Kia Optima
With a five-star NHTSA crash result and the highest possible rating in front and rear safety tests, Kia has hit the nail on the head and produced a car that excels in keeping your family safe and secure. The Kia Optima has six airbags as standard. The system monitors the severity of the impact and controls how much the airbags inflate.
And that's just the start. The Kia Optima is also packed with active safety features. ESC keeps the Kia Optima well balanced even when direction is changed quickly, by reducing engine power accordingly and braking individual wheels to maintain optimum control of your Kia Optima. TCS keeps the wheels from spinning so that traction is maintained. A Brake Assist system pulls the car to a controlled stop in the event of emergency braking. The headrests move forward and up to minimise neck injuries in the event of a collision from the rear. Last but not least, the tyre pressure monitoring system alerts the driver to any tyre that is underinflated.
The Kia Optima is no brick on wheels when it comes to design. The solidly built sedan is sleek and classy, consisting of lines that please the eye and provoke excitement. The large headlights fit cleanly into the bulging bonnet lines that run into the high waistline and sweeping C-pillar curves. From the rear of the Kia Optima, the sexy tail lights wrap around snugly into the curvaceous hindquarters. The boot line quickly joins the swooping rear window that follows the same sensual curvature that the C-pillar incorporates. All in all, a superbly eye-catching design is apparent throughout the Kia Optima and is accentuated by the side skirts and balanced 16 or 17 inch alloys.
The Kia Optima demands to be driven and offers a decent handling package that is backed up by a taut and compliant suspension. The V6 motor is a 2.7 litre engine with 136 kW of power and the muscle is accessed through a five-speed automatic tiptronic gearbox. The 0-62 mph is rapid and can be accomplished in around 9 seconds, which is acceptable for the smooth auto gearbox. Drive aggressively along the backroads and the Kia Optima makes progress rapidly and is an enjoyable drive. With 119 kW of power available in the 2.4 litre 4-cylinder engine, progress is still willing, if not quite as punchy as in the V6. An increase in fuel economy is the benefit from owning the smaller powerhouse, with a commendable fuel efficiency figure of around 8 l/100 km being quite achievable.
Inside the Kia Optima, the materials, textures and colours give an impression of quality and class. The cabin itself is spacious, and adults with long legs shouldn't find it too difficult to get comfortable in the Kia Optima's comfortable and supportive seats. The more luxurious models boast extras like shining chrome door handles on the exterior, front projection fog lights, twin exhausts, climate control, an upgraded premium sound system with sub-woofers and an external amplifiers (not that the standard Kia Optima sound system is anything too bad to begin with), trip computer, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, leather wrapped steering wheel, silver interior door handles, and a very thoughtful feature - a self-dimming rear-view mirror.
So, for a four-door sedan that offers excitement, a capable chassis and safety that is off the top shelf, the affordable Kia Optima will carry you and your (small) family around in style and pleasure.
Current model series include:
- Kia Optima 4 Door
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