Kia has seen quite the resurgence in the last few years, having been infused by parent company Hyundai with a dose of style, quality, and engineering. No longer is Kia a brand full of terrible cars, that people bought because they were just cheap transportation. Instead, people are now buying Kia's because they are actually legitimately good cars, that are still relatively inexpensive. Of course, the specter of Kias of yesteryear continues to haunt Kia, with many people still concerned about reliability despite having one of the best warranties in the business. But as Kia has established its beachhead with cars like the Soul, pitched to us with the help of hip hop hamsters, one area that will ultimately decide whether or not Kia will be accepted as a serious brand by the masses is in the mid-size family sedan class.
The 2013 Kia Optima, which shares its platform, motor, and many parts with the well reviewed latest iteration of the Hyundai Sonata, is Kia's entry into the class. The swoopy sedan, designed by someone who previously worked at Audi (ok, actually he used to head up design at Audi) is the best looking Kia Optima ever and has already given itself a leg up against the competition by being one of the most daring designs in this class of rather pedestrian looking boxes. Can this handsome new-comer really take on and take down some of the highly decorated veterans such as the best selling, and recently redesigned, Honda Accord?
Let me just go ahead and spoil this for you now, it absolutely can. The Optima we looked at was the volume leading Optima LX, which is the model that the majority of buyers are likely to buy. It comes with a surprisingly capable 2.4L four-cylinder gasoline direct injection engine making 200 hp and 186 lb-fit of torque. Mated to the 6-speed automatic transmission, this power train combination competently pulls the Optima up to speed without drama and offers plenty of power for the needs of most drivers in most situations. The only downside is the motor sounds exactly like the economy minded four-cylinder motor that it is, though returning a solid 24 city/35 highway mpg helps make up for some of the lack of a muscular soundtrack. And the fact that it is a traditional automatic transmission means none of the horrible rubber-banding feeling of the CVTs that seem prevalent in this class today.
On whole, the Optima is a prime example of a symphony of compromises. The strong motor, good transmission, and attractive exterior design are tempered by the incoherent interior layout, mediocre interior materials, and vanilla bland driving dynamics. It may not be enough yet to knock cars like the Honda Accord off their pedestals, but it definitely lands a couple of solid blows. The car surprisingly adds up to being more than the sum of its parts, providing what should be stylish and practical family transportation. What Kia has not yet managed to do, however, is to transcend that aura of practicality and become something even more. There is just a bit of magic that is missing with the Optima, but there are much worse ways to spend your hard-earned money (we will get to that in our next piece). Factor in one of the best warranties in the business for a decade of near worry free motoring and the 2013 Kia Optima seems like a pretty good bet to take for those who like to add a dash of flair to their playing it safe.
Although Kia, please please please design a new key and remote for the car because the ones provided on models without keyless ignition look like crap.
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