2015 Kia Optima: Real World Review

What Is It? 2015 Kia Optima: front-wheel-drive, four door, midsize sedan

Price as tested: $36,325, for an Optima SX LTD

Competitors: Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Chrysler 200

Alternatives: Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Jeep Cherokee, Mazda CX-5, Honda HR-V

Pros: Looks the part

Cons: Doesn’t yet drive the part

Would I Buy It With My Own Money? Kia is catching up rapidly to its European, Japanese and American competition, and in the styling department, it has perhaps already exceeded many of its rivals. But for the price, there are more engaging machines within the segment.

Over the past few years, Kia, under the Hyundai umbrella, has been quietly shedding itself of that cheap, nasty stereotype it once garnered and instead began producing vehicles of real quality. It’s no longer a poor-person’s alternative to the mainstream product; in some cases, it’s actually the car of choice.

But what of the Kia Optima, a machine attempting to stand out within the fierce midsize sedan segment — a category that not long ago was the hottest in the industry, replaced only recently by our renewed love for the SUV?

In my eyes, it remains one of the best looking machines of the bunch (bested only, perhaps, by the Mazda 6). It has a sporty-looking quality seldom found in a segment full of dishwashers and refrigerators. The Optima appeals to the enthusiasts’ taste while retaining the practicality and accessibility required to make the car a sales winner.

However. Stepping inside the cabin you become aware of a few rough edges. From a distance, the interior appears upscale, but up close the plastic around the dash and door trimmings feels tough and cheap, a clear step below that of the Chrysler 200 and Mazda 6. Fortunately it’s saved somewhat by a beautiful flat-bottomed steering wheel (not shown above), and the optional glass roof on my test car filled the cabin with light.

It’s much of the same on the road: Good helps mitigate the bad, and the positives arrive in the form of lovely weighted steering, reasonable power from the 274 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, decent poise in the bends and a solid ride over bumps. The negatives are a lack of front grip under hard acceleration — including a large dollop of torque steer — and the way the rear squats aggressively, delivering a feeling of the front wheels skating across the road’s surface. Also, the 8-speed automatic gearbox is sluggish and that engine delivers enough turbo lag to make Homer Simpson appear spritely.

It didn’t perform strongly in fuel efficiency either; my week with the car, primarily (but not exclusively) on city streets, resulted in a 17 mpg average on the low end topping out at around 19 mpg when babying it. (Kia claims 21 city, 30 highway should be possible.)

Compared to the competition, the interior lacks the quality found in the new 200 and it lacks the precision and poise of the Mazda 6 when out on the roads. And compared to both those machines, the $36,325 Optima I tested was just as expensive as its comparably trimmed rivals; the 192 horsepower LX model begins at just $21,840, which is also equivalent to its competition.

So does the good outweigh the bad?

In many cases it does: It arrives with a solid 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty, and its looks deliver the primary objective buyers crave when searching for a new car. One should feel positive about where Kia is headed as a brand. Sure, it’s not there yet — the overall quality and especially the handling isn’t on par with the industry’s best — but it’s not far off. Over the next few years, signs point to the Korean automaker’s climb up the rankings continuing, and while for me the 2015 Optima is worthy of a test drive if not your money, in the near future, that might all change.