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| With woodgrain trim covering the dash, the Amanti looks more Rolls-Royce than Rio. (Photo: Kia) |
Most likely though, Amanti owners will be more interested in interior accommodations. The dash looks more Rolls-Royce than Rio, featuring more rich wood trim than anything this side of the famed British marque. While made up of the environmentally friendly woodgrain variety (read plastic) it is authentic in appearance and tastefully applied. The car's plastics quality is also above average, soft to touch and well put together. While I've only sat in a pre-production example, the normal rule of thumb proves production cars only raise the bar.
While Kia hasn't announced specific features yet, some items were plain to the eye. For instance, the wood and leather steering wheel houses cruise control and audio buttons between its four spokes, while a trip computer information screen sits atop the center stack, actuated via buttons that lay on their backs across what comes close to a mid-dash shelf. The stack itself shows off buttons for 3-way heated front seats, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) traction and yaw control, a dash-mounted 6-channel, 270-watt, 6CD Infinity audio system, and electronic dual zone climate control. While these features aren't out of the ordinary in premium brands, some are new territory for Kia.
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| A full array of state of the art safety equipment leaves little to be desired. (Photo: Kia) |
This is especially true when it comes to safety features. The requisite front airbags are standard of course, as are six more including front and rear seat-mounted side impact airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Also, a sophisticated antilock braking system (ABS) joins the standard 4-wheel disc brakes. Kia also steps up with electronic brake distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA) while traction control and electronic stability control, auto components supplier Continental Teves' best selling Electronic Stability Program (ESP), take care of overzealous drivers.