We should feel a bit sorry for Kia UK - we don't imagine that the company is any keener to sell the Magentis than British buyers are to purchase it. This kind of big, cheap saloon is very popular in some parts of the world, including Kia's Korean home market and the United States, but in quality-conscious Europe it feels like a fish out of water.
The slabby styling is inoffensively bland, to the point where Magentis owners will frequently find themselves losing their cars in car parks. But it's the interior that wins most attention, albeit for the wrong reasons: the design looks very dated and the materials are very cheap-looking (and cheap-feeling). Despite serious external dimensions, interior space is barely average, although at least the boot is nice and spacious.
Dynamics are similarly bland. The Magentis is completely lacking in any kind of driving excitement, with vague, feel-free steering, a crashy ride and poor grip levels. Motorway cruising is loud and unrefined, too. It feels at least ten years off the pace of European rivals.
At least buyers have plenty of engines to chose between, with the slightly coarse 2.0 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel options being by far the more sensible choices. The range-topping 2.7 litre V6 possesses a surprisingly nice engine, it's also seen in the top-spec Hyundai Coupe, but it also carries a seriously steep pricetag considering the savage depreciation that all versions of the Magentis are victims of.