[Rania Elhoseny]

This is your father's Oldsmobile. Well, not quite. My Dad's Olds was a '65 Starfire with a 425. A lead sled, sure, but not in the pejorative sense that the phrase "your father's Oldsmobile" is supposed to connote. Okay, so the Kia Amanti is more like the hyperbolic manifestation of your father's Oldsmobile, were that car to be exceptionally plush and fitted with a suspension made of marshmallow.

The Amanti is a very well appointed vehicle; you get a lot for your dollar. If your idea of a good car equates to the most stuff for the lowest expenditure, the Amanti's value proposition is difficult to top. The engine room is occupied by an amply torquey 3.8 liter V6, so you'll be to bingo on time, and with the Kia's capricious accommodations, you will end up being the chauffeur. We already knew that the Amanti was a well-fitted ride for a very reasonable price, so our time with it offered insight into how the package works as a whole.