2008 Kia Amanti - Styling Review

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Just one look at the Kia Amanti and you'll see why editors at TheCarConnection.com rate it low for style. The design is a blatant (but poor) rip-off of the previous-generation Mercedes E-Class. As a design, it fails miserably.

Edmunds says politely, the “exterior styling is not for everyone.” They add, “borrowing noticeable cues from other brands like Mercedes-Benz the Amanti's designers ended up with a rather awkward overall look.” Automobile cuts to the chase: "the Kia Amanti is styled like one of Lee Iacocca's K-cars of the 1970s." Kelley Blue Book comments that the Amanti "certainly knows how to make an entrance...the tall body, big grille and headlight treatment stir up memories of a number of luxury cars." Cars.com notes that a recent redesign results in "vertical taillights and a taller profile [that] give the rear a much fuller figure.” They add the contrarian view that “if you wedge the Amanti headfirst into a tight parking spot, the trunk looks a bit like that of any six-figure ultraluxury car."

The interior relieves the exterior’s awkwardness with a more tasteful design. Edmunds reports "nice touches like tasteful faux wood and metallic accents, a leather-covered front console armrest." ConsumerGuide notes that "gauges are large and easy to read with most commonly used controls falling readily to the driver's hand," although "some testers found the center stack's look-alike controls to be hard to identify quickly in low light conditions." Kelley Blue Book says "the attractive 2008 Kia Amanti dash employs a split-level two-tone design with a prominent analog clock or optional information screen taking center stage."