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We experience opulence in the 2012 Kia Optima

Pics supplied

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday July 18, 2012

Stylish, expressive and different

Optima – plural of optimum – the best, the peak or the pinnacle on more than one level; fighting words, but as the name suggests, it’s Kia Motors’ top model in South Africa. More than one version is available overseas, where offerings include a six-speed manual transmission, a choice between 149-kW 2,4 GDI or 204-kW two-litre turbocharged engines for the Americans, a hybrid and three levels of trim. We get the introductory version of the 2,4-litre naturally aspirated Theta ll engine, the six-ratio automatic and most of the turbo-car’s SX trim.

Outside styling is simple yet expressive and thankfully different from most. It looks as if it came from a design student’s college entry portfolio, but not in a bad way: “smooth, sleek and beautifully simple” come to mind. Even its wheels are different. Instead of the usual complicated spoke formations, Kia went for a smooth, disc-like appearance with simple cutouts. Peter Schreyer leads Kia’s design department and created the company’s signature “tiger face,” but driving this particular car’s creation was Davide Limongelli, an Italian. It shows. This range, codenamed TF, is also the first Optima to bear a single name worldwide.

As there is only one Optima available in South Africa, it comes loaded with almost every feature imaginable. On the safety front, one finds ABS with EBD and BAS, electronic stability control, traction control and hill start assistance, six airbags, active head restraints in front and ISOFix child seat anchors.

Toys, ahem, vital necessities include ECO mode, autolocking doors, Bluetooth, cruise control, and dual zone climatology with automatic defogging and repeater vents for those in the back. Nice-to-haves include self-dipping mirrors, fog lights, six-CD, 530-Watt, eight-speaker “Infinity” sound system with MP3 capability, USB and iPod connectivity and auxiliary input. Out of breath? There’s more. Headlamps are HID Xenons with static bending function, LED running lights, automatic operation, automatic levelling and washers.

Almost there, so here’s the rest; power windows, electrically adjustable and folding mirrors, paddle shifters, rain sensing wipers, rear parking assistance with camera, steering wheel-mounted remotes, heated and cooled front seats, push-button starting, smart key and an onboard computer. Fancy a chilled glove box to keep the chocolates immaculate? It’s yours. All you can add is metallic paint and a panoramic sunroof.

Coming upon it from behind, you find a pair of really big, oval tailpipes. They look almost sinister, but whom are they kidding? With one of the US engines up front perhaps, but the civilian 2,4 is built for chilling, not thrilling. This is an executive car for sane and sober people. If you want conspicuous consumerism and flashing lights, you know where to look.

The 437-litre (SAE) boot loads at mid-thigh level and is about 12cm deep, so unloading should be a breeze. Two lashing rings and a cargo net help to secure loads. The seatback releases are to be found in here, rather than within the car. An unusual feature not often seen is an emergency release for the fuel flap on the left side panel. The spare is a fully sized alloy unit.

The back seat does not pretend to be made for family use, as Optimas, Sonatas and big Renault-Samsungs are considered “upper-crust” in their land of birth. In true executive fashion, it is sculpted for two, with just a pair of belts and head restraints. While knee room is plentiful, your average large South African might find that headspace is marginal. The optional sunroof, mentioned above, has a lot to do with it.

The driver’s seat boasts power adjusters for reach, height, recline and lumbar support and features two memory settings. A quirk, borrowed from bygone cars, is that this chair eases itself backward on switching off. It’s probably to make exiting easier for the driver, but thanks to plentiful knee room, is unlikely to bother the right rear passenger much. The left seat is also power adjustable, but makes do with recline and reach functions only.

Another item lifted from luxury cars of years gone by, is the foot-operated parking brake. It functions well, but can be overlooked. Thankfully, a warning message in the SuperVision display will remind you to kick it “off” again. Performance from the 2,4-litre engine and torque converter gearbox is satisfying rather than electrifying, with the ‘box shifting easily and smoothly provided you don’t hurry it unnecessarily.

Summing up, Kia’s Optima is stylish, solidly built, comfortable and well equipped. At just a touch over 300 thousand Rand, it’s a viable alternative to the other executive cars out there.

The numbers
Price (basic): R305 995
Engine: 2359cc, DOHC, 16-valve, CVVT, four-cylinder petrol
Power: 132 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 231 Nm at 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9,5 seconds
Maximum speed: 210 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 11,1 l/100 km
Tank: 70 litres
Warranty: 5 years/100 000 km with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km


To see the launch report and more technical details, click here

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so I do actually exist.

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So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

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