Sitting in a corner all by itself was the refreshed 2007 Kia Opirus, which you might recognize as a Kia Amanti. Despite the modest surroundings and lack of fanfare, a lot is going on with this car.
The easiest thing to notice is the grille. Gone is the ovoid fish mouth, which used to look really large until Audi came out with its new signature grille. In its place is a broader and lower shape that draws less attention to itself, allowing the eye to zoom out and see the front of the car as a whole.
Under the hood resides the all-new 3.8 liter V6 all-aluminum Lambda engine that is shared with the Hyundai Azera. Despite the implication of the silly plastic engine cover, the engine is not longitudinally mounted and the Opirus / Amanti is still, in fact, your basic transverse-engine front-driver. The Lambda puts out 263 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, up 33% and 18% respectively from the heavy 3.5-liter Mitsubishi-derived iron-block lump it replaces.
But it goes even deeper than that, as the suspension of the old car has been reworked. And it hasn't merely been retuned, either. Hard points and geometry have changed significantly, front and rear. Basically, a significant part of the Azera's suspension was brought over with the engine. This wasn't a face-lift, it was transplant surgery.
Owing to the lighter engine and suspension, claimed curb weight for this European example drops by a significant 264 lbs. You do the math: 33% more power combined with that kind of weight loss. Kia Europe did, and promises acceleration times that are 1.7 seconds quicker. European-cycle fuel economy reportedly improves by 4.4% in the bargain.
Larger 235/55R17 tires replace the last year's 16s, but don't get too excited by the fender filling stance. It's a fake. The wide-track look is the result of 15mm thick (0.6 inches) aftermarket wheel spacers fitted on this and every other show car on the Kia (and Hyundai) stand. Are they serious? Whatever. Don't expect the Amanti face-lift to fill it's wheel wells quite so well when we see it.
Kia USA hasn't released any information on the Amanti face-lift yet, but the fact that a face-lifted Opirus is sitting here and has been announced for European sale beginning in January suggests we'll hear something soon. Perhaps the L.A. auto show will be the chosen venue, eh?
ahightower says:
10:50 AM, 09/29/06
That's a dirty trick. It's like putting scaled down furniture in model homes to make them look better.
Anyway, not much to get excited about. So now it looks more like a 7-year-old Mercedes than a 7-year-old Jaguar. Still a lame knock-off.
mercedesman1 says:
11:11 AM, 09/29/06
I agree^
jaguar8 says:
03:17 PM, 09/29/06
me 2
albook says:
03:44 PM, 09/29/06
This is still HUGE improvement over that old crap!!!
estreka says:
07:04 PM, 09/30/06
A poor man's E-series. Oh yes, it'll do quite well.
balkanboy1 says:
08:02 PM, 10/ 1/06
Ahhh the koreans, little old MB styling little Jag in there and price of lawnmower, any comment on design of this copycat would be waste of time. Kia sells them like hot cakes though.....
billh6 says:
10:23 AM, 10/10/06
To say it's better than the "old crap", evidently you do not own one. I do. I traded in my Lexus RX300 and like my Amanti more. I was in the shop 6 times with problems with my Lexus and only once with my '04 Amanti. Amazing that people can blog and blog and not know what they are talking about.
tripp2 says:
08:52 AM, 10/16/06
I agree with Billh6, The Amanti is a beautiful car. I test drove one last year, but when I heard about the Hyundai Azera's 3.8L engine, then I decided to wait to see if would also be used in the 2007 Amanti. I drive a SAAB 9-5 AERO, and I plan to trade it in on an Amanti next year. The power and fuel economy of the 3.8L is awesome, and you cannot beat the Kia warranty. These poor condemnations of this car lead me to believe that many of you are either nouveaux riche or desire to be so.
crazyb02 says:
11:03 AM, 10/22/06
WHAT?!?!?!? Are you serious trading in a Lexus or Saab for a KIA. That just sounds ridiculus. The Kia Amanti was a stodgy Buick-wanna be. I'm sorry but there's now way giving up a Lexus or Saab for a Kia. The Lexus and Saab are both built with MUCH higher performance and luxury standards. The Amanti's 0-60 was like 10.2 seconds. Come on guys let's be real. I'm not giving up my Lexus anything other than another Lexus or something from Germany. Yeah the Kia is an ambitious car, but clearly not in the same class as a the Japanese nor Germans nor Swedes. NO OFFENSE.
tripp2 says:
02:00 PM, 11/ 1/06
No offense taken, but have you seen the 2007 Kia Amanti? It has some really neat features, and it comes with a new engine that delivers 264bhp vs. the old 3.5L which only delivered 200bhp. The new Amanti will go 0-60 in about 7 seconds. It It also gets better fuel economy. Test drive one when they come out, and then you tell me that it is not a great car. Also, if the Japanese, Germans, and Swedes feel so strongly about the quality of their cars, then why do they not offer a better warranty? They charge enough for the cars to offer a better warranty. I would also like to know why you knock Buick? The new Buick has been desigend by American, Swedish, and German engineers. You can see the new Amanti/Opirus at http://www.kia.co.kr/Index.htm and the 2008 SAAB 9-5 at http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/202223/the_futures_orange_for_new_saab_95.html
billh6 says:
05:32 PM, 11/ 7/06
I'm just saying not all Lexus' are created equally. I had one that I had problems with. I've hardly had any problems with my Amanti. And I'd take an Kia Amanti over a Saab any day.
floridabob1 says:
03:59 AM, 12/ 1/06
I test drove the "old" Amanti, and my only displeasure was the lack of power. With the new engine and some additional toys it should be impressive. I wonder what a "loaded" model will sell for.
tripp2 says:
09:30 PM, 12/27/06
The fully loaded 2007 Amanti has a sticker price of around $33,000US.
I don’t understand why billh6 would knock SAAB. There was an article our local paper here in Charleston, SC about a local SAAB owner who has 383,000 miles on it. SAAB is a very well engineered automobile and it is the safest automobile in the world.
I have black perforated leather seats, and I live in the Deep South. Black leather would be unbearable here except for the fact that mine has seat heaters and COOLERS. Lexus offers neither perforated leather seats nor coolers. The new Oprus (Amanti in North America) now offers perforated leather seats with heaters and coolers.
SAAB is the world’s leader with respect to Turbo technology. SAAB automobiles have fewer reports of Turbo problems than any other automobile manufacturer. The only reason why I am looking at the Amanti is the price, which is $15,000US cheaper that the SAAB 9-5 Aero.
analyzerlx says:
02:20 PM, 01/ 8/07
I have owned many different cars, from an old '82 Chevy Citation to currently an '06 Toyota Sienna and an '04 Kia Optima. I was surprised to hear a few people bashing Kia so badly! I am a staunch supporter of the Kia brand, after spending more than 41,000 miles in it in just about two years. We've driven from the East Coast to Nevada a couple of times and up and down the Southeast many times. It survived hitting a cow carcass at 70+ MPH in New Mexico at the dead of night and it also surived a punctured lower oil pan in North Carolina. The car runs strong and gets decent MPG in the combined driving and excellent MPG in highway driving: 25/32. My calculations may not be totally scientific, I just reset the trip computer, wait till I refill and divide the mileage by the amount of gas I put in. I also do that with my Sienna and it gets about 22.5 MPG mixed driving. I am very confident that Kia makes a fine automobile. If all you can do is compare looks as the only drawback, then I guess that's your right as a consumer- but only true owners or users of Kia can give you a true idea of the driving experience. I like my car and plan on keeping it for a long time. I never thought I'd buy a Kia in my wildest dreams, but now I'm thrilled I did. It's a nice all-around car and it ranks up there with Toyota in my book. I think that's a great compliment- considering that Lexus, until recently was just another Toyota! The Sienna had my interest at the time I bought it because it was a safe and at the time an affordable minivan. I actually like the new Sedona a lot and wished I could have waited another year to purchase one. Either way I am sticking with both my vehicles for the long haul. I dare anyone out there to do the same with a KIA, as for the Toyota- they are already a benchmark and need no backing from me.
trower56 says:
06:42 PM, 04/25/07
If you're a confident individual who doesn't reqiure brand recognition to validate yourself, then drive an '07 Amanti. You will be enlightened as I was. This is a serious luxury sedan. A friend who drives a $35K Volvo was visibly sick after driving my '07 Midnight-Gray Amanti. His turbo was unable to match the acceleration of my almost 3,800 lb piece of crap not to mention the comfort and spaciousness of its interior. Other manufacturers do depend on those insecure individuals who need to spend huge amounts of money in order to validate themselves. So, bury your heads in the sand, it'll be your loss. I guess paying $24,500 for a loaded Amanti makes me look less successful than you guys but your bank account will be more than several thousand lighter than mine. In reality, who is more successful?