2016 Optima a comfy, drama-free sedan
ASPEN, Colo. — “Lots of ‘rich people rules’ around here,” my passenger said, noting the abundance of thoushalt-nots posted around the town. Postcard quaint and reeking of casually affected affluence, the resort town of Aspen is home to more than 50 billionaires.
It’s hard to imagine that “gonzo journalism” founder Hunter S. Thompson once ran for sheriff here. Had he won, we wouldn’t be rolling through in our spanking new Kia Optima, as one of his campaign promises was to rip up the streets and banish all cars to a depot outside of town.
But here we were, and it was a fine morning to admire the vivid yellow aspens against a dusky Rocky Mountain backdrop. More than 300 kilometres lay behind us, winding up through central Colorado to meet the Continental Divide. At an altitude of 12,095 feet, Independence Pass was the apex of our drive route. Most of our day was spent with a fully loaded Optima SXL, and getting there was a rigorous test of the car’s engine.
The story of Optima’s evolution embodies Kia’s own transformation from dismally cheap and largely forgettable, to the stylish, feature-laden front-runner it’s become. Fourteen years ago, J.D. Power ranked Kia dead last in its quality surveys; it’s now second, behind only Porsche.
With its so-called tiger-nose grille and clean sheet metal, the Optima is probably the best example of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer’s influence on Kia’s image. While it appears largely unaltered, the 2016 Optima does have a few visible changes. Up front is a more aggressive, wider grille that accentuates the car’s wider stance. New high-intensity discharge xenon headlamps feature active cornering and high beams that automatically dim when oncoming traffic is detected. These are effective enough to do away with the fog lamps, which are replaced with functional air ducts, improving aerodynamics and brake cooling.
Across the lineup, the interiors have been refreshed with clean, modular styling and new, higher-quality materials. The dash layout is linear modernism, with none of the swooping curves so pervasive in today’s cabin designs. It’s a driver-centric environment, with the entire centre stack tilted toward the driver.
The wheelbase is now 30 millimetres wider and 10 mm longer, but the overhangs have been shortened so the car remains the same length. The extra width is really noticeable in the cabin, and scooped out, concave door panels add to the extra shoulder width. Legroom is excellent, even for rear passengers. The trunk offers an impressive 450 litres of usable cargo space.
There is a variety of interior choices across the model lineup, from a stain-repelling cloth on base models to quilted Nappa leather on rangetopping SXL trims. Seating is all-day comfortable, although the quilted leather wasn’t as supple as what you’d find in more premium models and the pebbled soft-touch dash material looked deceptively like vinyl.
Moving up through the model range, there’s a bewildering array of features and tech content. Standard on all cars — including the base LX — are push-button start, AM/FM/CD sound system with four-inch LCD display, satellite radio and Bluetooth, as well as rear-view camera and height-adjustable passenger seat. Safety features include seven airbags, traction control, electronic brake distribution and hill-start assist.
Top-of-the-line models get an eight-inch touch screen, rear-view camera with 360-degree top-down view, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lanedeparture and rear cross-traffic alert systems, automatic emergency braking, wireless cellphone charging and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Android Auto smartphone integration is also available, with Apple CarPlay coming in the future. Our SXL featured heated and cooled 12-way adjustable seats, heated steering wheel and an enormous panoramic sunroof.
Most notable is a new 1.6-L turbocharged engine paired with a seven-speed dualclutch automatic transmission that has a fuel economy rating of 8.4 L/100 kilometres in the city and 6.1 on the highway. The other two engines, a naturally aspirated 2.4-L four-cylinder and a 2.0 turbo-four, are largely carryovers.
Over sun-baked cement and broken pavement, the Optima let very little noise or harshness enter the cabin. It’s a very quiet-riding vehicle, partly attributed to a frame stiffened by 50 per cent. Kia’s parent company, Hyundai, manufactures its own steel, “which allows us to have the best quality steel at the best price,” according to Kia Canada vice-president Ted Lancaster. The extra width gives it more stability through tight turns, as we discovered in the mountain passes. It’s not a sporty car, but the Optima SXL had plenty of power on the highways and steep inclines.
Adjustable drive modes in some trim levels offer a choice of Eco, Normal and Sport. We chose Sport for most of the drive, which added heft to the electric power steering, quickened throttle response and added more aggression to the shift pattern. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is nice and grippy, but provides only minimal feedback.
Adaptive cruise control works well, but we could only get it to kick in above 80 km/h. It also cuts out after a few seconds at idle, requiring either the brake or accelerator to be tapped before engaging again.
Quiet and refined, the SXL is a really comfortable and drama-free sedan with plenty of creature comforts. Its broad torque range provides smooth and linear power, and, best of all, does it on regular gas.
We managed only a brief run in the base model with the 1.6-L turbo-four engine. With far less content than the upper trim levels, the LX was still decently equipped for an entry-level car.
This powertrain makes a compelling choice for the buyer who is mainly concerned with fuel economy.
Canadian pricing is not yet available, but expect it to start at about $23,000 for the base LX and rise to about $38,000 for the loaded SXL when the car arrives at Canadian dealers later this year.