive by wire" system. There is no mechanical linkage to the engine from the accelerator pedal, it's electronic. I'm guessing therein lies your problem.

billh6 · December 2005

Charles, I've been experienced this. Bad fuel maybe?

captainbob · December 2005

any clues as to what the 2007 kia amanti will look like
will it have a GPS?

mechanic80 · January 2006

Thought I'd mention the fuel economy on my AMANTI. It dropped fron 18.25 MPG to about 17 when the reformulated fuel hit the pumps Nov 1st. It has since crept back up and is now approaching 18.75 MPG 50-50 city/hwy driving. A fiend with 10k+ miles on his swears he's getting 25 MPG 25-75% city/hwy driving. The engine seems to rev more freely as it breaks in. Still lovin' that car!

yoon · January 2006

hi i'm korean
i lately say this picture on a korean homepage
not sure if this is a real picture just check

http://boomfiles.naver.net/data8/2005/3/21/133/%B4%BA_%BF%C0%C7%C7%B7%AF%BD%BA.j- pg

yoon · January 2006

hi i'm korean
i lately say this picture on a korean homepage
not sure if this is a real picture just check
http://boomfiles.naver.net/data8/2005/3/21/133/%B4%BA_%BF%C0%C7%C7%B7%AF%BD%BA.j- pg

magmax · January 2006

Hello Captain Bob, I think the pictures you linked to are the home market Opirus model. It's pretty well the same car as the Amanti that's sold elsewhere except for the pattern in the grille and the place for the rear license plate. I've seen nothing to hint at what the 2007 Amanti will look like but I'd think it was a pretty safe bet that it would have the same engine as the 06 Hyundai Azera. It will be interesting to see the new midsize Kia that's expected in March, whether it will be a Hyundai Sonata clone or will sport its own new 4 and 6 cylinder engines and its own body.

MagMax

msamphere · January 2006

Anyone ever had a reck in the amanti yet? Did the air bags go off? How fast where you going? was anyone hurt?
Let me know

mechanic80 · January 2006

Second hand information has it that a customer here (elderly couple) were in a 70 MPH crash head on with a (what else?) DRUNK DRIVER here in New Mexico. The gentleman (who was driving) survived the crash but died several weeks later of complications. His wife practically walked away after the emergency crew cut her out of the car. All airbags deployed and the trooper told her (this she relayed to me personally) that he couldn't believe anyone could have survived that crash and credited the advanced air bag system for saving their lives.

shadow99688 · January 2006

Been reading Reviews from various sites and getting tired of all these sites just coping info from other sites word for word, I doubt most of these sites have any idea what the car is really like.

pat · January 2006

huh?

jtz · January 2006

With the 2007 Kia Optima arriving soon, will this affect the Amanit sells? The Amanti is a great car ,but the 07 Optima looks better and with people still not sure about Kia until they own one, they would probally want the Optima first after looking at both models.

shadow99688 · January 2006

If you go to autobyte.com, motorweek.com. motortrend.com, canadiandriver.com many parts of their reviews of the 05/04 amanti are word for word from the others. Very few actually appeared to have written their articles themselves instead of cut and past from another article.

pat · January 2006

Really? Wow, people get fired for that, at least in journalism!

Have you seen the one on our site? 2005 Kia Amanti

shadow99688 · January 2006

Yea, one of the few that are not copied from another site.
One thing that is really nice about the Amanti is that you don't feel the average pothole/frostheave when driving it, it has a very smooth ride, I do not like how most cars have rides so firm you could swear that they left the springs off and bolted the axles to the frame.

80129 · January 2006

Just a bit of information. I drive a 2004 Amanti with 16K miles on it. Last month I noticed a wear spot on the leather drivers seat and when I mentioned it to the dealer they replaced the seat and gave me a loaner to boot. Great service. I drove a Q45 prior and this service is just as good. Love the car. I also live in Colorado and use the car to go to the mountains to ski. The traction and control are great even with the all weather tires that came with the car. I have chains but have never had to use them even when traveling over mountain passes in snow storms.

billh6 · January 2006

That is great news about your seat getting replaced. I have an 04 also. I'll remember that should I notice anything wrong with mine, although knowing my dealer I will not get a loaner (but then I have another vehicle). My previous vehicle was a Lexus RX300. I like this more.
Bill

blackgold · January 2006

I have been watching this site for a couple of months waiting for the new Amanti's to come out, well today I stoped by my dealer to see when the new ones would be in and found out they had a whole bunch of 2005 that they were willing to sell very cheep so I picked one out, boy what a nice car to drive I thought a lot of your talk about it was hype but everything people said on this sight was true, my last full size sadan was an Infiniti M-45 and it had great power but not the ride like the Amanti, of course I had to drive it home in a snowstorm that started while I was in the dealer doing the paper work. Jim

clintondee · January 2006

it might not leak or whine but the aftermarket filter i put on my amanti caused the car to become sluggish and heavy feeling. I took it off after 30 miles and installed a dealer supplied hyundai/ kia filter. I never use dealer parts on my cars but i will use the kia oil filters from now on every time.it was only about 5.50 for the filter and it was a very high quality part in my opinion.

mechanic80 · January 2006

Congratulations, Jim. I'm sure your owenership experience will be as pleasant as ours has been. The AMANTI is an incredible car. If you drove home in the snowstorm, I'm sure you noticed that the traction control system on the KIA is very "user friendly." It is certainly superior to the system on my old '98 Q45.

blackgold · January 2006

Thank's mechanic80, I'm realy enjoying the ride in my new Amanti smooth an quiet and got 21.1 miles on my first tank of fuel about 50/50 city and hightway so I'm a happy camper.
Jim

shadow99688 · January 2006

Finally got my Amanti Jan 27 2006 had 10 miles when I got it and over 400 miles now, drive home on the highway got 21.7mpg, today at over 400 miles got 27.8mpg.
Only problem is the auto dim function on the rear view mirror is not working properly and having hard time getting a second set of rims at a reasionable price for it for winter tires.
Car is silver with all options

mechanic80 · January 2006

I went to a local Hyundai dealer Saturday morning because I wanted to check out the new 3.8 V6 that's in the Azera. A very nice powerplant, by the way. Plenty of extra HP and smooth. But Don't even THINK of giving up your AMANTI. Although I'd like to see a few of the Azera's features on an AMANTI soon, like the power tilt and telescope steering wheel and the power adjustable (memory) pedals and maybe even the rear power sunshade, the overall build quality does not come up to the level of the AMANTI, in my humble opinion. Road noise and wind noise are the first thing you'd notice, they are excessive. The interior is nice and well laid out but not as attractive as the AMANTI. The driver's seat, however is FAR more comfortable than the AMANTI. (I have yet, in nine months, found a truly comfortable driving position.) And the handling is definately a step up. I can't wait for the 3.8 in the KIA. It'll be my next car, most likely. DRIVE ON!

shadow99688 · February 2006

got new alloy rims with studded tires mounted, balanced, and installed for a total cost of $641.00 including the cost of the studed tires.
One thing I have noticed is the shocks get really stiff when it drops below 0 making the ride harder, at -25 the ride is almost as hard as my old ford aspire.
As for gas mileage I get around 22mpg with gas from tesoro and around 27mpg with gas from chevron, safeway gas gives 20mpg and texaco gives around 21mpg, haven't filled up at a holliday station yet, and will not fill up at any 7-11 stations the 2 times I got gas at a 7-11 I had to get towed home and drain gas to get water and other junk out of the tank.

magmax · February 2006

Hello mechanic, I'm most interested in hearing your evaluation of the Azera. I've had a chance to see and sit in a few different ones and must say I'm impressed with all the same features that you mentioned. It's interesting that in other world markets the Amanti/Opirus comes with power adjustable steering wheel, power rear sunshade, manual rear side sunshades, power reclining rear seat and electronically adjustable suspension, just to name a few. I felt the same about the interior quality compared to my 05 Amanti. Sure, the interior looks very modern but the doors are all hard plastic that feel much cheaper than the padded Amanti door fittings. I also agree with the seating. I've had my Amanti for just over a year and I simply cannot get comfortable in the driver's seat. I've got constant pain in my right leg because it's being forced up and over the raised front and side bolster when I'm sitting. Also, the seat bottoms are too short. If they were another inch or two longer and flatter they'd support the legs much better. But that's my only complaint about the car...oh except for the sticking fuel filler door. I've had to practically gnaw my way in just to fill up with fuel. It's made of plastic and it warps and then sticks. They've ordered a new one and in the meantime they heated the existing flap and then bent it slightly to fit better. If it had been made of metal it wouldn't have caused any problem. I, too, am interested to see what the 2007 Amanti might be like. It's probably going to have the Azera engine but I wonder whether it's going to be sportier and less luxurious. I'd like to keep all the coddling features of my car but maybe gain a bit more fuel economy, a bit more power, and a slightly less bobbing front suspension. But I hope it retains its distinctive and upscale styling.

MagMax

shadow99688 · February 2006

There is no bobbing front suspension on my car, the ride is stiffer than the Amanti I drove summer 2005.
I got my Amanti January 27 2006.
The day I got the car I got 21.7mpg, at 400 miles I got 27.8mpg and at 600 miles I got 28.4mpg.
the gas mileage isn't that bad on the highway but it is really bad in town about 9 to 14 mpg, for some reason the car uses lots of fuel at idle, have noticed it has a high idle rpm I haven't seen it drop below 1,000 rpm at idle, my 4 cylinder Aspire idled at 630 rpm, the high idle may be one reason for the low gas mileage for city driving.

Kia Amanti 2006 and earlier

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