Kia Optima (2016 – 2019) Review

The Kia Optima was a final attempt by the South Korean company to muscle in on the family saloon market, after which it switched its focus to SUVs. There is plenty to like about the car with its roominess, generous equipment and even a plug-in hybrid option to take the fight to the likes of the Volkswagen Passat and fleet favourite, the Vauxhall Insignia. Read on for our full Kia Optima review.

The Kia Optima is one of the best saloons you’ve probably never heard of. But that doesn’t mean you should overlook it as a used car buy.

After all, this is an incredibly smooth and spacious car that’s well equipped and well finished. While the firm’s SUVs, the Kia Sportage and Kia Sorento, have a higher profile, there’s still lots to like about the Kia Optima as a family car.

Until September 2016, the Kia Optima was sold with just one engine – a 1.7-litre CRDi diesel that is surprisingly punchy and smooth. It could be quieter, but with 141PS and peak torque output of 340Nm, it picks up speed effortlessly, particularly when paired with the seven-speed DCT automatic gearbox.

A 1.6-litre diesel replaced the 1.7 in 2018, while a 2.0-litre turbo petrol arrived the year before with 240PS. You could also choose a plug-in hybrid model with a 205PS 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor combo that claimed to cover up to 33 miles on EV power alone at up to 75mph.

As a car for covering distance on the motorway, the Kia Optima is very good. The seats are comfortable, cruise control is standard and the ride quality is mightily impressive, making long journeys relaxing.

Long drives are even easier in top trim models, which have lane keep assistance and adaptive cruise control, taking the hard work out of busy motorways.

On A-roads or B-roads, the Kia Optima is not quite as satisfying, with comfort clearly prioritised over agility. The steering is light and body roll is noticeable at higher speeds.

On this front, the Kia Optima lags behind competition such as the Skoda Octavia. It’s economical, though, with an official average of more than 60mpg for the diesels.

Passengers should find it easy to get comfortable even in the back, where there is ample legroom for adults and a reasonable amount of headroom.

The boot has a decent capacity of 505 litres, while the Kia Optima Sportswagon estate offers a class-leading 552 litres, or 1686 litres with the rear seatbacks folded.

Standard equipment is generous and includes dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a touchscreen with navigation, DAB radio and a reversing camera.

Upper trims gained luxuries like leather upholstery, a larger touchscreen, wireless phone charging and an autonomous parking system that works on both parallel and bay spaces. It all makes the Kia Optima a good car, despite its relative anonymity.

Fancy a new Kia Sportage? Read our Kia Sportage review here.

The Kia Optima is very much focused on comfort, and it is most at home on a long motorway journey. It’s a relaxed cruiser, with impressive ride quality.

Unfortunately, it isn’t quite so good on a country road. The steering is overly light and lacks the precision you get in the Ford Mondeo, for example.

That said, around town it’s very easy to get on with, making light work of speed bumps, while a standard fit reversing camera takes the hard work out of reverse parking.

Opting for a higher trim level brings plenty of driver assistance.

Automated parking, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assistance are all available, although if you want all of those technologies you will need to go for the top Kia Optima 4, which only comes with the dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

The Kia Optima only came with one conventional engine to begin with – a 1.7-litre CRDi diesel producing 141PS and 340Nm of torque.

That may only sound adequate for a saloon of this size, but it’s surprisingly capable, since peak torque is available from just 1750rpm.

You’ll rarely be left wanting for power, but the engine is not without its flaws. It’s quite a loud engine, especially when pushed hard.

Opting for the dual-clutch automatic does a lot to help matters though, since it changes up quickly and seamlessly, keeping noise to a minimum. It’s a great fit for this car.

The plug-in hybrid Kia Optima uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor to offer up to 33 miles claimed electric-only driving at up to 75mph. It’s a good choice for anyone living in town, or a higher mileage driver who doesn’t want a diesel.

Kia also offered a rapid 2.0-litre turbo petrol with 240PS that covers 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds. However, the car’s soft handling means you can’t always make the most of this performance when you feel like it.

A 1.6-litre turbodiesel replaced the 1.7 unit in 2018 and it offers much the same economy and performance in real-world driving, but with improved refinement.

The Kia Optima scored well when crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2015, notching up a full five-star rating.

All models come with six airbags, ESP and ABS, a tyre-pressure monitoring system, hill start assist and a reversing camera. There’s also cruise control with a speed limiter.

The Kia Optima 4 trim ups the ante with a 360-degree surround view parking camera set-up, Smart Park Assist System, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assistance, high beam assist and automatic emergency braking.

It also comes with adaptive cruise control and Dynamic Bending Lights, to see further into corners at night.

Towing figures were only quoted for the 1.7-litre turbodiesel version of the Kia Optima.

This version can pull an unbraked trailer of up to 750kg. Hitch up to a braked trailer and it can tow up to a maximum of 1800kg.

Space in the back row is pretty decent. Adults won’t struggle for legroom or headroom in the two outer rear seats, but the middle seat is raised and better suited to smaller occupants.

There is ventilation for back-seat passengers, too, which is a welcome touch.

The boot is large at 505 litres, but the saloon body style limits access – a hatchback such as the Skoda Octavia is more practical, as loading and unloading items is far easier.

That said, it is still a sizeable area and it’s straightforward enough to get the likes of suitcases in and out. The rear seats split fold 60/40 for longer items.

There’s plenty of space for the driver, and loads of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel, meaning getting comfortable is simple.

The dash might appear a bit basic compared with the high-tech offerings in some rivals, but we like its clear design and intuitive controls.

The Kia Optima has a very well finished, comfortable cabin. Quality is excellent, with plush yet durable materials. There are no creaks or rattles.

The layout is sensible and user-friendly, with intuitive minor controls and an easy-to-use touchscreen, which is standard on all versions.

The eight-inch touchscreen (seven inches in base Kia Optima 2 trim) is just the like car itself, putting function above form.

It’s easy to use and reacts quickly to inputs, and all variants, bar the entry-level model, come with a Harman Kardon Premium Sound System. However, the 2 trim does have a reversing camera that uses the infotainment screen display.

There are far fewer Kia Optima saloons around than estate versions, but you can find an eight-year-old four-door with the 1.7-litre diesel for £9500.

That gets you the mid-level 3 trim and a car that has covered less than 60,000 miles.

Go for the Kia Optima PHEV, and you will have to add around £1000 to that budget. This is a decent price for a practical plug-in hybrid with plenty of equipment.

Both the 1.7-litre and later 1.6-litre turbodiesel engines turn in claimed fuel economy of more than 60mpg. In normal driving, you should see that working out to a true figure around 50mpg.

The punchy 240PS turbo petrol engine is quick, but comes with an official claimed figure of 34.4mpg. Reckon on 30mpg in mixed driving.

That makes the plug-in hybrid a tempting choice with its claimed 201.8mpg, which equates to 78.5mpg in real-world use, unless you make the absolute most of the EV range. That’s impressive economy from a large family saloon.

The PHEV is also the best bet when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to its 37g/km output. This gets the car a £10 discount on the standard £180 flat rate for road tax applied to almost all Kia Optimas of this generation.

Only very early models were registered prior to 1 April 2017, and they all use the 1.7 diesel engine with 116g/km emissions. That means road tax of just £35 a year.

The Kia Optima 2 comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, auto lights, auto wipers, power lumbar support, dual-zone climate control, electric windows, cruise control, speed limiter, DAB radio, seven-inch touchscreen, navigation, Bluetooth, front and rear USB ports and Aux-in.

Kia Optima 3 models add 18-inch alloy wheels, part faux-leather upholstery, four-way power lumbar support, power adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, an upgraded audio system, eight-inch touchscreen and lane-keep assist.

In the Kia Optima 4 you get DCT automatic transmission, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, automated parking, wireless mobile phone charging, a 360-degree parking camera, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, rear door window blinds and a smart keyless system.

The Kia Optima GT and Kia Optima GT-Line S were also added to the range. These come with sportier exterior styling, 18-inch alloy wheels and gloss black mirror covers, plus two-tone black and red leather upholstery.