Kia Optima Turbo 2015 Review

Variety is the spice of life, but if you’re a fan of the sleek and well-specified third-generation Kia Optima currently on sale in Australia, the lack of driveline options makes the Korean mid-size sedan more vanilla than its dramatic styling suggests. That’s set to change, with Kia Australia announcing it will offer a 2.0-litre turbocharged variant of the next-gen Optima due here late this year.

Things are different in the United States, where higher sales figures help amortise development costs. Stateside, you can pick from a Kia Optima range that caters to an array of tastes.

There’s the garden-variety 148kW/250Nm naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine as seen in Australia, but there’s also a fuller-fat option; a turbocharged petrol 2.0-litre four-pot, as with Hyundai's new Sonata.

And there’s even a ‘healthy’ alternative; a modified 2.4 combined with a synchronous electric motor to provide hybrid propulsion.

With the turbocharged power unit confirmed for Australia in the next-generation Optima due in local showrooms around November, Kia flicked us the keys to a current US-spec Optima SX Limited Turbo to sample the driveline ahead of the new model’s New York International Auto Show debut this week.

On paper the 2.0-litre turbo unit impresses, generating 204kW at 6000rpm –- 56kW more than the atmospheric 2.4. But it’s the torque figures that really tell the story, the turbo’s 370Nm peak on tap from only 1650rpm and not tailing off until 4500rpm. That destroys the atmo’s peak by 120Nm.

Even in fuel economy terms, there’s not much in it. Taking the North American specs to compare like-for-like, the atmo car consumes a claimed 27mpg (8.7L/100km), the Turbo 24mpg (9.8L/100km).

Both use six-speed automatic transmissions and drive the front wheels. Interestingly, the US-market SX Turbo costs only $US1910 more than the standard SX ($US27,700 plays $US25,790).

Out on the road, the Turbo converts its on-paper advantage, and then some. Where the aspirated engine feels torque-light compared to a (turbocharged) Skoda Octavia, the Turbo gives the Czech a good kicking.

Similar to the other turbocharged products within the Hyundai/Kia stable, the Optima Turbo is very linear in its power delivery, with no peaks or troughs to speak of.

It can, however, excite the front axle when accelerating hard from takeoff into fast-moving traffic, the open differential revealing itself with a loss of traction.

There’s a little bit of induction noise through the cabin under firm acceleration but once up to speed it provides fuss-free motoring, with the kind of mid-range punch that will prove ideal for overtaking in Australian conditions.

Driven this way on the highway, the Turbo goes close to its advertised combined fuel economy, though it dips to the 19mpg (12.4L/100km) mark as highway gives way to a sweeping desert climb towards the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

There are three driving modes, covering eco, normal and sport. Each step reveals progressively sharper throttle and steering responses, along with altered gearshift points.

The six-speed automatic transmission is a good match for the engine, though curiously the top-line SXL is not equipped with paddle shifters.

Of course, given this is the soon-to-be-superseded chassis (with a pillowy American suspension tune at that), there’s little relevance to detailing the Optima Turbo’s handling, but taken overall you can feel the potential of the turbocharged driveline.

In addition to sampling the Turbo drivetrain, Kia also gave us the opportunity to drive the Hybrid variant that at this stage will not be coming to Australia.

While there is a pure-electric Soul available in the US (not to mention a plug-in Hyundai Sonata), the Optima Hybrid combines a 119kW/209Nm version of the 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine with a 35kW synchronous electric motor that draws from a 270-volt lithium-polymer battery.

Combined power and torque figures are listed at 148kW and 319Nm. A six-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the front wheels. Fuel consumption is claimed at 38mpg, or 6.2L/100km.

The hybrid system and associated battery location certainly reduces boot space for the Optima Hybrid, which requires some luggage origami not needed for the Turbo.

On the road the hybrid is quiet and refined, riding softly over expansion gaps, the electric motor cutting in and out smoothly.

Under acceleration the combined system provides more low-down response than the naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre, which was also driven on the day for reference.

Where the 2.4 recorded 27mpg  (8.7L/100km; it’s combined claim) on the highway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the Optima Hybrid sat at 32.7mpg thanks to the hybrid drivetrain and the aerodynamically-optimised body and wheels. It is higher than its combined claim but still beats the atmo on points.

After sampling both drivelines, it’s a pity Australia won’t be seeing the next-generation Optima in hybrid form, but the fact that we are receiving a further-refined Turbo variant -- with a locally-tuned chassis -- promises much, as it should have the pace, poise and equipment levels to stand out from the competition.

2015 Kia Optima Turbo pricing and specifications:
Price: TBC
On sale: November
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 204kW/370Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.8L/100km (US claimed)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (Australian Optima)