Rob Maetzig
TWO years ago when Kia introduced its new Optima mediumsized sedan, it impressed many – yours truly included – for how pretty it was. Now the vehicle has been facelifted, and it is even prettier than before.
Kia’s Frankfurt-based design team has taken the knife to both the front and rear of the car, giving it a new grille and repositioning the daytime running lights from the bumper to just above the headlights, giving the top EX and Limited models LED fog lamps, and redesigning the boot so it now has a sweeping lid rather than a rear spoiler.
The rear also now gets newlydesigned LED tail lights.
Thank heavens the designers haven’t touched the car’s side profile though. Personally I consider it one of the most attractive around, with a Jaguar XF-like C-pillar that belies the fact this is a conventionally priced massmarket sedan out of South Korea.
There are plenty of changes to the rest of the Optima too, some of them designed to address perhaps the current model’s biggest issue – road noise.
When Optima was first launched here it arrived with a socalled ‘‘Anzac’’ suspension which had been refettled in Australia so it could suit Australasian tastes.
It remains pretty much the same, but has received some minor tuning to improve ride and handling feel and to help reduce the noise from the road.
The changes include
the
ad- dition of rear cross member dampers to reduce noise, installation of more sound insulation, and refinement of a rear wheel guard to deaden sound transmission.
A very short early-morning drive near Auckland last week did indicate that these changes have worked, for the 2014 does feel con- siderably quieter than before. No changes have been made to the engine or transmission.
The engine continues to be a 2.4-litre Theta II direct-injected petrol engine that develops 148 kilowatts of power and 250 newton metres of torque. It is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Optima now features a new three-spoke steering wheel and freshly designed gear shift lever, and the dash area has also been redesigned. A feature of this dash is a high-resolution 20cm (8in) navigation and telematics screen – the satellite navigation will be standard on Limited models but will not be seen until arrivals after February.
Seating has been redesigned so there is now better side support and more padding under the front cushion. Also new is a cooling and heating function for both front seats on the Limited model, and both the Limited and EX versions get a more upscale leather trim. This new Optima, which will enter the market at the end of November, will once again be offered in LX, EX and Limited levels of specification. Prices have not been announced yet but they are likely to be little changed from current prices.