Retro vehicles like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Volkswagen New Beetle appeal to buyers who want to reach back to the past. But styling isn't the only way for a car to be retro.

Consider the Kia Amanti. Unlike many other cars, this big sedan isn't gunning for the BMW 3 Series. Instead, it's the modern reincarnation of the large Buicks, Mercurys, and Oldsmobiles of yore. (Since I owned a 1981 Buick Electra, I am really familiar with this type of car.) It's a "doctor's car"—something the town doctor bought that was posh and quiet, but not as flashy or expensive as a Lincoln or Cadillac.

Still, there is heart-warming retro—and then there is bad. When we tested the Amanti back in 2005, we wrote that "with reluctant handling and a lack of agility, the Amanti is the worst-handling passenger car we've recently tested." Since then, Kia altered the suspension and added a bigger engine with 64 more horsepower, so we bought a new Amanti to see what these changes bring. Here are some raw testers' notes from its logbook for our early impressions:

"Owner's manual is for an Optima, not Amanti!"

"Big sofa-like seats—and I sink into them just like my sofa."

"Certainly not my style, but lots of car for the $26K we paid."

"Ride is now stiffer with more impact harshness."

"Nice powertrain—smooth, refined, punchy, and good automatic."

"Much less floaty than it was."

"Interior is nicely finished and is very quiet even at speed."

"Radio controls are low. They should have switched with seat heaters and all those controls on the top row."

"Steering is overly light"

"I prefer the Azera. I got a wave from an (earlier) Amanti owner...joy."

"Beats Buick at its own game."

Do these changes improve the Amanti enough to elevate it in our Ratings? We'll soon see when we publish our test results in the February issue, to be posted online in January.

—Tom Mutchler