B`X e\Xi g\i]\Zk
E\n Fgk`dX \jkXk\ X i\gËj [i\Xd
I KNOW it is at least 20 years since I invented Roger Rep but I still loathe and detest him.
I hate the way he and his wife Janet loudly dominate conversation at their local pub while she drinks a spinach and kiwi smoothie and he poses with his pomegranate mojito mocktail.
Needless to say their two sorry kids go to private school and are forced to take violin and piano lessons while their parents are rehearsing at the local dramatic society.
When Roger is at work, Janet is at the fitness club, where the Mini Cooper that Daddy bought her for Christmas is parked on the pavement by the front door, so no-one can miss it.
Time was when I’d have given Roger a pay cut and replaced his BMW with a Kia just for being late with his expenses. There’s no way I’d do that now because Kia is far too good for him.
I’ve just been driving the latest Kia Optima Sportswagon (estate), a repmobile if ever there was one, but letting someone as odious as Roger ply his business around Britain’s motorways in one of these would be like spoiling a snake. Except for one reason.
The latest new-look Optima gets updated engines, interior, exterior and colour choices along with a pile of stuff that no-one seems capable of driving without, such as attention warning, lane keeping assist, collision assist and connectivity. Despite being only the third of five specs on sale I opened the driver’s door to what seemed like a high-tech lounge.
Wine
It was a pleasing mix of silver, piano black, soft-touch trim, fake “save-ourcows” leather, electric seats with black and silver stitched cloth trim, grey steel-rimmed instruments with bright red dials, all dominated by an eight-inch touch screen sat nav system. Highly impressive.
Nothing wrong there, then. Even the front door pockets are a decent size, all four coming with built-in bottle holders, while the map pockets behind the front sets will each easily hold a bottle of wine. The back of the car is a rep’s dream. The boot alone is 3ft 6in deep and is fitted with sliding silver and black luggage rails for stopping your samples sliding around.
The rear seat backs spring forwards by pulling levers on each side of the boot to make a flat, 6ft 4in space big enough for the proverbial trip to Ikea, plus there are three underfloor, hidden-from-view, storage compartments and sturdy shopping bag hooks, set 16in above the floor (I know 18in is ideal but that should work).
So the interior of the Optima 3 (there are also GT-Line S and GT models) would keep all but the pickiest of Roger Reps happy. How about the way it drives?
Kia sent me the new 1.6-litre diesel which replaces the old 1.7-litre and it’s a gem. With 136hp and a whacking 320Nm (237lb) of torque it makes a fantastic and powerful motorway cruiser, where, at just 2,000rpm it’s doing an almost silent 80mph.
The ride is neither soft or harsh and it handles things like potholes or even the most horrible types of sleeping policeman with ease.
In other words, it’s perfect.
Reason
The whole car feels beautifully, yet solidly built, almost pampering. and is a great place to spend hours or just go on a short ride, but the best thing about it is the one reason I hinted at earlier ... the one reason why you would buy one for someone as avoidable as Roger Rep.
It’s the fact that, at £25,300 this Optima is stunning value, and that it comes with a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty.
Roger’s still not getting one.