For the 2025 iteration of the Southern Group’s (SGMW) Kia Driving Day, a total of nineteen members made the trip to the Vineyard Hotel at Stockcross, near Newbury, for a day of test drives.
The Kia UK team kindly laid on a total of fourteen cars for members to test, including its latest addition to the heritage fleet, the 2001 Kia Magentis, as well as its fastest model, the recently facelifted Kia EV6 GT.
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After a day of test drives around the scenic roads of Newbury, Dan Sayles, Kia UK Head of Press and Public Relations, said that SGMW members had driven a total of 1,086 miles in test cars.
The day’s 56 test drives covered this distance, which is 30 miles more than the previous year. This distance is enough to reach a multitude of European cities, including Warsaw in Poland, Vik in Iceland, Naples in Italy, and Cagliari in Sardinia.
When it came to test drives, four members tied for the highest number of drives for the day, with Andy Russell, Ben Hodges, Jim McGill, and Julian Rendell all completing six drives each.
The coveted most popular car of the day title went to the Kia Magentis V6, which was driven six times during the day while also covering the most miles. In second place, Dan Sayles commented, “to the cars that we do actually sell now,” before announcing that the Kia Stinger had scored second spot in the rankings with five test drives – an announcement that was met with much amusement from everyone present. However, the Stinger’s popularity was matched by Kia’s latest offerings that you can actually buy, with the EV6 GT and the EV3 totting up five test drives each on the day.
At the bottom of the rankings was the Kia Stonic hatchback, which covered only 37 miles in one test drive with Julian Rendell at the wheel.
On the day, Kia UK kindly provided the following models for the group to test:
New models
Picanto 1.2 ‘GT-Line S’ MT
Kia EV6 84.0kWh ‘GT’ AWD HP
Kia Stonic 1.0 T-GDi 48v ‘GT-Line S’ DCT
Kia EV3 58.3kWh ‘Air’ Standard Range FWD
Kia EV3 81.4kWh ‘Air’ FWD
Kia EV3 81.4kWh ‘GT-Line’ FWD
Kia EV3 81.4kWh ‘GT-Line S’ FWD
Kia EV6 84kWh ‘GT-Line S’ AWD
Kia EV9 99.8kWh ‘Air’ RWD
Kia EV9 99.8kWh ‘GT-Line S’ AWD (6-seat)
Kia Sorento 1.6 T-GDi HEV ‘4’ AWD
Heritage fleet
Kia Stinger 3.3 T-GDi ‘GT S’
Kia Soul EV 27kWh (MY16)
Kia Magentis 2.5 V6 ‘SE’
At the evening dinner to celebrate the end of the drive day, SGMW chairman Ian Robertson said, “As always, everyone had a fantastic day today. On behalf of the group, we really appreciate the ongoing support from everyone at Kia UK, and I would like to thank Dan Sayles and his brilliant team for hosting us at such a superb venue.”
The SGMW members pick of the day: the 2001 Kia Magentis V6 SE
The Magentis was launched by Kia in 2001. When it arrived in UK showrooms, it was a direct competitor to the Peugeot 607, Rover 75, and Hyundai Sonata, with the latter sharing largely similar underpinnings.
Kia’s heritage fleet example is an SE spec model powered by a 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine sending 166bhp and 169lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via an automatic gearbox. As the stats suggest, this near 1.5-tonne car delivers a leisurely pace at best, completing the 0-62 mph sprint in 8.8 seconds with a top speed of 130mph.
So, this near quarter-of-a-century-old luxury saloon isn’t quick. But for all of the pace it lacks, there are a couple of important reasons it won the popular vote at the SGMW’s drive day. For one, it’s exceptionally rare in V6 guise, and it’s something of a survivor car that you just don’t see on the roads very often in 2025.
How rare exactly? According to the How Many Left website, there are around thirty-five V6 powered cars being driven on UK roads today (pre- and post-facelift models), along with a couple of hundred smaller-engined petrol and diesel models. Essentially, it’s rare enough that a lot of SGMW members have never seen one in the metal before.
From the outside, its styling is straight out of the early 2000s with large headlights and a large chrome grill. The sides are adorned with more chrome trim, while the rear gets chunky rear lights and more chrome bits. Although some two decades after it was built, we think it looks quite handsome in the ‘Iron Grey’ paint shade.
Step inside, and it’s a bit like travelling back in time. There are ruched leather-trimmed seats, faux wood trim throughout, and plenty of 2000s-era toys, including cruise control, climate control, and a CD player head unit. Essentially, it’s all very posh. The leather-trimmed seats are very comfortable, if a little lacking in support for the driver. Overall, everything feels very much like a noughties premium car with a quality feel about it in an attempt to mimic the German premium saloons of the era.
Upon firing up the V6 engine, you’re greeted with a faint growl and a tiny hint of engine vibration due to its ‘V’ design. On the move, pressing the throttle lightly only delivers more noise rather than any significant increase in speed, with a heavier press of the throttle required to reach the engine’s peak torque band. None of this matters though, as once up to speed, the Magentis is supremely comfortable, cosseting, and very refined – a bit like sitting in an old comfy armchair while going for a drive.
This comfort is partly down to its softly sprung chassis, which sits on 15-inch alloy wheels shod in 60’ profile tires. Of course, this is not a sports car, but on twistier roads, the front-wheel drive chassis is competent enough to waft along at a fair lick of speed with the soft suspension giving it a decent amount of easily controlled body roll in the corners. The steering is equally competent, although it is quite slow, but it does give you some feel as to what the front wheels are doing. You know, like cars used to not that long ago.
It’s also very practical too. The interior feels spacious, with enough room for adult-sized passengers in the back and a parcel shelf big enough for the obligatory blanket and tissue box. There’s also plenty of storage space in the large boot, which benefits from a useful 60/40 split/folding rear seat for larger loads.
Reviewers of the early 2000s marked the Magentis down due to its lack of image. But we disagree with this view. Some two decades on, and given its popularity among SGMW members, this very well-preserved example is a wonderfully understated throwback to the luxury saloons of the era with glorious wafting ability, supple ride quality, and acres of wood and leather inside.
It may not have been that popular when it first went on sale, but in V6 form with all the trimmings, its relative rarity, smooth powertrain, cosseting interior, and strong level of refinement come together to make it something very special indeed.
