Kia Optima Goes On Sale From 1 February
The Kia Optima, the all-new flagship saloon that is the latest model to be launched in Kia's design-led product offensive, goes on sale at Essex Auto Group Showrooms from 1 February bringing fantastic design, high levels of standard specification and low running costs to the D-segment, from just £19,595 on-the-road.
Unveiled back in 2010 at the New York Auto Show, Optima has proven to be a global success since day one. It became Korea's top-selling car within a month of going on sale - the first Kia ever to reach that exalted position - and is in such demand in the United States that Kia has had to build in Georgia just to keep pace. Nearly 300,000 Optimas have been sold across the world to date and it is already accumulating international design awards.
The Optima's looks alone will ensure it enjoys UK sales success previously unheard-of for a large Kia saloon. Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, like the car's clean, stylish and uncomplicated cut to that of a fine Italian suit.
But the Optima has also been configured to appeal to the business community who make up the vast majority of D-segment customers in the UK. It will be sold only with a diesel engine - a new 134bhp version of Kia's smooth and efficient 1.7-litre CRDi 'U2' power unit - while all four specification options contain every essential for the business user.
The arrival of the Optima means that for the first time Kia has a seriously competitive car in all the key sectors for the UK's fleet and leasing industry - Picanto, Rio, cee'd and now Optima. Three of those cars are all-new models introduced within the last eight months.
The Optima offers features never previously attainable on a Kia, including a high-end Infinity audio system. It delivers 550W of high-fidelity sound through 12 speakers in eight different locations throughout the car, including a boot-mounted subwoofer. Self-parking, heated and cool-ventilated seats, cornering lights, panoramic sunroof, reverse parking camera and an automatic cabin defogging system are also available, as is a six-speed automatic transmission that is among the most advanced currently produced by any car manufacturer.
A seismic shift in design
Kia's shift from a purely rational to a design-driven brand in recent years has resulted in a succession of new cars that all deliver the 'must have' quality demanded by Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer. Sorento, Soul, Venga, Sportage, Picanto, Rio... each new model created under Schreyer's watch has changed the way that buyers perceive Kia.
So, the team behind the look of the Optima knew there had to be an equally seismic shift in the design of Kia's large saloons, which had hitherto focused on functionality and value. In short, the team had to raise the bar to an even higher level and create a car that people would never previously have expected from Kia.
The Optima was created by Kia's design teams in Frankfurt and California and immediately began to draw praise from media critics since its global debut in 2010. 'Gorgeous' and 'the best car to come out of Korea yet' were among the comments made, and these were to be repeated when the Optima made its European debut at the Paris Salon de l'Auto later that year. In 2011 the Optima was named 'Best of the Best' in Germany's Red Dot design competition, which attracted nearly 4,500 product entries from all aspects of life, not just the automotive sector.
The Optima is a clean-sheet design. It is longer, lower and wider than Kia's previous D-segment car, and has a longer wheelbase and a coupé-like profile, emphasised by its cab-back proportions, shallow glasshouse, short boot and the sweeping chrome arch that flows from the A-pillar to the C-pillar. High, pronounced shoulders flow seamlessly between the sculpted front and rear light clusters, giving the Optima a muscular appearance that is reflected lower down in bold, flared wheel arches.
Space and safety
The Optima is based on an all-new platform which ensures it has class-leading passenger and luggage space and safety features while being no larger than its competitors. The Optima is 45mm longer (4,845mm) and 25mm wider (1,830mm) than Kia's previous D-segment saloon, but of greater significance is the 75mm increase in wheelbase (2,795mm). Front passengers, in particular, benefit from significantly more legroom, and there has also been a small increase in headroom, despite a 25mm reduction in overall height (1,455mm).
The boot capacity has been enlarged to 505 litres (VDA), and there is a lower lip to make the business of loading the car less strenuous. The 60:40 split folding rear seats allow longer loads to be transported.
And the team which designed the Optima's interior did not focus solely on aesthetics: useful storage spaces, shaped to accommodate the things which real owners like to carry, abound. There is a cooled glovebox, a centre console box, cupholders front and rear, a sunglasses holder, space for bottles in the front and rear doors, pockets in the backs of the front seats and a centre fascia tray large enough for a mobile telephone, conveniently located adjacent to AUX and USB points.
The Optima is built around an incredibly stiff safety structure featuring almost 60% of high-tensile steel plates. This ensures outstanding front, side and rear impact protection without adding to the car's overall weight.
There are large disc brakes on all four wheels, ventilated at the front, with anti-lock (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist, giving the car class-leading emergency stopping power in all conditions, regardless of the force applied to the pedal by the driver. Models with automatic transmission feature a foot-operated parking brake.
Kia's democratic approach to safety is once more evident with the Optima. All versions have Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to counter any tendency of the car to skid out of control because of bad weather or over-exuberant driving. This is linked to Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), which senses when the wheels on one side of the car are on a lower-grip surface than those on the other side, VSM then stabilises the car by reducing the amount of steering assistance if the driver is applying too much steering effort or increasing it if the driver is applying too little.
To alert other motorists to emergency braking, an Emergency Stop Signalling system (ESS) is also fitted. This flashes the brake lights rapidly to warn following drivers. Every Optima is fitted with front, side and curtain airbags, plus active front-seat head restraints to minimise the risk of whiplash injuries.
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