Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Sedans/Saloons, Paris Motor Show, Kia
Kia Opirus confirmed as next Amanti
Remember our post about the revised Kia Opirus? The sedan, which is sold in North America as the Kia Amanti, will be arriving in the U.S. some time next year. According to senior vice president Jean-Charles Lievens of Kia Motors Europe, the 2007 Opirus/Amanti will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show this September.
Besides its heavily revised interior and exterior, Kia's flagship will boast a new all-aluminum, 3.8-liter, 266 horsepower engine, replacing the current 200 horsepower one. It's too early to tell what the price may be, though speculation is around $30K, a new high for the Korean automaker.
[Source: Edmunds]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sully 2:50PM (8/06/2006)
That's a "heavily revised" exterior?
Does the Amanti come with a Fauxlex Watch?
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Mark 4:01PM (8/06/2006)
Wow, is this thing ugly, it looks a little like a Lincoln Town Car to me. Given that the Town Car is going to be discontinued, IIRC, this may be a good choice for the geezer set.
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arthur 4:09PM (8/06/2006)
Good looking car.
What is the term for the raised/tiered/staggered trunk we're starting to see more and more of? Also noticed on the Mercedes S Class and the Toyota Camry.
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Buffy 4:27PM (8/06/2006)
If i had the money, I would consider the car but its styling is just, not horrible, but not brilliant either. I'd rather soup up a Sonata.
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chewy 6:27PM (8/06/2006)
I thought it would look more like the Azera? I don't see any styling changes, it is still about 5-7 years back in time, while the Azera is only 2-3.
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Whydrive 8:21PM (8/06/2006)
arthur - it's called a Banglebutt.
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Alex Zhao 8:32PM (8/06/2006)
s-type anyone?
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Stoneman 9:16PM (8/06/2006)
You can put a lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. The Amanti is crap... this ? We'll see.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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Keith 9:36PM (8/06/2006)
Very nice looking. Agreed, it does not look current, but I think that's a good thing. The Azera and Sonata look like every other Altima/Accord/Camry/Impala out there.
While the Amanti clearly borrows from the Jag S-Type, Mercedes E-Class, and Lincoln Town Car, I think it's a mix that works quite well.
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Dan 9:54PM (8/06/2006)
I think i just threw up in my mouth...
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... 10:22PM (8/06/2006)
It surprises me how many whiners there are here...
Every article has comments about ugly this ugly that.
Well suck it up everybody.
I bet most of u don't even have money to buy wheels on some of the cars.
If you think u r so good why don't u guys design urselef that will perfectly meet 100%of the world ideology of how a car should look I'm sure(u seem confident).
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Richard Warren 10:50PM (8/06/2006)
Still looks like a clugemobile, a little bit of everything and none quite match.
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Howard Kerr 11:42PM (8/06/2006)
Apparently, instead of giving the world a cheaper fake Jaguar, Hyundai/Kia have decided the world needs/wants a "slightly" cheaper fake Lexus. The NEWISH front end looks somewhat like a GS300/400 with the new (added) lights next to the grille.
Does anyone even buy these things? I think I've seen one or two...if there are more in this area it's hard to tell as there seems to be only 2 available colors: black and white.
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Lithous 12:10AM (8/07/2006)
Classic styling, great looks, 0% American content. Sign me up, I'm trading in my Vue for a V6!
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Brian 4:26AM (8/07/2006)
13. Are you kidding me? Surprisingly, the Amanti has been a good car for Kia selling about 1000-2500 a month. That's pretty good for Kia's first 30 000 dollar near luxury sedan. Moreover, people who buy this car have some of the highest satisfaction rates in the industry. Go check out the edmonds forums about the Kia Amanti and you'll see what a fan base this car has.
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Tom Design 11:58PM (8/07/2006)
Only the Russians circa 1960-2006 could have designed a more awkward, bloated, stolen from every decade look. There is a little of everything in this style except good taste. Maybe they're building a tradition in the Amanti. A tradition of-out-of-step and rancid looking luxury. The only cliches they forgot were a vinyl roof, some opera windows, and wire wheel hubcabs. Blech.
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chemp 5:16PM (8/13/2006)
really good looking & stylish car;)
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Turbo 3:48AM (8/26/2006)
I guess Bentley Motor Company has a poor taste in style also! Seems to me that the Bentley Continental Flying Spur has darn near the same looks as the KIA Amanti. However, the price tag is about 5 times higher than the KIA. There must be a reason why they look so much alike! Someone must have taken a secret survey and determined what physical appearence would be appealing to the Aristocrats or "want-to-be's." When I first saw the Kia Amanti, I wasn't sure what I was beholding...Bentley, Jag, Mercedes, Crysler or a combination thereof. In any event, I believe that the lines that we are seeing in these cars are what someone has deemed stylish! This car in my opinion will appear good looking to the folks over 40 and ugly to the X'ers...just my opinion! Only time will tell how the Amanti will fare. I would much rather have the Continental Flying Spur in my driveway, however, my pocketbook will only allow the KIA Amanti. All-in-all, I believe that the KIA Amanti is a nice, affordable luxury car. If not, tell it to the designer of the Continental Flying Spur!
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Robert 6:24PM (9/14/2006)
Hey, I love the styling. I love the ride, the Bose 6 disk sound system, the heated seats, the memory features... I have an '05 and it's been the best buy I have ever made on a car.
Signed,
A happy Amanti owner.
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John 3:40PM (9/25/2006)
It's amazing reading these things and it's no suprise on the lack of accurate information. First off, I enjoyed hearing a positive feedback from Robert, but I must say - The Amanti / Ospirus (Ospirus is the original name from Korea) for that matter have never had a Bose system. They have a 6 disk (in dash) Infinity system - 8 speakers plus one subwoofer mounted between the rear seats by the taillight.
The car in my opinion is beautiful (at least the 04-06) and am very happy to have a 2005 ebony black / warm gray exterior with plush black leather interior. The vehicle to me is strictly designed for the relaxed individual who simply likes to cruise down the highway. Very soft and quite on the road as well.
And for all the negative feedback, I must say that you need to take the time and sit in the vehicle and take it for a spin and in no time, you feel like a million bucks. I have had my 05 for nearly a month and have had three people allready tell me how sweet of a car it was. Other people just stare and wonder what sort of vehicle it may be. My family now thinks I have a Mercedes.
Pure and simple - For the budget minded individual, the Amanti is an excellent way to go with far more features then the vehicles in its price range. I will say one thing negative about the vehicle though - the gas milleage is sub-par and not nearly as good as it should be with an average of 20mpg city and highway mixed.
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