Kia Optima Si 2012 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $30,490
Options fitted (not included in above price): Metallic paint $400
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 7.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 189
Also consider: Ford Mondeo, Mazda Mazda6, Skoda Octavia

The Optima is arguably the first of Kia's local releases which dispenses with the need for the 'K qualifier'...That epithet that has sat at the end of so many write-ups of cars built by this brand and others from its home nation.

Indeed, Kia's latest midsized sedan is a solid performer -- a solid performing midsized sedan that could have easily been built and designed in Europe as Korea. There's no 'for a Korean car' qualifier required.

It's not the great breakthrough car that a few of the over-zealous members of the auto media pack first proclaimed it to be, however, there's not a hell of a lot to fault. It's good to look at, comfortable and quiet inside and the direct-injected four-cylinder engine, while not as frugal in the real world as its 7.9L/100km ADR fuel figure would suggest, is willing, ready and able.

Though the cheapest Optima at $30,490 (MRLP), the Si tested here does not present as a base model. Inside it gets attractive mixed cloth-leatherette seat trim and the cabin plastics are well above average in terms of their feel and appearance.

The dash itself is smartly designed and well executed. There's just a hint of Saab to the driver focused layout (and positioning of air vents etc) which presents a larger single dash module rather than the binnacle and centre stack setup most car companies are increasingly favouring.

There's chrome-look brightwork detailing on the instrument tubes themselves that is not so bling as to be fussy. It's a good effort.

The climate control two-zone air has plenty of punch and Bluetooth phone connectivity is standard. So too a leather wrapped multi-function steering wheel that's adjustable for rake and reach.

Front seats are well shaped and the driver gets electric lumbar adjustment as standard. There's not a lot been left on the spec list which is a good thing. Options on the Si grade are limited to metallic paint only ($400).

Cabin space is good -- this is a large midsized car. Though the rising belt line might make the rear seats a little claustrophobic for shorties (and rear three-quarter vision is not all that flash), there's plenty of room for three across the back seat. The only hiccup five-up is the heavy sculpturing of the two outer seating positions. It looks great, but it makes the centre position less comfortable than it could be for adult passengers.

Help when parking (see above) is delivered via rear sensors and a mirror-mounted rear camera display. And, yes, both features are standard.

Boot space too is impressive at 505 litres -- by way of comparison Commodore is 496 litres. There are neat remote releases for the 60:40 split fold rear row but on the tester the spring loading of the seats was insufficient to release them -- that still required a gentle tug from within the passenger cabin. The resulting port between boot and cabin is pretty tight -- especially in terms of height.

Behind the wheel Optima rewards with steering that has reasonably sharp turn-in but the bad news is it's far from fulsome in feel. There's a level of kickback over uneven surfaces that suggests Kia still has work to do to match the best in class in terms of front-end refinement.

The car corners flat and body roll is very well controlled -- it's one of the sportier drives in the class. But this comes at the expense of ride comfort. Around town the Optima skips on small bumps and reacts sharply to bigger divots -- even on the Si's 55-profile 17-inch rubber.

The ride is not so hard as to be crashy, but the suspension performance is in direct contrast to the general refinement of the rest of the package. This is the area where the Optima has room to improve. Indeed, the over-emphasis of body control and smooth road handling over ride is one of the few real criticisms we can make of the car.

The Kia Hyundai conglomerate's latest direct-injected 2.4-litre petrol engine is a good overall performer. Rated at 148kW and 230Nm, it delivers usable levels of torque at urban speeds and only really is found lacking when you're fully loaded and on the open road. It's here that the extra torque of the US-market low-blow turbo version of the engine would be a benefit -- and likely without any real world increases in fuel usage.

During our week with the Optima Si average fuel consumption was on the wrong side of 12.0L/100km. At least the 70-litre fuel tank gives you plenty of 91 RON ULP with which to work.

The GDI engine is matched to an excellent six-speed auto transmission. Available in the Optima since its early 2011 launch, it's a smooth intuitive auto that makes the best of the engine's performance. Paddles are standard for those who wish to do their own gear changing but no manual Optima is available. When some cars in the class were still using considerably less sophisticated gearboxes, this is a good demonstration of the value for money Kia is seeking to deliver.

Stock constraints plagued Optima in 2011, but it's now arriving Down Under in better quantities. Indeed, a quick look at our brand new cars in stock pages reveals Si's ready to driveaway from Kia dealers for around $1000 under the above-mentioned retail price. Our criticisms notwithstanding, that's a lot of car for the money.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site