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Review: Kia Optima 2016

Image of James Fossdyke
Author: | Updated: 11 Apr 2016 16:09

A good-looking and economical alternative to the key players in this class, the Optima is a likeable car offering excellent value for money.

Though saloons are regularly out-sold by hatchbacks in this country, the mid-size or ‘D-segment’ saloon market is a competitive one. Sitting below the German executives are plenty of more mainstream options, ranging from the class-leading Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat to the more obscure and left-field options like this: the Kia Optima.

Refreshed for 2016 and boasting Kia’s all-new seven-speed automatic transmission, can Korea’s answer to the Skoda Superb cut it in the company of more established European and Japanese rivals?

Design

Bearing in mind the striking lines of the new Ford Mondeo and the Mazda6, it’s difficult to stand out in the average office car park, but the Optima makes a good go of it.

Although it’s restrained enough to avoid rocking the boat too much, there’s something modern and muscular about this iteration of the Kia brand’s ‘tiger-nose’ grille and the angled lights give it a sense of purpose. There’s no doubt about it, it’s a good-looking motor.

Kia Optima 2016 Blue Front Static

See more Kia Optima leasing deals here: business / personal

Inside, it’s less remarkable, but far from unpleasant. There’s an expanse of smartly appointed dashboard and a few chrome touches give it a useful lift.

It doesn’t need our test car’s panoramic glass roof to make it feel roomy though. Granted, the Skoda Superb will out-do it for legroom in the back, but there’s still enough of space back there to comfortably seat four adults on long trips.

There’s a big boot too; one of those cavernous load bays that just seems to keep going further and further towards the front of the car. All told, it’s 510 litres’ worth, but you can expand that fairly dramatically by folding the rear seats down. Admittedly, it leaves you with a rather oddly shaped space, but a pretty sizeable one.

Pricing

It’s price, rather than practicality, that has historically been Kia’s strong suit, and the Optima broadly continues that trend, albeit to a lesser magnitude than you might be expecting.

List prices start from £21,495, which undercuts the Passat by more than £1,000, but comes in at almost £3,000 more than the entry-level Skoda Superb.

There is a good reason for that gulf in price though: a very simple range structure. At present, the range comprises three trim levels, one engine and two gearboxes.

Kia Optima 2016 Detail Badge

No matter whether you go for entry-level ‘2’ trim or the top-of-the-range ‘4’, you’ll get a 1.7-litre diesel engine with 139bhp. As the basic Superb comes with a 123bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine, it’s hardly comparable. Go for the slightly more relevant 1.6-litre diesel engine and the gap in price is reduced to less than £1,500.

When we look at leasing deals, however, there’s almost no difference between the Skoda and the Kia. The average three-year business lease rate is £282 per month for the Optima, while the average Superb deal is just £1 a month dearer.

The average Passat deal, meanwhile, is £7 per month more expensive than the Kia. These are small differences, granted, but they add up over the course of a three-year deal. Assuming you take out a 6+35 business lease at those prices, the Kia will come out almost £290 cheaper than the Passat*.

Equipment

Don’t think that saving will come at the cost of equipment, either. Even basic ‘2’-grade Optimas get a 7in touchscreen with satellite navigation, two-zone climate control, a reversing camera, parking sensors front and rear, cruise control and 17in alloy wheels.

In comparison, the basic ‘S’-level Superb gets 16in alloys, manual air conditioning, a tiny 5in touchscreen and that’s about it. Basic Passats fare slightly better by virtue of the larger 6.5in touchscreen, but they’re still pretty barren in comparison to the well-stocked Optima.

Kia Optima 2016 Interior

With so much kit in the basic model, it’s a wonder that Kia can justify charging an extra £7,400 for the top-spec ‘4’ grade seen in our test car, but the Korean manufacturer has rammed it with toys.

Highlights include full leather upholstery, a seven-speed automatic gearbox as standard, 18in alloys, keyless entry, a push-button starter, a larger 8in touchscreen and the huge panoramic sunroof.

That sounds great, but it’s by no means the end of the story. Your extra outlay also buys you eight-way power-adjustable seats, a 360-degree parking camera with sensors all round, heated and ventilated front seats, blinds in the rear windows, wireless phone charging, radar-guided adaptive cruise control, automatic parking… the list goes on and on and on.

On the road

If you’re looking for the trade-offs that counteract all this value, you won’t find them under the bonnet.

The 139bhp 1.7-litre diesel engine is a solid performer that’s capable of taking the 1.7-tonne Optima from 0-62mph in a respectable 9.7 seconds (about a second faster than the 1.6-litre Skoda Superb diesel), but it’s also relatively economical.

Official fuel consumption for ‘2’- or ‘3’-spec cars with the manual gearbox is 67.3mpg, while the CO2 emissions are just 110g/km. That puts it in the 22% company car tax band, just 1% behind the 108g/km Skoda.

Kia Optima 2016 Blue Rear Static

If there are any trade-offs to be found in the Optima, they’re exposed on the road. The ride isn’t quite as marshmallow-smooth as the impressive Superb, while the steering could do with a little more weight and feel.

Other than those small gripes, however, there’s plenty to like about the way the Kia drives. The all-new twin-clutch automatic gearbox is very good, shifting quickly, accurately and with minimum fuss, and the engine feels punchier than its 1.7 litres of displacement might suggest.

With all the electronic toys on board, it’s also a relaxing motorway cruiser, although the adaptive cruise control system is sometimes caught out if you try to use it in town.

The verdict

A good-looking and economical alternative to the key players in this class, the Optima is a likeable car offering excellent value for money. It can’t take the segment lead away from the likes of the Passat, Mondeo and Superb, but it’s yet more proof that Kia has well and truly joined the mainstream.

Kia Optima 2016 at a glance

Length: 4,855mm
Width: 1,860mm
Height: 1,465mm
Wheelbase: 2,805mm
Kerb weight: 1,590-1,605kg
Boot space: 510 litres

Engine: 1.7-litre CRDi diesel (139bhp)
Transmissions: 6-spd manual, 7-spd automatic (all FWD)

0-62mph: 9.7-10.6s
Top speed: 121-126mph
Fuel economy: 64.2-67.3mpg
CO2 emissions: 110-116g/km

Average business lease rate: £282/month*
Average personal lease rate: £332/month*

*Average lease rates calculated using ContractHireAndLeasing.com data and correct at time of writing.

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