It's got looks, luxury, and lots of economy, the Kia Optima Hybrid. How does it pull it all of successfully? Let's find out.
Most of us were probably brought up to think that looks aren't everything. But to me the Kia Optima is a great looking car and that alone should help to make it a strong seller. I'm even a fan of my test car's blue grey color and the blacked out grill, but the alloy wheels have a bit too much alloy for my tastes. It looks like they were going for a bit of an Alfa Romeo cum VW GTI cloverleaf shape, but to me in the wheel department, less is more. Still overall it is a clean and luxurious look. The interior is also clean and luxurious. The all power heated and ventilated seats are a combination of cloth and leather which gives them a distinctive style. The driver also gets lumbar support. You get a leather wrapped console with two tiered storage, two cupholders, a non CVT standard transmission, dual zone climate control and in my opinion, Kia's excellent infotainment screen which houses controls for the sound system, navigation and information about the hybrid system. UVO is Kia's voice control system which helps you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. There is a menu display on the dash that lets you scroll through two trip distance meters, outside temperature, service information, hybrid energy flow, eco level, eco score, fuel economy and distance to empty. The dash by the way looks really good day or night. Out back you get two vents, storage, a cup holder and your own heated seats! The large trunk also has a pass through for skis. Under the hood you will find an eerily quiet 2.4 liter 4 cylinder that produces 166 horsepower and 154 lb. ft. of torque. With the electric engine total horsepower jumps to 206. That will get you from zero to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. That's pretty quick for a hybrid! The Kia Optima Hybrid starts at $25,700. By the time you add all of the options, you are out the dealer door at $32,500. With so much convenience, luxury, economy and safety, I think its a very fair deal. Out on the road if I had to sum up the handling of the Optima Hybrid I would call it "un-hybrid like". The engine has a surprising growl when pushed. There is a bit of hesitation but once the Kia realizes that you want quick acceleration it really gets up and goes. Also the handling is better than I expected. With its standard transmission, other than being very quiet, it doesn't really feel much different from a normal gasoline only sedan. With the Optima Hybrid it seems that Kia really has thought of everything. There's a panoramic sunroof that lets the sun shine in on both the front and rear passengers. There's even two chargers up front. I've always made the point that Kia has been very good at taking the best from all of the other car makers and making it there own. Kia was, not too long ago, a basically unknown car company, and now I think they are at the top of the game in terms of price and features. At this point, some of those other car makers might want to take a look back at Kia! So the Kia Optima Hybrid has looks, luxury and lots of economy so how did they pull it off? Well for starters, they brought in a former Audi executive who has helped in the total design of the Optima. It's a nice modern shape that holds every modern convenience. Ergonomically, the navigation system, the UVO system, changing channels on the radio, setting your presets, these are all very well executed and engineered. Of course there's also the fact that not only does the Optima Hybrid get great fuel economy, but it is also quick for a hybrid. All around the Optima Hybrid is definitely a great car. Could it be the optimal hybrid for you? Take it for a test drive and see! I'm Drivin' Ivan Katz.
** Courtesy of Examiner (Online)
No comments:
Post a Comment