The Korean car maker is entering the closely-fought D-segment of the saloon car market with a truly competitive vehicle that is set to rival the likes of the Passat and the Avensis, writes NEIL BRISCOE
I CAN PRETTY MUCH guarantee that, if you buy a Kia Optima, at some point in the first few weeks of ownership, someone is going to accost you in a supermarket car park and ask: “Wow, what is that?”
Their response to your answer may well depend on just how clued up they are about modern cars and the technology behind them. It could well waver between “Aaah, a Kia . . . ” and “Ugh, a Kia?”, simply because not everyone has heard about the rise and rise of Korea’s fastest performing automotive star.
In fact, since 2006, in the face of Lehman Brothers, the credit crunch, the euro crisis and Merkosy-nomics, Kia has managed to double its worldwide sales and dramatically increase its European market share.
And now, for the first time with a truly competitive vehicle, it’s entering the closely fought D-segment of family saloon cars.
There is no question but that the Optima is striking. And it’s far better looking, and more coherent in the flesh (so to speak) than it is in photographs.
In fact, to these eyes, it has more than a hint of the current Jaguar XJ about it. Not in the details, but in the overall stance and body language. And that truly sets it apart from the class norm.
The Optima’s rivals, the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Peugeot 508, all play relatively safe, even staid, styling cards. The Optima is rakishly upping the ante though, and it may well scoop sales on the basis of its looks alone.
Inside, it’s got the best interior that Kia has done yet. There are a lot of buttons, depending on the spec though. In fact, we counted more than 30 between the door panel and the edge of the steering wheel alone, so expect to spend some time scouring the owners’ manual for answers.
The cabin designers have obviously been boning up on 1980s BMWs too, as the centre console, with its optional touch screen, is angled sharply towards the driver in the manner of an old E30 3 Series.
Space is excellent, with stretching room in the back for adults (helped by a class-leading 2.8-metre wheelbase) and quality levels are most certainly on the high side of good.
It looks good in there too, with sharp instruments and eye-catching design flourishes.
Engine-wise, the Optima sticks to the same script as its close cousin, the Hyundai i40. The primary engine for Ireland will be the 236bhp 1.7-litre CRDI diesel, which emits 128g/km of Co2 and returns, claims Kia, 4.9-litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle (as long as it’s fitted with Kia’s ISG stop-start, which isn’t standard on all models).
Our test car was the more profligate 155g/km, 6.0-litres per 100km automatic, but those are still reasonable figures for an old-school torque converter gearbox.
Oddly, Kia Ireland hasn’t yet confirmed that it will be bringing in Optimas fitted with the lower-emissions (113g/km) 116bhp version of the same 1.7 diesel engine, as fitted to the i40. Only the 129g/km (or 133g/km if you don’t spec it with ISG stop-start) 136bhp engine is available for the moment.
Definitely don’t spec the automatic gearbox though; it just doesn’t suit the engine. Refinement is an issue, even on the manual gearbox models, but the auto’s habit of holding onto a ratio for longer than is ideal allows the engine to growl, grumble and moo far too much for our liking.
Certainly, rivals from Ford, VW and Peugeot have the legs on the Optima for quietness, and by a surprisingly broad margin.
The ride quality may be an issue too. Now, these are conclusions drawn from a drive on unfamiliar French tarmac in cars fitted with large (and drop-dead-gorgeous) 18” alloy wheels, so hold your breath for a full drive in Irish conditions for a definitive verdict but . . . it jiggles.
Large obstacles are brushed off with a nicely damped shrug of the body, but smaller, sharper bumps (of the type that Irish tarmac specialises in) make themselves both felt and heard with too much abruptness. Would smaller wheels help? Possibly, but a damper or spring tweak would probably also be effective.
Other than that, the Optima’s dynamic performance is pretty good. The steering is light, but pleasantly so, and while you cannot feel anything of the front tyres through the rim, after a while you realise that the Optima will go where you want it, if you show just a little faith.
Grip is plentiful and body control good, so you won’t be upsetting your passengers with lurching direction changes.
All that remains to settle are price and equipment levels. Kia Ireland is still deciding exactly how to pitch the Optima, but it seems safe to bet that it will meet the likes of Mondeo and Avensis head-on in price terms, but out-do them with extra equipment and Kia’s lengthy seven year warranty.
Kia Europe is talking of items such as heated seats, self-parking and more as standard, which seems like a lot, but we’ll certainly get daytime LED lights, electronic parking brake and six air bags as standards at a minimum.
A little more dynamic polish would make the Optima a very serious player, but even without the fluidity of the likes of the Peugeot 508, it’s already looking like a very tempting prospect.
With a circa €25,000 price tag, lots of standard kit, that warranty and those looks, it should provoke a lot more “Ahhhs” than “Ughs”.
FACTFILE
ENGINE 1,685cc four-cylinder turbodiesel, generating 136bhp @ 4,200rpm and 325Nm of torque @ 2,000rpm
PERFORMANCE 0-100km/h time not yet confirmed
ECONOMY 4.9* L/100km (57.6mpg)
*When fitted with ISG stop-start
EMISSIONS 128*g/km (€226 motor tax) *When fitted with ISG stop-start
FEATURES Basic models come with 16" alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, dual-zone climate control with auto defogging, leather steering wheel, Bluetooth phone connection, ESP with hill-start holder and emergency braking lights and six air bags. Kia Ireland is still deciding on final specs and trim ahead of a launch in March 2012
PRICE €25,000 (approx) for a basic 1.7 CRDI manual
RIVALS Range Rover Evoque 5dr 4WD auto Pure: €44,700 (€630 motor tax); Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCI Style: €26,495 (€160 motor tax); Volkswagen Passat 1.6 TDI Comfortline BlueMotion: €27,355 (motor tax €160); Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDI Comfort: €24,995 (motor tax €160); Toyota Avensis 2.0 D4D 125bhp Aura: €25,995 (motor tax €225)
OUR RATING 5/10