Kia Optima first drive

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Thursday, 12 January 2012 11:23

The new roomy and stylish D-segment Optima four door saloon, (Insignia/Mondeo sized sector), goes on sale in the UK from 1 February priced from £19,995 to £25,995 with the best selling mid range versions costing £21,695.

The Optima has already been a huge success globally with over 300,000 units sold. In the UK the sales expectations are much more modest, 1,500 units this year and 2,000 next. Around 70 per cent of Optima sales will go to the fleet and business user-chooser sectors in the D-segment, a sector of the market which is tough as customers in this economic climate down-size to less costly and less taxing models.

Kia in the UK also sees the brand and the new Optima appealing to Saab owners. As the Swedish brand went into bankruptcy before Christmas, current Saab owners who traditionally like distinctive quality cars and want something different have no-where to go.

With business use firmly in their mind, Kia in the UK are introducing the Optima with only a 1.7-litre, 134bhp diesel engine because it offers good fuel economy and low CO2 emissions which control the amount of VED road tax and company car Benefit-in-Kind tax we all pay in one way or another.

The Kia Optima, like the recently introduced Hyundai i40 Estate which has petrol and the same 1.7-litre diesel engine options, shows the South Korean joint brands have learnt what it takes to compete on the world stage. The Optima was designed jointly in Europe and the USA and it shows. At 4,845mm in length it is a substantial car to look at, nice front end, apart from the bland grille, a rising waistline coupe style side view with muscular wheelarches and a sleek coupe rear end look, even though it’s a saloon with a boot lid. Nicely styled front and rear light clusters complete the expensive look.

Inside its gets even better because the long wheelbase of 2,795mm gives really good rear seat legroom and the quality of fixtures and fittings is also praiseworthy. The only downside for the versions with the sunroof is the lack of headroom for six-footers. There is a large 505-litre boot with a relatively low rear sill to make loading easier and the rear seat backs can be folded down to increase the load space significantly, although being a saloon loading has to be done through the boot or side doors. In Europe that is why hatchbacks in this sector are more popular. Kia says no five door version is planned but an estate might follow if there is enough demand around the world.

Although only one engine is available customers get the choice of a six speed manual or Kia’s own new six speed auto gearboxes and around 20 per cent of buyers are likely to go for the automatic which costs an extra £1,500. There are four levels of trim and equipment using Kia's familiar 1, 2 and 3 trim grades, but the mid-range 2 versions offer buyers the options of 'Luxe' or 'Tech' variants.

Standard features include alloy wheels, air conditioning, LED daytime running lamps, leather steering wheel, Bluetooth with voice recognition and music streaming, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, all-round electric windows and electric folding mirrors as well as cruise control and a speed limiter. The headline grabbing price for this version is £19,995.

Move up to the mid-grade 2 specifications there is solar glass with auto defogging, automatically activated wipers, an eight-way adjustable powered driver's seat with memory setting, heated front seats, dual zone auto air conditioning in place of air conditioning, reverse parking camera, iPod connectivity and a premium Supervision instrument cluster and paddle shifts on automatic models.

The Optima '2 Luxe' version has grey leather seats with a grey cloth trim, panoramic sunroof with electric blinds, 18-inch alloy wheels, black front callipers, black and chrome radiator grille surround, sculptured side sill mouldings and front and rear valances and a reversing camera in the rear-view mirror. It looks a little sportier outside but the ride is firmer with the larger wheels and the interior headroom is lower.

Best buy I thinks is the Optima '2 Tech' which is equipped with black leather and cloth upholstery, a 12-speaker premium Infinity audio system - including a centre speaker, an external 11-channel amplifier and an eight inch subwoofer - 17-inch alloy wheels and a 7-inch touch-screen satellite navigation system with European mapping and an integrated reversing camera. Both the Luxe and Tech variants are the same price at £21,695 so it is a pure matter of choice but the ride is more comfortable with the smaller wheels and the navigation system of more use to me than a sunroof. Kia expects both levels to each account for 35 per cent of total sales.

Optima 3 is a combination of the mid-grade 2 models with additional features. It includes a panoramic sunroof, auto light control, Infinity audio system and touch-screen satellite navigation with integrated reversing camera. Xenon headlamps with automatic levelling, full black leather upholstery, a cool-ventilated driver's front seat, heated rear seats and an automatic parallel parking assist system are unique to the 3. Smart key with start/stop ignition button, stainless steel door scuff plates with front illumination, mood lighting and alloy pedals complete the top-of-the-range version's high specification count. This version costs £24,495.

The 1.7-litre, 134bhp, turbodiesel unit develops 239lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm and despite its less than the normal in this class 2.0-litre capacity, it is adequately lively and responsive. Top speed is 125mph and zero to 60mph takes a spritely 10.2 seconds. Using a six speed gearbox the ratios are nicely chosen so the engine remains responsive at low speeds even in high gears. The official 57.6mpg in the Combined Cycle looks impressive and my test drive in Hampshire commuter land traffic and on the M3/M4 motorways the Optima with the manual gearbox returned 51.8mpg and that impressed me. A test drive in the automatic transmission version over the same route returned 45.1mpg.

The big advantage the manual version has over the auto is the much lower CO2 emissions, 128g/km versus 158g/km. This means VED road tax costs for the manual version of £0 for the First Year rate and then £90 for the second year onwards. The auto model VED charge is £165 for every year so it doesn’t make a good case to go the auto route.

As for company car drivers, the Benefit-in-Kind tax rate is 18 per cent for the manual models and 24 per cent for the autos, so again the manual gearbox Optimas are the models that makes most financial sense and they are £1,500 cheaper to buy.

Overall the classy Optima is worthy of its flagship status. The value for money price as well as its styling allows Kia to be very optimistic that the Optima will open doors to the lucrative business-user sector in a competitive sector.

MILESTONES. Kia Optima 1.7-litre ‘2 Tech’ 4-Door Saloon Manual. Price: £21,695. Engine/transmission: 1.7-litrte, four cylinder, turbodiesel 134bhp, 239Lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 125mph, 0-60mph 10.2 seconds, 57.6mpg (51.8mpg on test), CO2 128g/km, VED road tax £0 First Year rate then £90 per annum, BIK company car tax 18%. Insurance group: 17E. Dimensions/capacities: L 4,845mm, W 1,830mm, H 1,455mm, boot space 505-litres. For: Classy styling, roomy, comfortable, high specification, very competitive pricing, low taxes and running costs. Against: Choose the specification carefully as models with a sunroof restrict front seat headroom for tall people and 18-inch wheels unsettle the ride comfort.

Miles Better News Agency

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Comments (1)

|2012-01-12 17:13:21 Arild - Nothing in this car appeals to me as a Saab owner

I have nothing against Kia, but as a Saab owner I see nothing in this car or in Kia in general that appeals to me. The only part of the Kia Optima that faintly reminds me of a Saab is the driver oriented interior. For any Saab lover it is much better to get a second hand Saab of the recent model years.
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