Day-by-Day Review: 2011 Kia Optima EX Luxury

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2011 Kia Optima

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Well, it is not a Hybrid this week, but it still a rather fuel-efficient family sedan: the all-new-for-2011 Kia Optima. The Optima name comes from the US lineup to replace what was formerly known as the Kia Magentis in Canada; Kia has synchronized the naming for North America to make things simpler for consumers, and to benefit the Canadian market with the advertising campaigns that Kia has launched south of the border as well.

At first glance this new Kia looks to continue the theme used throughout the rest of Kia’s lineup, of aggressive styling that looks sporty and purposeful, yet still delivers practicality. The Kia Optima shares its underpinnings with the well-loved and much-praised Hyundai Sonata, so there must be something good in store for this vehicle — let’s take a look.

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Like the Sonata, the Kia Optima comes with the choice of two engines: a 2.4L gas direct injected that offers 200hp and 186lb/ft of torque powering the front wheels through a very undersubscribed six-speed manual transmission. The Optima starts at an MSRP of $21,995, and there are quite a few more packages from there that offer a lot of value. My tester is one down from the top of the ladder, an EX model with Luxury package and navigation with an MSRP of $32,095.

The last available model is the SX Turbo version, which offers a 2.0L GDI engine that is turbocharged and outputs 274hp and 269lb/ft of torque, available only with an automatic transmission that includes paddle shifters and unique suspension and bumpers for only $1,600 more!

The base Optima has too many features to list here, but rest assured it comes with just about anything and everything a mid-sized sedan buyer is looking for, while my EX Luxury and Navigation model adds even more goodies on top of that. My tester includes features such as a full-length panaramic sunroof, ventilated and cooled front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, Xenon HID head lights, power passenger seat, heated steering wheel, LED tail lights, an upgraded stereo, larger brakes and of course a navigation system.

This is a whole lot of car for just over thirty grand, but is it any good?

2011 Kia Optima EX Luxury + Navigation
MSRP as tested (excluding destination): $32,095

For more information on Kia and the Optima visit Kia Canada

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Car manufacturers sure are making my job very difficult, like Kia, offering up a loaded mid-sized sedan for just over 30 Grand, that at first drive is nearly perfect. But, of course, nobody has made a perfect car yet.

The interior of the Optima differs quite a bit from that of the Hyundai Sonata. The dash is angled towards the driver and offers up a cockpit-type feel usually reserved for sports cars, and very reminiscent of Saab.

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Control and comfort is the theme on the inside, with a very ergonomic setup with easy-to-reach-and-use controls for the audio and HVAC systems. On the comfort side, power adjustable driver and passenger seats make the front occupants happy, while rear occupants can warm their buns in relative comfort as well.

The interior does have some flaws from my point of view, though. The 60/40 split folding rear seats are one, with a very small opening that offers only marginal usefulness over no folding seats.

And back to the front seats, which are comfortable, but are not very supportive, offering next to no bolstering in a vehicle that is supposed to be somewhat sporty.

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Out on the road, I am very impressed with this new Kia Optima. The steering is nice and tight, the vehicle takes a set nicely when you enter a corner and the front tires grab quickly as you try to change directions. I’d even say it is sporty! Though the Optima does offer a very comfortable, quiet and responsive ride, there are still a few kinks in the armour.

As with most recent Kias I have driven, I noticed almost immediately the very quick throttle tip in on the Optima. What does this mean? It means on a test drive you will be blown away by the power the Optima delivers from it’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine. But once you get it home and start to “live” with the car you will quickly be annoyed at the jack rabbit starts.

When I first picked up the Optima it was raining, and leaving stop signs and traffic lights was embarrassing as the wheels would spin as I left the stop. Traction control isn’t even able to keep up with the power delivery off the line, it seems — please Kia, fix this.

The rest of the road-going experience is excellent: plenty of power for passing and it’s very quiet inside, including minimal road noise and very little NVH from the drivetrain. I had a chance to use the navigation system in the morning as I had to rush to pay my property taxes and it was a very quick process to enter a destination, quick to recalculate and allowed me to actually use the thing while moving!

The backup camera is also a treat, but what is not is the silly songs the vehicle plays when you start and stop it; although I haven’t had the opportunity to verify one can only assume this can be disabled through the setup screens.

So far I haven’t found much to really dislike about the Optima. It’s rather impressive, to be honest, and even more so at the reasonable list price.

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The Kia Optima turned out to be more exciting than I originally anticipated. Fun to drive, stylish and comfortable — the Optima impressed on all levels. Over 700km of driving on the same tank of fuel was also impressive.

Average fuel consumption for the week was 7.9L/100km in a rather large family sedan that I didn’t baby around at all. We even used the Kia this week for a lot of shopping, including a lot of stop and go to various stores, which bumped up the fuel consumption average but still remained excellent.

I’d like to see the bigger-seller the LX version of the Optima to see if it’s as impressive as this loaded version. I can’t be sure — but I’m sure the value is top notch.

*Rating out of 5: