Test Drive: 2015 Kia Optima

The third way they’ve added plenty of value here is with the feature content, which also goes a little above and beyond. This loaded tester, which came in around $35,000, had everything – a panoramic glass roof to let in the rays, memory seating with heated and chilled leather for maximum comfort and a punchy Infinity audio system were all on board. Ditto auto climate control, auto lights, automatic wipers and blind-spot monitoring mirrors.

You get navigation and satellite radio and voice command and steering-wheel mounted controls for easy access to directions, entertainment and other vehicle functions. Further, the central command interface is one of the easiest-to-use, best-looking and most intuitive you’ll find on the market (GM and Chrysler vehicles do well here, too). Usually, I get frustrated with these systems a few times on every test-drive, but this one’s a cinch. So, all said, Optima helps support drivers for even long-haul trips that are effortlessly comfortable, connected, laid back and relaxing. With the automatic features and voice command and fingertip control of so many functions, there’s a real ‘set it and forget it’ feel here.

There’s also some value under the hood. Optima doesn’t have an available V6, because it has a 2.0L turbo GDI four cylinder available instead. Key word? Turbo. Rather than a bigger, heavier and thirstier V6, this optional engine uses four little cylinders and a punchy turbocharger to turn out 274 horsepower and, maybe more importantly,269 lb-ft of torque. It performs at or above the level of a comparable six-cylinder when you give it a bootfull of gas and get the turbo spooling away – though when you’re driving gently, you’re only feeding four little cylinders, not six bigger ones.

2015 Kia Optima SX, driver’s seat. Click image to enlarge

Translation? This little engine performs very well, using less fuel, more of the time. It’s smooth, and refined and never feels like it’s working too hard. At full throttle, the flat, shapeless power curve and dull exhaust note take away from the entertainment value slightly, and the engine is neither exciting to listen to, nor will it do much for fans of peaky, high-revving power delivery. But the generous low and mid-range torque mean it’s an engine most impressive when you’re driving moderately or gently, since it rarely needs to gear down and barely makes a peep, even while hauling the Optima up to speed with a nearly mischievous urgency. It might not set the driving enthusiasts pants on fire, but if you like an engine with a refined and effortless light-throttle character, you’ll love it.

The ride is pleasing most of the time – taut, fairly agile, and well-sorted and comfy. You feel the suspension working to filter out the unpleasantness on rough roads. It feels sort of European, and that’s a good thing. Handling, further, is tidy and on the athletic side. Steering wheel inputs required for quick navigation winding roads are on the large side, but the Optima rewards drivers with clean, tidy and flat handling with an above-average feeling of agility. Steering feel on the highway is on the heavy side, though the on-centre steering notch hangs on, perhaps, a touch too long when drivers dial into a corner, creating a slightly awkward feel at times.

Other complaints were few and far between, limited mainly to the transmission’s paddle-shift mode, which, in no particular hurry, calls up slow and careful gear changes. For a car with a racing-style, flat-bottom steering wheel, you might expect some more entertainment value from the paddle shifters.

End of the day, when a long list of features, stand-out styling and stand-out value in its segment are priorities, shoppers should consider the Optima a priority test-drive, along with other strikingly-styled, high-value models like the Ford Fusion, Chrysler 200 and Hyundai Sonata.

2015 Kia Optima SX. Click image to enlarge

Pricing: 2015 Kia Optima SX
Base price: $34,895
Options: Premium Paint ($200)
Freight: $1,485
A/C Fee: $100
As Tested: $36,680

Competitors
Chevrolet Malibu
Chrysler 200
Ford Fusion
Honda Accord
Nissan Altima
Toyota Camry
Volkswagen Passat