One of the main premieres on the Russian market is KIA Optima. For the test, a car was provided with a GT-line configuration with a 2.4 GDI engine with a capacity of 188 hp. and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Price RUB 1,589,900
The domestic palette of 2016 is not rich in car premieres, a huge number of new cars pass our mouths, they will not even be announced to our market in principle. And the more gratifying is the efforts of the very few firms that have remained with us, which are struggling to help our domestic driver get behind the wheel of decent equipment, thereby improving the quality of life of individual citizens. 
KIA Optima is a car that finally came to us, it was a little late in Kaliningrad, because it is produced there. All last year, this car was shown all over the world, the world quietly longed for it, but
this car came to us in a fairly good price range by today's standards
precisely due to the fact that it is produced in Kaliningrad - that is, it is our Russian car, we can be proud of the fact that we put our own internal Zhiguli on both blades. 
We do not have the twenty-fourth Volga - we have KIA Optima. The main advantage of which is that it is not only with us - it decorates our life. This car was made primarily in an aesthetic impulse, this is just the pinnacle of work, well, probably one of the peaks, this is such a two-headed Elbrus,
one of the heights of the work of the team of designer Peter Schreier,
when a body instructed by this person's talent is put on a very good, technically thought-out chassis.
The car, pouring into the stream, decorates the street. There are quite a few faceless cars driving there. There are cars that cannot be loved for their appearance, although they have excellent purely technical achievements, well, if you look, for example, at the Chevrolet Cobalt, a car ruined by its appearance, the car is so repulsively not beautiful, it cannot even be called faceless.
You look at her - you want to cry, gently hugging her to your chest.
At the same time, the car is cool, awesome, it has an amazing engine that cannot be killed.
But the car does not have a particularly serious desire and prospects, even when it comes to us under the guise of Ravon, precisely because of its appearance, well, they miscalculated, they did not rely on those. In the end, they counted on the Brazilians, and there as - the Papuans in the Pampas, they have slightly different aesthetic worldviews.
In this respect, the Koreans took a different path - they trusted, probably for the first time, they seriously entrusted the fate of their corporation to a foreigner. The foreigner turned out to be extremely honest. When such attempts were made, for example, by the guys from SsangYong and bowed to the British, they received parodies of cars, such as SsangYong Musso, or Kyron, for example. This is a job for which you have to tear your hands off. Moreover, it is even possible, before these hands are torn off, to tear the diploma, so that you can put it somewhere in some natural hole.
There the Koreans believed - they were deceived, here the Koreans believed - they were not deceived. AND
Peter Schreier made KIA Hyundai the number one player in the major league, primarily because he staked on beauty.
The Koreans believed that this was the right path, not that they did not lose - today they are just going to that very coveted first place. And the KIA Optima is an extremely serious player here, and therefore the Koreans did not seriously take it away from the aesthetics that was declared by the first model, the first generation of this car. And, from my point of view, this is the same car, it's just a restyling. Nothing that gives it a brand new car. 
From the point of view of Koreans, this is a fundamentally new car, because they have delved into the power structure of the body. They increased the share of high-strength steels by 51%, which we will not know about until we try KamAZ or a counter telegraph pole on the tooth. May God never know about it.
But the number of internal changes in this car is such that now it is rightfully considered absolutely new in terms of internal merology.
What I am talking about, despite the fact that we are still working on the radio, you can watch. San Sanych Pikulenko and I have a special
site site, and here right on the first page is just a test drive of the KIA Optima, and photos and videos.
Well, this is such an archive site, in which a collection of our exploits with San Sanych, leading to glory. And here are just all these pictures, which enable you to look there with one eye, cling to the radio with one ear and get some stereoscopic perception of this model. KIA Optima the current 2016 model year for you and me - you need to try it twice. 
The first time you approach her - what a beauty. This sharpness of the lines is the skill, but when there seems to be nothing new, everything is the same. But, firstly, this is a different machine, and secondly, each stroke is created so appropriately, so skillfully that the whole image can be broken down into separate parts and you can admire the headlight, door handle, mirror, wing bend, you can perceive it as a whole.
The car enters the stream - the street becomes more beautiful.
For example, miserable Cobalt drives nearby, absolutely indifferent Zhiguli, created by hand and not even a master, but an exile, a man who was driven out in disgrace with Volvo and then sheltered by our country, I mean Steve Mattin, drive. And then this beauty appears - KIA Optima. For those who are an esthete, this is an unconditional victory, because such a car should be taken only out of respect for beauty. You make the world more beautiful, the world becomes more beautiful around you, and you ride in that shell that adorns the street.
Three engines. From the previous generation, in Latin, this sounds especially good, for those who have not forgotten the school Latin course or university - the Nu engine generation (NU). This is a two-liter, 150 horsepower, very good engine.
But there are two more interesting ones that KIA itself is betting on,
this is the so-called GDI, aka GDI, for those who "yes of course" taught runglish at school.
GDI, that is, direct injection, is a very interesting engine. After all, the Japanese, who were the first to start with him - Mitsubishi, they are now just online right before our eyes dying. I feel very sorry for Mitsubishi, she was an innovator, she did a lot of things first on the planet Earth, including this motor put into mass production, and there were a lot of comments. 
Koreans, who are brilliant students, people who can generalize someone else's experience and, pushing away from it, go further, which, by the way, many peoples cannot - generalize-generalize, study-study, are still poor students, these are just excellent students. Taking the GDI direct injection system, they led it to the fact that today
received a 2.4 engine with a capacity of 188 horsepower, which works not just well, but on top of everything else on our Orthodox 92 gasoline.
Which is extremely cool, since the combination with fuel consumption of somewhere in the order of nine liters is also an excellent indicator.
After all, the first GDIs - they were very demanding on fuel, it was necessary, firstly, sterile, and secondly, preferably not even 98, but somewhere like 116 fuel, well, if not, then at least 130, well 200, if you can, oh, no - okay, what's left in the trash, fill it in - oh, excuse me, I seem to have died. This does not happen here. 
And on this KIA Optima, taken for a test drive, I drove through different points of our country, including those where they did not even hear about good gasoline, despite the fact that “listen, I’ll fill it up, such fuel is good , I even have a balloon flying on it ",
the car also digests these slops, and it was not for nothing that it was adapted in Kaliningrad to our reality.
Raising it and on the ground clearance and adapting, including to our unbearable gasoline.
Koreans in general, and they and some Japanese firms, have adopted a similar adaptation when they work very seriously on the quality of Russian reality. The KIA Optima - apart from its beauty and stunning engine - has a very good alliance with the six-speed automatic transmission. Well, for those modest aesthetes who are going to start on this car in its original configuration for exactly a million rubles, well, with small shameful pennies, they get a mechanic. The mechanics are good, precise, but the six-speed automatic is well done, and as always - what is the main task facing the engine specialists on planet Earth today? Ecology?
No, ecology is a paper game to deceive America, to deceive Japan. Now, just based on the results of the diesel gate, we see how the blast wave is covering, the tsunami is, in fact, covering Japan. Mitsubishi has already burned down there, now Suzuki has been seized - this is all just a reflection on the American scenario. But in reality, the most important thing for everyone is fuel economy.
Here is the fuel consumption when a six-speed automatic is working, striving to constantly go into upper gears in combination with a 2.4 direct injection engine - they work so interestingly, so harmoniously that, in principle, there is no situation of insufficiency. Came, got such a normal linearly predicted acceleration, with which, in fact, you are used to perceive these high-quality and well-thought-out products. You know that it should be like this, that is, you don’t think: if it works, it won’t work, if it has time, it will not be in time, if it can, it will not be able to. Yes, of course, but what questions? You, listen, master, you step on, I'll go.
And electric power steering. But here I am, since after all, not digital, but analog - it is easier for me when it is not electricity, but normal oil pulsating there, and I understand the reactive force, here is the return force - when I know the zero position, the angles of rotation, here there is a special electronic prompt.
You start the engine - an icon flashes on the panel, showing how far and where exactly the wheels are turned.
Because, well, you never know, suddenly you are a blonde, you forgot the road that you parked in a tree stump, ran over a cat and stepped on the cleaning lady's mop, so your wheels are unnaturally unscrewed, you will now step on the pedal and finish burning the janitor. What for? Here's a reminder that, look, your wheels are turned. This is normal when the steering is electrified. 
The other side of the coin is
constant effort, when even the blonde behind the wheel of this car perfectly controls one left,
right-clicking on all the buttons of the iPhone, going into the low-earth orbit of the Internet connection, and she does not have to strain and somehow try to steer something with one hand. With your finger, with your little finger, you touch the steering wheel, with your little finger it is completely normal, it obeys your command and goes where you need it. At the same time, good brakes. This is a normal practice, when on almost any rubber you step on the pedal, and the car adequately, without pulling to the side, stops as it was intended. 
Well, 4.8 meters long, 510 liters of trunk. The salon was designed in such a way that, despite my short stature, I am generally very small by nature, I have a meter eighty two, now it is already below average, because the middle one is already somewhere in the near-earth orbit, I fit myself in the back behind me, I have a margin on my knees, I do not rest against the ceiling with my lush hair, even if it is understated by the width of the hatch. The hatch - yes, interesting, especially the glass roof, and in the GT-Line configuration, it is an imitation of the GT, when you have a sporty appearance, but the essence is not so combat.
Because right next to the configuration itself, here is the top-end GT configuration, there it is
GDI engine, that is, with direct injection, two-liter, turbocharged - well, this, of course, is a beast.
This is a beast that is constantly rushing, which rushes somewhere, which drags you along and says: come on, come on, come on, come on, keep up with me, I'm in a hurry here with all my might. 
And GT-Line - the same beauty, red stitching on the leather, you have the GT-Line logo on the steering wheel, seats with the desired perforation. Does this flawless ointment contain any amount of tar? But how. A car with a range of five thousand, and by the worn-out buttons it is already clear which functions were most in demand by the previous generations of journalists, what they poked and what they did not poke. I have not seen such a disgrace on any car, there was no such thing.
Even on Zhiguli, the buttons are not overwritten to five thousand kilometers.
You grab the steering wheel and run your fingers, gentle journalistic fingers, at the coarsest seam with burrs of red stitching along the inner radius of the steering wheel. That is
before we used to wear out our boots, but now we have to wear out the handlebars.
So they will somehow more or less take over, get used to it, and it will become easier and easier.
Drome has more than once talked about the very successful current generation of Toyota Camry, which is super popular in our country. This time we decided to check whether the recently updated Mazda 6, as well as the Kia Optima, which was restyled last year, will be able to compete with this "sedan of all Russia". All cars with 2.4–2.5 liter engines, all are Russian-made, all are in maximum trim levels and at a price of about two million rubles.
In the D + sedan segment, the leader has not changed for over a decade. The top of the rating was confidently occupied by Toyota Camry. Over the past year alone, dealers have managed to sell more than 30,000 sedans. For comparison, the circulation of the last three Mazda6 is several times less - 6626 copies. However, this can be considered a success compared to the sales of Kia Optima - only 3096 cars of both generations. Theater of one actor! But can it be argued that the most sought-after member of the troupe plays better than the rest?
Earlier, the grass was greener and the water was wetter ... and the Volkswagen Passat was somehow closer to the people. Nowadays you look at the body spread out on the asphalt and wonder: is the carriage of the people? The other participants in the test are also unrecognizable: the Skoda Superb liftback for a couple of generations from a licensed copy of the same Passat has grown into an independent flagship of the Czech company. And Kia Optima for 15 years from a nondescript, but inexpensive sedan has turned into a formidable business class player. Each has a turbo, two pedals, and a similar price tag. Everyone has something to remember ...
The previous generation Kia Optima, which debuted on the market in 2011, made a significant contribution to the revolution that swept the midsize family sedan class. Even though it never made it to the top-selling list, it has proven that the family sedan has the ability to create attraction. It drove well, looked cool, and overall its owner had a lot to be proud of. The latter Optima and its associate Hyundai Sonata can be thanked for the fact that they forced Ford, Honda, Toyota and other automakers to significantly reconsider the approach to representatives of their brands in the midsize sedan class. The previous Kia Optima took a chance and made the right decision. The novelty of 2016 is significantly inferior to its predecessor in courage.
Segments D + and ... E- are closer today than ever. And cars protruding "between two fires" have long been considered competitors. Today we are comparing two Japanese, whose confrontation has been going on for more than a dozen years. And a Korean made his way to the company. Well, we are not against the Pacific confrontation!
The start on the Leningradskoe highway and the passage through the city in conditions of heavy traffic left no reason for comment. But the exit to the toll highway M11 immediately generated a stream of vivid emotions. Acceleration in a matter of seconds to hundreds is accompanied by the bass rumbling of a two-liter turbocharged engine, diluted by the rustling of 18 ‑ inch tires. In motion, the 6-speed automatic smoothly juggles gears, it is easy to meter traction with the gas pedal, and the suspension clearly smoothes the joints of the roadway. Guided by the advice of fellow crew members, I try the Smart mode: the innovation allows changing the gearshift algorithm without additional actions on the part of the driver, adapting the car to the current driving style - economical, comfortable or sporty.
We are dealing with the Premium version - one of seven configuration options for the updated business-class sedan Kia Optima, sales of which started in Russia in August. In the course of the current upgrade, the fourth generation Optima has been given only laconic touches, allowing the model to remain itself, but become even more modern. Externally, the radiator grille (now offered in two versions) and bumpers have changed (the rear one can be ordered in combination with a diffuser and overhead muffler pipes). In addition, all xenon lamps in the headlights were replaced with LED ones. Fog lights have also received a different design. Narrow horizontal sections of three LEDs, popularly referred to as "three diamonds", distinguish the car on the road and serve as one of the characteristic features that make it possible to unmistakably distinguish the Optima of the 2018 model year.
The profile of a business sedan is also not devoid of design thought. Just look at the fresh design of light alloy wheels and longitudinal decorative "gills" on the front fenders, reminiscent of the sporty character of the car. In general, it looks neat and without a challenge to conservative consumers. “Design is one of the main factors of our success,” say Kia Motors Rus marketers.
To match the appearance and ergonomics of the cabin. However, the designers did not introduce fundamental innovations to the layout, limiting themselves to the touches that made the interior more modern. Major changes in the literal sense of the word before the eyes of the driver. The instruments in the new chrome frame are easy to read, the panels and controls are pleasant to the touch. The multifunction steering wheel has been redesigned for the audio and cruise control buttons. And this change is clearly for the better.
The designers did not introduce fundamental innovations in the layout, limiting themselves to the touches that made the interior more modern.
After sunset, another interior update becomes noticeable - the contour lighting of the interior, flowing along the dashboard and the armrests of the front doors. In the menu of the on-board computer, you can choose one of six colors. The shade of the backlight can be changed to match the driving mode selected with Drive Mode. For example, Smart mode is preset to a soft blue backlight color. Wide ranges of driver's seat settings and spaciousness on the back sofa make the model universal: the owner himself can comfortably sit behind the wheel, the Optima is also suitable for driving with a hired driver.
The engine start / stop button received a chrome bezel. The electric parking brake is supplemented with an Autohold function.
The business class segment dictates the equipment that should be in the car. The updated Optima sedan has something to brag about in this regard. The vehicle is equipped with an infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen LCD display (7-inch optional) and access to information networks. In addition to information about the traffic situation and cameras for fixing traffic violations, he can search for attractions, receive information about the weather and other useful information on the road. In the updated Optima, it became possible to force the rear view camera to be activated even while driving forward. This gives the driver an additional rear-view angle, and the virtual lane markings allow you to check whether the next car behind is too close. The AVM all-round viewing system operates in a higher resolution - up to 1 megapixel. AVM greatly simplifies parking maneuvers at low speeds, forming on the display several combinations of images of areas of interest to the driver, including a virtual "top view". Another new technology that Optima now features is the wireless charging system for smartphones. The platform is located at the bottom of the center console. It can work with all devices that support the WPC (Qi) protocol.
Instruments in a new chrome frame are easy to read. Wireless charging for smartphones is becoming more and more important.
Many competitors make their sales volumes on one, usually basic, configuration. The Korean automaker is offering the updated business sedan in five levels and seven equipment options, which can be complemented by ordering, for example, "warm options" or making the power more sporty with the GT Line package.
The top trim levels have a panoramic roof and an electric sunroof.
There are three gasoline engines in the motor range. The basic 2-liter Nu 2.0 CVVL (155 HP) can be purchased with a 6-speed "manual" or automatic. Prices start at RUB 2,219,900. Moreover, even in the most affordable configuration, the car will have 16-inch wheels with light-alloy wheels, heated front seats, system of directional stability and tire pressure monitoring, a lift start assistant US.
For the most popular in Russia engine Theta 2.4 l GDI (188 hp) and the already mentioned two-liter turbocharged Theta T-GDI (245 hp), only an automatic machine is available. Optima is well prepared for Russian conditions. This car offers comfort in city traffic jams and quite confidently rushes on regional roads of average quality. We note the successful settings of the suspension and steering, the severity of which changes depending on the selected transmission mode. By the way, the GT Line version of the updated Kia Optima is equipped with a power steering system with an electric motor on the rail (R-MDPS). This solution provides the most accurate responses to the driver's actions and the most "transparent" feedback. All this is needed to improve the handling of the sports version.
An intelligent tailgate opening system with proximity sensor is available starting with the Luxe trim level.
Optima is also supported by another significant competitive advantage - a five-year warranty. Like all models of the Russian Kia line, the updated sedan is produced at the Avtotor plant in Kaliningrad.
Specifications Kia Optima |
|
| Dimensions (edit) | 4855x1860x1485 mm |
| Base | 2805 mm |
| Curb weight | 1655 kg |
| Full mass | 2120 kg |
| Clearance | 155 mm |
| Trunk volume | 510 l |
| Fuel tank volume | 70 l |
| Engine | petrol, 4-cylinder, in-line, 1998 3, 245/6000 hp / min -1, |
Today we are testing the IV generation Kia Optima business sedan in one of the most luxurious versions - GT-Line. It looks like a full-fledged GT, but under the hood it still has an 188-horsepower engine, not a 245-horsepower engine.
Alexander Gorlin "avesti"
In general, Kia Optima (aka Kia Magentis in the past) has become a business-class car player since the year 2000. And all these years the car has been actively growing (first of all, in a figurative sense, like a car), building up its reputation and credibility, and by now it is playing quite on an equal footing with the leading German and Japanese competitors, and sometimes even outperforming them.
The car in the GT-Line version, which we got for the test, has a slightly different front end and a sports package, which includes a large pseudo-diffuser, two exhaust pipes instead of one and LED lights with black edging. The package also includes a different front bumper with large air duct gills, 18-inch wheels of the original type and red brake calipers only on the front wheels. On a real GT, with a 245bhp engine, the calipers are red on all four wheels.
It is noteworthy that it is on the rich versions - GT and GT-Line - that there are no foglights. While on simple versions they are present.
Inside we have a very nice and expensive looking interior. Perforated leather on the steering wheel (and similar on the front seats - for ventilation), soft and pleasant to the touch plastic of the front panel (and not only it), premium Harman Kardon audio system, spacious and overhead), comfortable seats with medium lateral support, and, finally, ... silence. But I will not get ahead of myself, noise insulation will be discussed below.
I was also pleased with the GT-Line equipment itself. The manufacturer obviously did not save money - and although the brand's proprietary and far from everyone's ability to satisfy the blood-red backlight has not gone anywhere, the sedan pleases with a wealth of equipment - there is a heated steering wheel, a rear-view camera, an all-round view system, and a panoramic roof with a sunroof , and heated rear seats, and ventilation in the front, and an automatic parking system, and much, much more. Rear passengers are offered their own air ducts, a 12V socket, and a USB input for recharging devices, and even curtains on the windows. Ahead, the center console is pivoted towards the driver, and the steering wheel is sportily cut from below (GT and GT-Line only). They did not even begin to be stingy on the automatic mode of the power windows - it is available for the windows of all four doors. And the eight-inch multimedia touchscreen gives you access to a lot, including navigation with support for traffic jams and speed cameras.
In the top versions of the car - GT, GT Line and Prestige - there is a platform for induction charging of smartphones in the lower part of the center console. In the basic version of the Classic, there is no such thing - there, and in general, the entire central tunnel in the front row is arranged differently and there is no curtain over the compartment with cup holders.
Some technical characteristics of the Kia Optima 2.4 GT-Line. Length - 4,855 mm, width - 1,860 mm, height - 1,485 mm. The wheelbase is 2 805 mm. The ground clearance is 155 mm. The turning circle is 10.9 meters.
The trunk is 510 liters. Roomy and with quite a good loading opening. But you need to put things in it carefully - firstly, even if you fold the backs of the rear seats, the opening into the salon will open quite narrow, and secondly, and secondly, there is nothing sticking out in the lower part of the rear shelf a covered speaker with wires - this does not look very solid for a business sedan, and can be damaged when loading something oversized into the trunk.
The curb weight is 1,575 kg. Carrying capacity - 475 kg.
The maximum power is 188 hp. the engine of the car develops at 6,000 rpm. The engine delivers its maximum torque of 241 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
The maximum speed is 210 km / h. The claimed acceleration time to hundreds is 9.1 seconds. The tank is 70 liters. The motor loves 95th gasoline. Fuel consumption according to the passport is 12 liters in the city, 8.3 liters in the combined cycle and 6.2 liters on the highway. In practice, during the test, the consumption turned out as follows: in the city through traffic jams and with sharp starts-braking about 13 liters, in the city without traffic jams and in a quiet mode - 10-11, on the highway - about 8.
The car drives very well. Although the engine torque is still a little lacking for super-sharp, driver-driven accelerations, and the front-wheel drive immediately makes itself felt, nevertheless, it cannot be said that the impetuous, semi-sporty appearance is not at all justified from a technical point of view. Quite the opposite. In general, the handling is quite on the level - not that super-sharp, but not a bit relaxed either. The car is very cool and confident in cornering, even though, especially for Russia, the base European ground clearance was increased from an unfortunate 135 to a more or less acceptable 155 mm. This is largely due to the small changes made to the design, in particular, in the form of the introduction of double levers of the rear suspension instead of single - to improve stability. And given the tangible softness of the suspension (almost any, of any size and type, flaws in the road surface, overcomes playfully, almost without disturbing those sitting inside), you begin to appreciate the "taxiing" of the car even more - the sedan is comfortable and at the same time is quite capable of maintaining a sporty driving style.
Noise isolation - back to the topic raised above - at a high level. I would rate it with a solid four. At least, it is noticeably better than you expect from this car, and just as noticeably better than on the “Optima” of the previous generation - there, I remember, it was one of the main complaints about the car. Not anymore. Although the "five" is still far away - at speeds above 70, the noise outside still begins to interfere with the communication between the driver and the passenger sitting next to them, especially on too rough asphalt (which, alas, there is too much in Moscow, not to mention the asphalt spaces for its limits).
The business sedan of the current (IV) generation is offered for purchase in the Russian car market with a 2-liter petrol engine with 150 hp, with a 2.4-liter petrol engine with 188 hp. and in the GT version with a 2-liter petrol turbo engine with 245 hp. Front-wheel drive only. The gearbox is a 6-speed manual (only with a 150-horsepower engine) or a 6-speed automatic (for all versions). The range of prices is from 1,160,000 to 1,810,000 rubles. The price of the tested copy of the car is 1,640,000 rubles.
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