The Mazda6 that we acquired in late 2008 represented a bit of a departure for us, since it was not a Toyota and was a bit more interesting than the somewhat bland sedans we’d been purchasing. When the Mazda’s time with us was up, our choice of a replacement followed that line of thinking. It also represented a more significant departure away from the comfortable confines of the Toyota dealership.
We certainly liked the Mazda and ran it all the way to the end of its lease, but by 2011 the Mazda6 was still the same body style and had not changed significantly from our current car in anything other than price. We then decided to look at other options for replacing the Mazda and considered several sedans. The first was the Acura TSX, with which I already had a bit of experience. I had assisted my mother in deciding on the TSX in 2009 to replace her 2006 TL and had spent some time driving it. As a fancier European Accord (basically), the TSX was enjoyable to drive and reasonably well-appointed, but was fairly expensive (over $30k as I recall) and required a pricey option package for features like navigation. The wagon version that has been reviewed here on CC was very tempting (if only they had it in brown…)
The other car that caught our eye was the new Kia Optima. Previous generations of the Optima were not particularly compelling: they were nice enough but in appearance were even more bland and unexciting than a Camry (for the most part – the quad headlight E-Class Mercedes knockoffs from around 2005 certainly weren’t bland, but were – well, interesting, I guess). The new 2011 model was a different story, however. Styled by Peter Schreyer, arriving at Kia from the Volkswagen Group (and still well-known for his styling contributions to the Audi TT), the 2011 Optima was a much more interesting and coherent design. It was recognizable and different (to my eyes) and the prices were reasonable for the content and features provided. At this point, Kia was working to overcome its less-than-stellar reliability record with improved build quality and very long warranties (a 5-year 60,000 mile overall warranty and a 10-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty). I felt like this car was worth at least a look.
We visited the local Kia dealership and drove two of the Optima offerings: the “sporty” SX with a 274-hp direct-injection 2 liter turbo engine, and a “luxury” EX with the standard 2.4 liter naturally-aspirated engine with a mere 200 hp (recalling a time in the late ‘80s when a Mustang GT required 5 liters of V8 to get 200 hp, albeit with more torque, and the contemporary Corvette made roughly 245 hp). Both engines drove the front wheels through 6-speed automatics, and both were more than capable of moving this 3200 pound sedan around. As we were leaving we were exploring the inventory on the lot and came across an interesting version, the EX with the 274 hp turbo engine. We didn’t drive that one, but ultimately decided that this one was the car to buy as it was very well equipped with navigation and a host of other features and was less expensive than the top-line SX.
Because Kia was offering some extremely favorable financing options we decided to buy this car rather than lease it. Negotiations went well and off we went in the EX turbo. (I have heard of other Kia buyers who have had quite negative experiences with their dealerships but our local dealer was fine – no worse than any other car buying experience we have had.)
The EX-T we purchased came with several option packages that added quite a few features, some of which I’d not had in any car previously (even expensive Lexus vehicles). There were the usual features like automatic climate control, two-setting memory seats, navigation system (with a very clear and attractive map layout, I thought), pushbutton start and proximity key entry, high-end Infinity stereo with iPod connectivity, and Bluetooth phone connectivity. Other features were a bit more unique: the EX-T had heated front seats like other cars I’d had, but also had heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. The heated wheel was something that I initially thought was a goofy gimmick but I was convinced on the first cold day when I drove the car home from work and didn’t freeze my fingers on the wheel. Another feature was a panoramic sunroof. The entire roof was glass with a set of sunshades that telescoped from a cross-car support beam in the middle of the roof, and the front half opened as a sunroof. This feature made the interior of the car very airy and seem larger than it was. In the “titanium” color the tinted glass roof panels stood out as the entire roof was essentially black from the outside – it probably would have looked a bit better in a darker color.
The 274-hp turbo engine was, to me, the real star of this car’s equipment. This was enough power to light the front tires fairly easily, but I didn’t have much trouble with torque steer. If you kept your foot out of the turbo the fuel economy was very good, too (around 34 on the highway). The engine was responsive and the 6-speed automatic was pretty good at choosing the right gear. Because we’d chosen the EX and not the SX, the handling was acceptable and safe but not exactly razor sharp.
Annoyances? There were a couple, to be sure. The iPod connectivity wouldn’t fully work with the in-dash entertainment unit unless you bought a special connector cord from Kia (at the bargain price of $35, as I recall). The entertainment system did lock up my iPod on several occasions to the point where I had to perform a hard reset on the device. The interior was very nicely styled overall and represented a quantum leap over previous Kias I had experienced, but there were still some hard plastics in several spots (some with visible, although faint, mold lines) and the leather seats weren’t exactly posh. My wife found the gearshift knob shape to be a bit odd – we realized it looked very much like a stress doll whose eyes and nose popped out when you squeezed his body (some readers will know exactly what I’m talking about – on Amazon he’s called Panic Pete, I think). This was an early direct-injection gasoline engine, so it was quite noisy when it was cold, but that went away as the engine warmed up. Overall the styling was very good, and I liked the way the windshield header echoed the shape of the grill with a dip in the middle (not quite a Darrin dip, but close), but I could have done without the fake fender vents.
So, overall we liked this car quite a bit – styling was very attractive and didn’t look like other cars on the road, the engine was among the most powerful I’d ever owned, and the car was reliable and well-backed by the manufacturer (we didn’t have any visits to the dealer other than for regular maintenance). But I only kept it for a year or so, more because (as you would expect from me) I found another car I really wanted, and it was easy for me to sell this one on. More on that replacement in the coming weeks.
Another good Kia experience. They deserve the place where they currently are.
In Europe, the car that pretty much made Kia a good seller was the Cee’d, in 2007. It wasn’t exciting, but was a good and well built car with attractive if inoffensive styling. Then the second gen came and blew the first out of the water, with some seriously striking look, and one of the nicest looking dashes of the segment
Glad to see you had a good experience with this car. I know several people who have these or the Hyundai Sonata sister car and have had equally good luck with them.
I didn’t realize it had been that long since Peter Schreyer’s influence had taken hold on Kia’s model line. The one Kia that I pay attention to is the Forte. It reminds me of my Fox body Capris and Pontiac Sunfires in terms of size, capacities and mission. Right now, they’re an outlier if were to need to replace a car, but at least they’re on the list.
This generation to me seemed to sit where Saab had just left off.
I’ve thought the same thing since I first saw one.
Swedishbrick:
I believe the car you know as the Cee’d is known as the Forte in the US.
I considered just going to a Kia dealer to look at a car up close, to see if they were as good looking in the metal as they appear online. UNFORTUNATELY the Kia dealership experience leaves a lot to be desired. Somewhat oddly, the experience at “sister brand Hyundai is nearly the opposite.
On top of their bad reputation the online buzz is that Kia dealers are very reluctant to address warranty problems.
Not the best way to get and keep prospective buyers.
The Cee’d and the Forte seem to be brothers (not sure if platform mates): same category, about the same size, a lot of shared switchgear and look a lot close, but no sheetmetal is shared and use different dash designs. Never understood why Hyundai/Kia make different C-segment cars for the Americas and Europe, as they could just make a sedan Cee’d and there would be a good Forte.
Funny how H/K know the preferences of each market. The Forte has an available sedan, the Cee’d has a wagon (awesome looking, BTW).
Kia dealerships here in Portugal seem to be so far so good, and not many time ago, they were knocking 7.000 euro off each Cee’d (new gen coming soon), and the cars are considered very honest.
These are indeed very good looking cars. Schreyer did a very good job on these as it’s one of the best looking sedans in recent years.
Your comment on dealership experience being negative for some reminded me of such an instance. A coworker and his wife bought a new Optima. Two days after purchase a horrific odor is permeating the interior. Several trips to the dealer resulted in air fresheners, shampooing the seats, and denial of a problem. He took the dashboard apart and found a dead mouse lodged inside. After giving the dealer their dead mouse back, he disposed of the car.
I just purchased a 2018 Sonata Sport and have a few observations between the Kia / Hyundai dealer experience and my new car.
First of all, Rodents. I inspected my car before purchase and everything looked good to me. After I got it home my Master Auto Tech son came to have a look and noticed evidence of rodents having chewed insulation under the engine cover. I took the car back the next morning, the service dept had a look and found that a wiring harness had been gnawed on as well. The dealer promptly exchanged the car. Lucky me they had another one just like mine on the lot.
Regarding the dealership experience. I cross shopped the Optima at the Kia store and thought I was in a different world. It was a very high pressure, smarmy feeling stealership compared to the Hyundai store right down the street. I was very comfortable and pleased with the entire experience there, which was enhanced by how they responded to the rodent story above.
I have only had the car for 3.5 weeks, but am very happy with my decision. My Sonata has level of features that would have cost me 3 to 5K more in a comparable 18 Accord (not enamored with the looks) or 18 Camry (which I like a lot, but is pricey) I’m looking forward to the next 100K or more miles.
MD, I am so very much enjoying your series of articles here.
Keep up the good work!
I’m a huge Hyundai/Kia supporter nowadays (especially above the likes of Toyota.) My wife has an NA 5 speed Veloster, what a great car.
I think the steering wheel needs a few more buttons on it.
I very nearly bought a similar Optima EX Turbo in 2011, for all the reasons the OP cited above… but when the time came to write the down payment check I couldn’t get past the lingering stigma of Spectras and Sephias, and wound up purchasing another brand.
Fast forward to 2015, and I wound up writing a bigger check for a bigger Kia. I’m now on my second Cadenza (2017) and I’ve absolutely loved them both. I recently had it in for scheduled service and received a new Optima Turbo as a loaner for the day; that car was a hoot to drive.
In my opinion the first generation of Sephia that was sold in the US (not sure if it was actually the first generation Kia built) was a pretty decent car. I had one that my independent Honda repair shop gave me as a loaner, and I considered “trading up” to a Sephia with my Civic as trade-in. Subsequent models I wasn’t so crazy about.
Are you sure you don’t mean the Spectra? They were actually pretty decent vehicles for the money (you could even argue they were the first sign of Kia’s emergence as a respectable automaker) but the predecessor Sephia did not have a lot to recommend it at all, and definitely not against a contemporary 90s Civic IMHO.
If nothing else, the Sephia had the 1.8 DOHC engine “borrowed” from Mazda, as well as a few other Mazda parts. My Honda had a smaller, less powerful engine. I also thought that the Kia drove pretty well.
Fair enough. That Mazda engine would definitely be a selling point.
Shame you went down from a Mazda to a Kia. At least you can correct that next time and get a turbo 2018 Mazda 6.
Glad to hear your experience, even if it was a short one, was favorable with this car. I’ll be honest when I say that this was the car that finally changed my opinion of Kia for the better, finally viewing it as an equal to Toyota and Honda.
Nice choice. A mature, clean, and elegantly styled design. A refreshing example compared to the overdone exteriors of some competitors.
I had a 2012 or so Optima as a service loaner one time, at the Land Rover dealer. They were low on loaners, so this was an Optima from Enterprise as I recall. It was a base model, but I was very impressed with it. Quiet, comfortable and good gas mileage. Yours with more power and equipment would be even better.
I think this is the same basic vehicle as a Hyundai Sonata? I’ve had a couple of base 2015 or so Sonatas from Hertz and really liked them as well.
These are attractive cars. My own Kia experience has been good. I have not found my dealer any worse than typical.
I feel like Kia is 90% there. The missing piece is either real driver engagement or real silent cruising. Nail one of those two and they will have the full package.
Did you get it from King Kia or Laurel Kia? Laurel Kia gave me the best dealership experience I have had. (my worst was going to Maryland Toyota Dealers)
In fact nobody I know has had a bad dealer experience at Kia. Back in 2011 My best friend was looking for a new Kia Sorento with a manual transmission. The only one available at the time was at a dealership 20 miles away from her sister in Texas. She set up an appointment with the dealership and sent a deposit and then flew down and bought it, spent a week at her sister’s home and then drove back from Texas to VA. The dealership was great she said. About 3 weeks later she got a package from that dealer in the mail. In this package was a iPod cable and a note stating that they had noticed going through their records that the ipod cable was never included in the car when the manuals were put in the glove box. My does not use an ipod or iphone so this cable was not needed at all but the gesture was appreciated.
My next brand new car will be a Kia or Hyundai product.
I have actually steered several folks away from buying a Camry to buying a Optima or a Sonata. All of them love their cars.
I just re-read your post MDLaughlin
You should have gotten the iPod cable standard with the car. If it had been me, I would have marched right back into the dealer and demanded it.
Now on my 2010 Forte, I bought it used from Carmax and it did not have the cable with it. Kia wanted $38 for the cable. I just went down the street to Orisman Hyundai and bought the cable from them at $25. It was the same cable.
I used that cable 3 times because I discovered the ability to use USB flashdrives for music. I was able to use a $9.99 Kingston 16GB low profile flashdrive rather then dragging my iPod into the car all the time. This flash drive is so small that it looks (to somebody that is trying to break into your car) that it is just the protective cap for the USB port. and was so much easier to use then dealing with the iPod(no freezes) However you did have to set up the flashdrive if you wanted to pick a exact song to play. If you dumped all the songs into it without setting up folders then you could not search for a song you wanted. So you created a folder for each of the bands (for example Rush) and that allowed you to search for artist or songs.
Vote #2 for the Saab-esqueness of the Optima, especially the dash design. This was one of the first Kia’s to get my attention; the Sorrento was the other. I agree Kia is 90% of the way ‘there’ compared to Toyota and Honda…their designs are certainly top-notch…if only they could get the NVH nailed as well as driving road feel. They have to keep an eye on price too – they can’t be charging Toyota-Honda prices quite yet.
Unfortunately, in the Houston area Kia is saddled with the vast majority of their dealers having a BHPH mentality. Only one of the 6 dealers would warrant a recommendation from me.
The dash is especially Saab-esque, and I’ve always felt that way too. When this generation Optima came out, it was a big breath of fresh air, style wise. One of my sister’s friends leased a silver blue one after College and it was stunning with that pale tan interior for a $21,000 car. Even my sister’s 2009 Soul had smart design and good quality for $16,000. Only a funny return on her rear wiper happened while she owned that car for 98,000 miles (fixed under warranty, with no drama). Maybe sis got lucky, but her dealer was great, and even gave free oil changes for the life of her car.
Add me to the list of Kia fans. My one and only brand-new purchase (so far) was a 2012 Forte Koup in November of ’11, and six years and ~74k miles later, we’ve had nothing but good experiences with the car. Stylish, economical, and completely reliable. The interior is a little on the drab side, and some of the materials aren’t the best, but considering that generation of Forte debuted in 2008, it’s perfectly acceptable and the (front) seats are comfortable even on long trips. NVH is a little higher than some of the competition (cross-shopped Civic and Elantra) but it also feels less isolated from the road, so two sides to that story.
I looked over these Optimas at the time, but alas, they were out of my price range. I’ve kind of wanted one ever since though and if I ever came across a nice used example with the panoramic roof and the turbo, I’d be mightily tempted. Still an attractive design seven years on, and I actually think this generation is a better design
than the current one (still attractive but not as much character as these).
The dealership experience wasn’t the best, but I blame that more on the ownership (Hendrick) than the fact that they were a Kia franchise. And they did give me a much higher offer on my trade-in than I was expecting, which balances against some of their other shortcomings.