2015 Kia Optima
2015 Kia Optima SX and LX…revisiting one of Consumer and Car Exam’s most popular reviews
Plusses: The 2015 Kia Optima SX Limited is a nice, well-balanced car. The Optima’s ride is near-perfect, the interior is comfortable (and roomy), interior materials feel upscale, and the dash design is superb. Cloth materials in the base Optima LX are acceptable, as well. The 2.0 liter, Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), 274 horsepower, turbocharged four cylinder engine is powerful, slick, and very smooth–no turbo lag was detected at all–this is the smoothest turbocharged engine Consumer and Car Exam Has ever tested. Braking feels good as well. The brakes also stop promptly in the Optima LX.
The non-turbo engine in our recent extended test base model Optima accelerated very well, too; it puts out a strong 192 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is not lacking in either model tested. The trunk is large—cavernous, and it can hold a lot of items. The base suspension on the Optima LX is softer, so it doesn’t handle with the same vigor as the sport-tuned suspension on the SX Limited. Nevertheless, the base LX suspension does a great job of soaking up bumps in the road—it definitely serves its purpose for typical driving here.
2015 Kia Optima
This fully-loaded test model had navigation, rear camera, blind spot detection and much more; the safety features on the Optima are impressive. 34 mpg on the highway also impresses, and the six-speed automatic transmission will not disappoint most drivers; however, there is another caveat about rearward visibility in the upcoming minuses section…The stereo in the Kia Optima LX also has a good sound, with very strong bass tones to spice up the sound if you want to.
2015 Kia Optima
Minuses: The c-pillar design on the roof creates a blind spot, but the blind spot detection system can help compensate for that. Now, the other rearward visibility caveat: the high rear deck lid (and steeply-sloping rear window) makes rear visibility difficult; on the extended test base model Optima LX recently driven, two of the three rear headrests had to be removed to improve the rearward view. The high deck lid could be a problem for short drivers. Any kind of moderately-spirited driving means poor gas mileage (at least in the base LX, fuel economy tanks badly), so one needs to be careful when driving the Optima.
2015 Kia Optima
Final Grade: This is one of the best all-around, mid-sized sedans on the market today–and most worthy of Consumer and Car Exam’s final grade of “A/A+”…Well done, Kia–well done, and the all-new 2016 Kia Optima will hopefully be a winner, too.
2015 Kia Optima
The Car Exam 