Kia Optima GT 2016 Review

Kia Optima GT
Road Test

It's fair to say expectations about Kia have been building thanks to a string of improving vehicles from the Korean manufacturer. The pared back Optima mid-sized sedan range is the latest new model on-sale, offering a 2.4-litre Si and the GT 2.0-litre turbo-petrol we are testing here. Priced at $43,990 (plus on-road costs) but well equipped, does the GT also have the driving ability to continue building Kia's rep and become a serious contender in a segment with some strong rivals?

Like so many other vehicles in the modern motoring landscape, the Kia Optima GT suffers from the marketing department's determination to take a reasonably good passenger car and turn it into something it most definitely is not.

Put simply, the Kia Optima is not a Grand Tourer.

If it was badged SLi or Platinum – to borrow from the previous Optima naming structure – then maybe the expectations wouldn't be so pronounced.

This $43,990 version of the fourth-generation Optima (or Magentis as the second-gen was known here) is several good things. It's spacious, comfortable, quite good looking, well equipped and well backed-up. It's also blessed with a strong turbo-petrol engine that lifts beyond the pedestrian performance ruck that can be found in this mid-size market segment – including the entry-level 2.4-litre Optima Si.

But lumping this car into the GT category is a step too far. In Kia's defence, it's hardly alone in this branding error, but the Optima does not want to be driven with verve. Despite the efforts of Kia's local suspension and chassis dynamics tuning team, it feels big, heavy and inert. It doesn't effortlessly and comfortably gobble ground while delivering the special driving experience real GTs are capable of.

It has high quality Michelin tyres, tauter suspension and three-mode electric-assist steering with the motor mounted on the rack as is recommended for better feel and response, but the extra capability feels grafted on rather than part of the car's core DNA.

So you give that 180kW/350Nm twin-scroll turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine a bit of welly, enjoy its crisp midrange and start motoring along. Only to discover the GT's mediocre grip levels at both ends when the corners arrive, steering kick back when bumps are thrown into the mix and suggestions of torque steer when liberal throttle and tight turns combine.

Despite the claims from Kia about the substantial strengthening the bodyshell of the new Optima has gone through, that uninspiring behaviour is unfortunately familiar. The new car is smoothed down, but the parentage is still detectable.

Dial back the attitude and the Optima not-really-a-GT makes a lot more sense.

The dynamic balance of ride, handling and steering really suits cruising rather than bruising and it's backed up by a competent noise, vibration and harshness package that eases the frustrations modern commuting can so often inspire.

And with that engine ready to unleash you've got a little extra for the traffic light Grand Prix or that passing moment – the sort of oomph logical rivals with less powerful and torquey engines such as the Mazda6, Ford Mondeo and Toyota Camry cannot offer.

No, for this sort of surge you'd have to look to the Sonata of Kia's parent Hyundai, which runs the same drivetrain, or maybe the big naturally-aspirated flat six in the Subaru Liberty, or the 2.0-litre petrol-turbo in the Skoda Octavia RS.

For all its goodness, the Kia's Theta II Turbo-GDi engine does have a couple of issues. Low down throttle response is a little woolly despite short ratios in the first four gears of the amenable and competent six-speed auto (which can also be changed manually by paddles).

Those shorter ratios also help explain real world fuel economy that will struggle to get near the claimed 8.5L/100km official result. A 1650kg kerb weight doesn't help either.

That kerb weight provides a hint of just how big the Optima GT is. It's now 4855mm long, 1860mm wide and has a wheelbase on 2805mm. Okay, it's still not up there with a Holden Commodore, but the Kia's front-wheel drive architecture ensures there is lots of sprawling room inside both front and rear.

That spaciousness even extends to the commodious if basic 510-litre boot, in which you will find no nets or pockets but will find a full-size spare Michelin tyre and alloy wheel. You can expand the boot for big loads via the split-fold rear seat function. You can also open it hands-free.

By the way, this is a sedan not a hatchback, even though the evolutionary exterior might lead you to suspect otherwise.

Quite rightly, Kia says the interior is the new Optima's biggest step forward in terms of design.

The old car's instrument panel, controls and dashboard looked aged when they were launched back in 2011, so making that more modern is not the toughest gig a car designer has ever faced. It's all still conservative, with a big slab of a dark dashboard given some relief by an 8.0-inch touch screen. But the button count has been dialled back a bit from the old car, so now instead of a swarm there is just a profusion.

The driver gets a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel with a flat bottom and large GT logo, a left footrest, alloy pedals and legible and logical instrumentation. Seating is comfortable and – in the test car – enlivened by red stitching for the black leather seats, with the red replicated in the door cards.

Storage options around the cabin are generous, with four cup and bottle-holders, door pockets and seatback pockets offering plenty of places for your phone and wallet.

The GT is the first Kia with wireless mobilephone charging, but suitably enough for a Korean car, only works with Korean LG and Samsung phones for now [Ed: unless you buy a clunky adaptor for your Apple iPhone].

The GT also includes big-ticket safety items such as adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning and autonomous emergency braking. There are also six airbags, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors and bi-xenon headlights.

The driver's seat has eight-way power adjustment, four-way lumbar support and memory while both front seats get heating and ventilation. There's a panoramic sunroof, steering wheel heating, sat-nav, dual-zone climate control and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with aux connection, USB and Bluetooth streaming.

All that gear helps justify the price tag, which is a little higher than most logical rivals.

Then you chuck in Kia's seven-year warranty, capped-priced servicing and roadside assist and this new Optima looks like a decent package.

Not a GT mind you, but a pretty worthy all-rounder.

2016 Kia Optima GT pricing and specifications:
Price: $43,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 180kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.5/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 199g/km (ADR combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star EuroNCAP

Also consider:
Hyundai Sonata Premium (from $41,990)
Skoda Octavia RS (from $37,590)
Subaru Liberty 3.6R (from $41,990)