Today we look at a pair of sedans, the Kia Amanti and the Pontiac G8. Kia has positioned the Amanti as an affordable luxury car, while Pontiac bills the G8 as a performance machine. Both are worthy entrants in the sedan segment. Here's our breakdown:
Engines
The Kia has a 3.8-liter V-6 that was powerful and quiet. The G8 has a 3.6- liter six-banger that we thought would be a little stronger. Both engines are linked to five-speed automatic transmissions. The Amanti's seemed to shift a little more smoothly.
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Photo by Kia
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What the Kia Amanti might lack in styling it makes up for in comfort, with plenty of room and cushy seats.
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Advantage: Amanti
Gas mileage
The Amanti's EPA numbers are 17 city and 24 highway. For the G8, it's 17 and 25. Our actual results were pretty similar, right around 22 for both.
Advantage: Even
Safety
Both came with dual front airbags and side curtain airbags. Both also came with electronic stability control, but on the G8, it was standard; it was optional on the Amanti. G8 also came with OnStar Safe and Sound technology.
Advantage: G8
Design
These vehicles are purposed somewhat differently, with the G8 being more about performance and the Amanti more targeted to luxury customers. But the G8 hits its mark a little better. It's got sporty style. The Amanti is nice looking but with a little less flair. A colleague described it as sort of "eastern European" looking, perhaps reminiscent of the Soviet bloc. The interiors on both were OK but nothing spectacular.
Advantage: G8
Comfort
The Amanti was exceptionally comfortable. Great head and leg room, cushy seats -- just generally pleasant. The G8 was very disappointing in this area. Its seats felt like park benches, the headroom is not so good, especially for tall folks, and it seems like the designers were more concerned with the comfort of the back-seat passengers than they were with the driver and front-seat rider.
Advantage: Amanti
Performance
We thought the G8 would be fun to drive. Well, it was much more enjoyable than a trip to the dentist. But not quite what we had imagined. Maybe you have to get the G8 GT with the V-8 engine to really have fun. The Amanti, again, not being positioned as a performance car, actually performs fairly well. The power of the engine really gives it a kick. Handling is just adequate.
Advantage: Amanti
Price
Even though they are purposed differently, both cars could still be considered by similar customers Ñ those wanting a moderately priced family car. The G8's sticker price was $27,995, while the Amanti went for $31,695. It had more options, though. So let's knock off all the options on the Amanti except for stability control, to match it more closely to the G8. If you do that, the Amanti then goes for $25,995.
Advantage: Amanti
The winner
The Amanti wins. Its biggest area of advantage is in comfort. The G8 just didn't quite feel so good to be in after a while, despite its advantages in styling and safety.
