GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: New Optima hybrid debuts in Europe

Kia’s new Optima hybrid made its European debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show ahead of a European on-sale date in the fourth quarter of this year – but don’t expect to be charging your Optima in Australia.

“It’s one of many business cases being considered,” said Kevin Hepworth, Kia Motors Australia General Manager Media and Corporate Communications.

“But like the Niro it’s hard to justify bringing something like the Optima Hybrid to the Australian market.”

What we miss out on is a car far advanced over the previous-generation Optima parallel hybrid we drove last year.

The new PHEV Optima has increased battery capacity and electric range. It is capable of travelling 54km in EV mode (at speeds of up to 120km/h) before the 115kW/189Nm 2.0-litre direct-injection petrol four-cylinder combustion engine is required.

A 9.8kWh lithium-polymer battery pack sits on the front axle and is paired with a 50kW electric motor. Combined with the petrol engine, the Optima Hybrid’s outputs are 151kW and 375Nm. The EU-combined emissions target is 37g/km and Kia says the new car will hit 100km/h from a standstill in 9.4sec, or 0.6sec faster than before.

A six-speed automatic transmission is employed, with the electric motor working as an effective replacement for a torque converter.

The battery pack is hidden in the rear tyre well, behind the rear seat. It allows for 307L boot capacity, though this is substantially smaller than the 510 litres on offer in Optima petrol models. A smaller 55-litre fuel tank (compared to 65 litres in the petrol-engine variant) is also employed.

The Optima gets electric power steering, as well as larger rear brakes to improve braking ability in-line with the increased powertrain weight.

An active air flap in grille cuts the Hybrid’s drag co-efficient to 0.25Cd compared to 0.27Cd for the standard Optima. Bespoke front and rear bumpers further aid air-flow, while the charging point is integrated into the driver-side front wing.

Optional hazard-avoidance technologies will include advanced smart (adaptive) cruise control, autonomous emergency braking (using both short and long-range radar), lane keep assist, high beam assist, speed limit information function, blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.

The Optima Hybrid also benefits from the stiffer body shell of the new petrol-engine variants and is said to offer improved ride comfort over its predecessor. Specific spring, damper and alignment settings have been tuned for the PHEV’s unique weight balance.

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