FREEWHEELINGscotland

..ccoommFebruary, 2012

Stunning Optimashows Kia’s upfor any challenge

FreewheelingScotland.com – Driving the way forward

SOUTH KOREAN CAR makers Kiahave motored a long way since theyfirst hit our streets a couple ofdecades ago.From humble beginnings in 1991 when the

marque first introduced their small Pride citycar to the UK market, the brand has nowevolved into a serious global player with afine selection of models ranging from the latest small Picanto hatchback to the imposing seven-seater Sorento four-wheel-drive SUV.In between those two sit the Venga and Rio

superminis, the funky Soul compact hatch-back, the mid-sized Cee’d, Cee’d SW estateand Pro-cee’d range, the Carens and Sedonapeople carriers and the multi-award-winningSportage 4x4 crossover.Now brand new for 2012 comes the super-

sleek Optima, Kia’s version of how a D-segment family saloon should really looklike.And there’s no doubt the big players at the

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likes of Toyota, Peugeot, Volkswagen andFord are going to have to sit up and take along hard look at their offerings before theyget left trailing in Kia’s slipstream.For the Optima is so good, it’s not all that far

away from being pigeonholed into the exclusive premium sector that’s meantime theexclusive preserve of the big three Germanbrands.From a styling point of view the Optima ticks

all the right boxes, not only on the outside,

but in the inside too.The well proportioned exterior takes on

something of a sporty, coupé-style look, farremoved from Kia’s previous foray into thissector where value-for-money coupled withfunctionality was the mainstay of the nowlong-retired Magentis.

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akes onle look, faray into thisupled with the now

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And it’s really just to be expected, with headdesigner Peter Schreyer of Audi TT famecasting more than just a watchful eye overproceedings.The sporty look has also been recreated

inside the vehicle, with the dashboard, fascia,steering wheel and arm rest, which betweenthem contain all the switches and controls,giving the appearance it had been designedfor some modern jet aircraft.Kia have kept things reasonably simple with

the Optima, offering a choice of 1, 2 and 3trim levels with prices ranging from £19,595to £24,495.All models are extremely well appointed,

with alloy wheels, air conditioning, leathersteering wheel, Bluetooth, LED running lights,electric windows and cruise control withspeed limiter fitted as standard. Soft touchplastics and wood-effect highlights alsoabound.However, in a clever move, the mid-range

Optima 2 – priced at £21,695 – comes in twodistinct trim options: Luxe and Tech, givingowners the choice of, in the case of the former, grey cloth and leather trim, twin electric panoramic sunroofs, sculptured sidesill mouldings and front and rear valances, 18-inch alloy wheels and a reversing cameraincorporated into the rear-view mirror.The more sedate Tech version comes with

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CHCH

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black leather and cloth upholstery, a high-end12-speaker Infinity audio system, 17-inchalloy wheels and a seven-inch touch-screensatellite navigation system with integratedreversing camera.Range-topping Optima 3 features the

panoramic sunroof, Infinity audio system andtouch-screen satellite navigation, whileadding Xenon headlamps with automatic levelling, full black leather upholstery,

ventilated driver’s front seat, heated rearseats and automatic parallel parking assistsystem.Smart key with start/stop ignition button,

stainless steel door scuff plates with front illumination, mood lighting and alloy pedalscomplete the range-topping 3’s high level ofspecification.

Only one engine is available on the Optima,an updated version of Kia’s

tried-and-tested 1.7-litreCRDi turbodiesel

unit. Pumping out134bhp and

developing325Nm oftorquefrombetween2000 and

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KIA OPTIMA 1.7 CRDI 2 TECH PRICE: £21,695DRIVETRAIN: 1685cc, 134bhp turbocharged diesel engine, driving front wheelsthrough six-speed manual gearbox TOP SPEED: 125mph 0-60MPH: 10.2 secondsFUEL CONSUMPTION: Combined 57.6mpg CO2 EMISSIONS: 128g/km VED Band: D WARRANTY: Seven years/100,000 miles

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CHCH2500revs, it develops as much power asmany rivals’ larger two-litre units.Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and

featuring start/stop technology, fuel consumption is a highly-impressive 57.6mpg,while emissions work out at 128g/km. Topspeed is 125mph while standing to 60mphtakes just a fraction more than 10 seconds,making the Optima an ideal companion forboth business and private ownership.At its launch, I drove both 2 Luxe and Tech

versions along with the flagship 3. All threeperform delightfully on the road, giving arelaxed, nicely sprung ride with plenty of gripwhen it comes to cornering. One thing however, is that the road noise

from the Tech model was noticeably quieterwhile on the hoof than from the other two,either because of the smaller wheel size ordifferent tyre manufacturer.Passengers will find plenty room to get

comfortable in the Optima – well it’s one ofthe largest vehicles in its class – while theboot can accommodate up to 505 litres,although you have to remember this is asaloon car not a hatch, so transporting somelarger packages might pose a problem.One thing’s for sure, this stunning-looking

Optima with its long list of standard featuresyou normally have to pay an arm and a legfor, is going to help pull a lot of new customers over to the Kia brand.Motoring in the D-sector will never be quite

the same again.

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