If I say "the ultimate driving machine," you can name the car, picture the car's styling and characterize its handling. That comes from decades of deliberate brand-building. Today, BMW's styling is fairly conservative, but its identity is firmly established.
If you're Kia, it's a different story.
When it was an independent automaker, Kia built some questionable machines. Now as an affiliate of Hyundai, many Kia vehicles use Hyundai underpinnings, and in some cases are built in the same plant. But its prior reputation lingers. What's a company to do when its brand's equity is spent? Hire Peter Shreyer as your design director. Once an employee at Audi, Shreyer has brought a funky sophistication to Kia's styling. First came the Soul, followed by the Sorento, Sportage and now the Optima. With each new vehicle, Shreyer has upped the wattage, endowing the marque's new products with a powerful visual presence that throws down the gauntlet: Kia is no longer a punch line.
Nothing states that more powerfully than the Optima, Kia's midsize front-wheel-drive sedan.
The Optima shares its mechanical package with the popular Hyundai Sonata. Certainly, the Sonata's flowing style is stunning, but the Kia's is even more so.
This car's styling is a feast for the eyes. The upper shape of the grille is repeated on the upper edge of the windshield. A small vent accents the front fenders. A chrome spear arches across the top of the side windows. The rear boasts styling so sophisticated, you'd think it's from an Audi.
The Optima comes in 3 trim levels: base LX, mid-level EX and top-of-the-line SX. LX and EX models come with a 200-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual transmission is available on the LX. The EX also can be fitted with a 274-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder mated to the automatic transmission. It's standard on the SX.
Kia Motors America delivered an EX with the base engine for a week of testing.
The performance didn't surprise me; it was similar to the Hyundai Sonata. The car feels agile, thanks to quick steering and a suspension that keeps body motions in check. The ride is comfortable. You'll notice bumps, but only the worst ones pound through. Body motions are well controlled. The cabin is quiet, although there was modest tire and road noise.
Braking was effective. Anti-lock disc brakes, electronic stability control, front and side air bags, and "Hill Start Assist Control," which prevents you from rolling backward on a hill when accelerating from a stop, are standard. But it's the sheer number of features that makes the car a compelling value: rear back-up camera, panoramic sunroof, satellite radio, navigation system, heated and cooled front seats, leather seating surfaces, heated rear seats, driver's seat memory, heated steering wheel, push-button start, keyless entry, air-conditioned glove box, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, express down front power windows and automatic headlamps.
I can hear you say, "Sure, Printz, you armchair hedonist. How much does it cost?"
How about less than $28,000?And it's more than price
The cabin is roomy, with good accommodations for four (five if they're related). That said, the rear seat's upswept side window styling and low roof lend a claustrophobic feel to the rear, but legroom is generous. The front seat is very firm, but flat, with minimal side bolsters
And the trunk? Big enough to head for Wally World.
Being based on the Sonata, the Optima should prove to be reliable
That said, I did have one glitch: The car had great difficulty holding the Sirius Satellite Radio signal, a problem I have heard about anecdotally from other Kia owners. But that wouldn't be enough to prevent me from popping for one of these.
While the Optima shares its name with its bland predecessor, the 2011 model has shed its rental car skin and emerged reborn.
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