From the correct driving position, the worse that could happen is that driving the Optima turns out to be a real bore. However, such is not the case. In fact, the Kia's handling is unexpectedly good. Michel and I went for a brief romp in the countryside, planning out our route for an upcoming comparison test, and some of the roads were winding, uneven and I obviously sidled into some corners at speeds greater than they should have been taken, and the car stood its ground.
The suspension maintains constant control of body movements and its setup is well matched to the 18” tires' available traction, even over nasty surfaces. Thankfully, the electronically assisted steering's decent feedback and response kept the car on track. The standard disc brakes proved competent after repeated use in said twisties. Sure, I had more fun driving the Optima than I should have, but at least you now know that you can have this much fun with the car.
Making the speed possible is a Hyundai-Kia 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. With 200hp and 186 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is one strong performer. The available 6-speed Sportmatic automatic transmission doesn't mind playing along when the right-hand pedal meets the carpet. Should the throttle not react quite in the fashion that you prefer, the manual mode will help. It fared quite well in the aforementioned back roads.
Acceleration is decisive and (this is the reasonable me talking) makes me wonder how pertinent the presence of a turbocharged 274hp 2.0L is. Thankfully, I'm not always commonsensical and can and do appreciate the extra guts -- for the glory of course.
Astonishing though it may be, the 2.4L does have another ace up its sleeve. Through 750km, of which 60% was performed on the highway, my tester's returned average fuel consumption was only 9.0L /100 km. Keep in mind that I was driving the car fairly hard for nearly half to the total distance. The rest of the time, I was only mildly beating it...
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| Making the speed possible is a Hyundai-Kia 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. With 200hp and 186 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is one strong performer. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
The suspension maintains constant control of body movements and its setup is well matched to the 18” tires' available traction, even over nasty surfaces. Thankfully, the electronically assisted steering's decent feedback and response kept the car on track. The standard disc brakes proved competent after repeated use in said twisties. Sure, I had more fun driving the Optima than I should have, but at least you now know that you can have this much fun with the car.
Making the speed possible is a Hyundai-Kia 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. With 200hp and 186 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is one strong performer. The available 6-speed Sportmatic automatic transmission doesn't mind playing along when the right-hand pedal meets the carpet. Should the throttle not react quite in the fashion that you prefer, the manual mode will help. It fared quite well in the aforementioned back roads.
Acceleration is decisive and (this is the reasonable me talking) makes me wonder how pertinent the presence of a turbocharged 274hp 2.0L is. Thankfully, I'm not always commonsensical and can and do appreciate the extra guts -- for the glory of course.
Astonishing though it may be, the 2.4L does have another ace up its sleeve. Through 750km, of which 60% was performed on the highway, my tester's returned average fuel consumption was only 9.0L /100 km. Keep in mind that I was driving the car fairly hard for nearly half to the total distance. The rest of the time, I was only mildly beating it...
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| Through 750km, of which 60% was performed on the highway, my tester's returned average fuel consumption was only 9.0L /100 km. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |