2011-12 Optima

snowallergy

In a few months you'll be able to buy an LX in the 16 grand neighborhood., once people see through the lipstick on the pig.

iluvmysephia1

dare I say "Bingo"...you hit da nail on the head with your comment above. :shades:

BTW-here's more fodder for the new world order Kia Optima haters.


2011 Kia Optima wheel

BTW-I've decided I like this production version of '11 Kia Optima wheel!

mtnman1

I went ahead and deleted my comment to Snow because I know how important to his life these forums are. Didn't want to offend him, but meant every word. Will just be our secret. I saw some other wheels at the local Kia Dealer that I have not seen in the TV or print ads that looked very sharp on a Loaded EX. The ones you show look pretty good to me.

iluvmysephia1

ya know, when thinking about it, a car purchase is very personal and I really think it means different things to different people. Cars are just so cool to me, they mean independence and fun and utilitarianism and...here's where I'm going...a good sense of being.

I mean, when I'm in a beater and if it is my only car, I really feel dumpy. Sounds so shallow but it's true, ya know? And, having said that, new Kia's are not a step down by any means.

With Peter Schreyer designing them they are South Korean Audi's!

j2j

Are you saying that Toyota owners aren't that bright?

Really, use that noggin' of yours.

A problem is not going to arise on every single car in a certain model year, but the sludge problem arose enough that a class action suit was warranted.

And funny, other automakers don't seem to have an issue w/ sludge and floormats (just Toyota).

j2j

"In a few months you'll be able to buy an LX in the 16 grand neighborhood., once people see through the lipstick on the pig."

- Isn't that what a Camry is going for these days? lol!

otis12

The next vehicle I get has to have xenon lights. Like most manufacturers, Kia only offers xenons on the highest-level trim, the Optima SX. Problem is, not one dealer near me has an SX in stock. Anyone know if Kia is building the SX now or not until later this year? Also, anyone have opinions of Maroon Kia?

johnboyral

Otis,
They are building them now but limited.
I talked to KIA consumer affairs as I wanted to get a Optima Manual without having to enter a VIN id. I ask when will the SX become readily available and they said by June there should be plenty around.

I test drove an SX twice last weekend and boy was I impressed and so was my wife. Some people on this forum or the Optima forum said the seats are hard. I found the seats to be very comfy. My wife and I had the SX for about 30 minutes all to ourselves, yes, no sales person and it drives excellent! They know us now as this was the 3rd test drive of an optima. The 1st was an EX, not to exciting. I can not believe the power in this car. My 1st test drive of the SX my wife was not with me. I was the 1st customer to test drive it and the sales person had not driven the SX yet. Well... I took off from a dead stop and made the tires squeal. I had to let off to stop it from squealing. The sales guy was blown away also he could not believe the power.

I plan I purchasing in August / September.

JB

samm43

Is there provision to override auto and have it go to a manual mode with the push of a button? I don't like Auto climate for the very reason you describe in that they don't all work the same. It sounds like your Santa Fe worked more logically than most.
I don't like that it goes to defrost automatically either. Or was it the SE that did that? That is likely to trigger the A/C compressor in the winter if the ambient temp is mild enough to allow the thermal switch to activate. Are you able to choose recirculate in any mode except defrost? I know it will default to fresh air if in defrost mode as all cars in the last 20 years do.

Sam

jcspohr

Sam,

Yes, adjusting any of the controls puts it in manual mode.

I love the auto climate comtrols in my Snata Fe and my 2001 Ford taurus SEL. Both come on at low fan 1 when cold. Fan speeds incrreases automatically as the engine comes up to temp.

So far my Optima EX seems to come up to a medium fan speed if the temp is set above 72F.

Yes you can select recirc in any mode except defrost.

JC

samm43

That is so good to know. So changing any mode puts in it manual. So if you changed from vents to floor or the other way around in auto, it would default to manual right away? And then just hit auto in that new mode and you are good to go? Would like to see how it all works behind the scene. I guess it is a circuit board that is run by sensors with output voltage to the correct motorized door flap. And if passenger can have warm while you have cool on driver side, it has that many more sensors and door flap options I suppose.

Hope you find the answer to your question.
Enjoy your new car! Congrats and continue to let us know how it goes.

Sam

jcspohr

Hey Sam,

Yes - it goes right into manual mode right away. Hit the auto button to let it do the work...

The dual controls seem to work the way you described with a mixing paddle for air flow as well as fan speed.

My car has the tech package and the display for the climate system is in the 7" nav screen - very cool.

I'm lovin' my new ride!

JC

dontman

I just bought an SX yesterday. This is the first one I've seen in any dealership within 50 miles of Philadelphia. He had just gotten it the day before and claimed that it was the first in the area.

I traded a 2006 Optima EX for this loaded SX. I am just amazed at the performance. 0-80 in less than 8 seconds. Excellent handling. And great looking too. Today I had someone yell out to me from their car at a stoplight that "that is one sweet ride"

mtnman1

Snow, with all due respect there is another Forum titled "Midsize Sedans" that you should visit to discuss Toyota. This is about Kia OPTIMA. You spend a great deal of time putting down Kia and defending Toyota here. We are interested in Kia OPTIMA not Toyota. If we were interested in Toyotas we would visit a Toyota Thread or the MIDSIZE SEDANS. I don't like toyotas and really don't want to hear about them when I visit this thread. Again, with all due respect I ask you to please consider this. I have absolutely no authority, but I ask the host to please gently encourage Snow to keep his comments limited to Optimas.

jlindh

Ditto.

optima2011

I second that emotion!

rdillier

Awwwww, c'mon, folks. Every time Snow posts it lets us know he's still alive... ;> I go two or three days without reading a posting of his, and I begin to think something terrible has happened to him. And, after all, these forums are probably one of his few social outlets.

ivan_99

It's like watching the bachelor (my wife makes me watch )...you need interesting characters otherwise it gets boring :shades:

backy

Not quite like The Bachelor. In that show, there's no one who pops up in every episode and says things like, "Brad, ALL of these women are terrible! Why would you want to marry ANY of them?!? Even if they look pretty good now, just wait a year or so and they'll depreciate in looks something awful! Now, I hear there's a lot better selection of women who hang around Toyota dealers. Not quite sure why that is, but trust me, it's true! Go check it out!"

dash5

The irony of course being, if you look in the Optima "prices paid" forum, you'll see Snow himself was all set to buy the Optima. Apparently he has been scorned by it though, and now must seek his revenge.

ivan_99

lol !
:P

Kirstie_H

let's get back to talking about vehicles, not other members.

snowallergy

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-02-22-hotseats22_ST_N.htm

snowallergy

Censorship? Communists love Kia's. Who knew..

backy

I didn't see the 2011 Optima mentioned. Is there a problem with its seat heaters overheating?

otis12

John and Dontman,
Thanks for the response. Can you share the MSRP and the purchase price you negotiated, without TTL? I gotta admit, I am very impressed by the Optima.

jcspohr

Hi Otis12,

I think you are asking about the SX but maybe this will help...

I got my EX with Premium (non-heated steering wheel) and Technology packages for $24,960 (does not include TTL, down payment or trade).

That price above does include a $500 "Competitive" rebate for the car that I traded (see kia.com for the list of eligible cars). So the price would have been $25,019 without that rebate.

Kia also has a $500 "Owner Loyalty" rebate and $500 "Military" incentive available thru 4/4/2011 for those who qualify.

I used truecar.com to determine what to offer. Looks like I beat truecar's "Great" or "Best Local Price" of $25,066 by $106.

Hope this helps,

JC

jcspohr

Reposting to fix the transcription error I mad - the w/o competitve rebate price is corrected below (in bold).

My Deal Details

2011 Optima EX with Premium (non-heated steering wheel) and Technology packages for $24,960 (does not include TTL, down payment or trade).

That price above does include a $500 "Competitive" rebate for the car that I traded (see kia.com for the list of eligible cars). So the price would have been $25,460 without that rebate.

Kia also has a $500 "Owner Loyalty" rebate and $500 "Military" incentive available thru 4/4/2011 for those who qualify.

I used truecar.com to determine what to offer. Looks like I beat truecar's "Great" or "Best Local Price" of $25,066 by $106.

Regards,

JC

cooper13

In my research, I noticed the SX Turbo is the only model that comes with the blue LCD screen in the middle of the instrument cluster. The other models just have the orange digital readout trip computer instead. Can anyone tell me what exactly LCD screen in the SX model does? It shows a nice graphic of the Optima but that is all I can tell.

Also, anyone know when UVO is going to be offered in the Optima? I've read about it but it doesn't seem like it is available yet.

Thanks

jcspohr

There are two types of dash instrumentation:

1. SX and Turbo EX have the "Supervision" cluster which is the trip computer via an LCD screen

2. The EX and LX have the "Standard" cluster which uses the red dot matrix screen

The trip computer on both have odometer, trip meters, avg mpg, fuel remaining, etc...

Both also allow you to access the "User Options" screens to personalize the car to you - features include enable/disable/settings of: easy-access drivers seat, door lock/unlock, welcome lights, horn alert for lock/unlock/ triple flash for turn signal, and much more.

The SX and EX Turbo also include access to the "Maintenance" screen which has Oil Change and Tire Rotation settings/reminders.

You can see the "Instructional videos" of this at http://www.kia.com/#/ownerInfo/

Also check out http://optimaforums.com

Regards,

JC

dash5

I dont believe the EX T gets the supervision cluster.

cooper13

Thanks, the videos clarified it. Dash, I believe you are right, the supervision cluster is only available on the SX Turbo. It's too bad for those who want an EX that they cannot have the option to get the supervision cluster. If you love gadgets, the supervision cluster is cool.

conwelpic

the "supervision" cluster is only available with the EX Luxury and SX Canadian Optima models. We do not get a EX model with the turbo, we can only get it in the SX model.

cpurick

Honestly, the supervision cluster has a boy-racer look to it. The electroluminescent dials on the standard cluster are very classy looking. Things marketed as "upgrades" are not always better.

jcspohr

-- Corrected Version --

For USA, there are two types of dash instrumentation:

1. SX has the "Supervision" cluster which is the trip computer via an LCD screen

2. The EX, LX and Turbo EX have the "Standard" cluster which uses the red dot matrix screen

The trip computer on both versions of the cluster have odometer, trip meters, avg mpg, fuel remaining, etc...

Both also allow you to access the "User Options" screens to personalize the car to you - features include enable/disable/settings of: easy-access drivers seat, door lock/unlock, welcome lights, horn alert for lock/unlock/ triple flash for turn signal, and much more.

The SX also includes access to the "Maintenance" screen which has Oil Change and Tire Rotation settings/reminders.

You can see the "Instructional videos" of this at http://www.kia.com/#/ownerInfo/

Also check out http://optimaforums.com

Regards,

JC

ncjettaguy

I just test drove an Optima SX with Nexen 18" tires. Would there be a problem with replacing them with aftermarket 17" rims and higher (nee quieter) quality tire? I understand the EX turbo has 17"ers, but the SX is touted having a "sport suspension" and I wonder if there would be any harm going to a 17". The car had great power....and I currently drive an 02 MB ML 500 and yes, I am interested in a Kia. (there, I said it....well, typed it). I am seriously looking at the car and any assistance would be appreciated.

stickguy

just be careful with aftermarket rims. Cheap ones can be a nightmare.

How about, try to work out a deal with the dealer to swap them out? If not for brand new ones, they might be interested in swapping them onto an EX. I have heard of people doing that, and at least you know they will work on the car!

jcspohr

ncjettaguy,

I don't see any issue as long as you get the correct rims (width, offset, and brake caliper clearance).

Several owners are going with aftermarket rims. You might try the following forums that are very active:

http://www.optimaforums.com/forum/

http://www.kia-forums.com/4g-2011-optima/

Regards,

JC

trainer1366

Ditto! I really like the heated steering wheel, especially for the few chilly days we have in south GA. :-)

trainer1366

My 2011 Optima EX with the Premium pkg did have a slight pull to the left. I noticed it immediately after purchase, but I decided to drive it a while. I really thought the pulling was due to was my driving style because I'm left handed. But after 2200 miles, I returned it to the dealership where they promptly sent me to a local brake and tire repair shop for a wheel alignment, free of charge of course. My local Kia dealership stated that they did not perform alignments.

I was informed that the steering wheel was crooked. ???? Anyway, it drives straight now and I'm glad I took it in. I still love my car-- the seats are not hard to me, and the road noise is somewhat loud, so I'll buy new tires in a year or so.

dash5

Posted this in Midsized Sedans but going to put it here as well:

Test drove the 2011 Optima SX on Friday and loved it. If you dont want to read my whole take, the tl;dr version is: I'm buying one. Should tell you what you need to know.

Seats were comfortable, inside was quiet and the ride was smooth. Of course this is all subjective, others might say the seats are hard, inside is noisy and ride was harsh. For me, it felt like a faster, smoother version of my Dad's Honda Accord. The styling both inside and out was vastly superior to the Accord, imo. I say that as a Honda fan, I own a CR-V and my family (Dad, brother, SIL) has owned a good half dozen or more Accords over the years. I like the Honda interiors and the Optima was even better by a clear margin to me.

No left pull issue at all. Slight turbo lag but nothing bad. I agree with this review pretty much completely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ibaidizu-o

Tires are not great, they supposedly add to the road noise significantly and supposedly arent very grippy. I took a hard corner at speed to test it and it seemed fine. My expectations are set though that if they become an issue I will have to replace them with higher quality tires, perhaps even 17's but likely just good 18's.

Exterior is just stunning, not much I can say about it. No question in my mind it looks like a $40,000+ sedan. The Spicy Red is perfect, and it looks sharp in all the colors I've seen it in. Especially SX trim but all of them looked great. Throw a spoiler on the base model and it's 90% there in terms of looks.

Some room for improvement of course, it could be cleaned up a bit in front but as a whole it's fantastic.

I loved the interior. I'm not a big "dash stroker" (no pun intended) but all the materials felt solid and quality. Door closed with a nice solid feel. All the features I'd want are there, telescoping wheel, power seats and on down the line. Tried the cooled seating and that was neat. Nothing too powerful but nice to have on a hot day with leather seats certainly.

No real downsides on the interior that I can recall. If they wanted to make the seats a bit more supportive I'd be fine with it but again I found them to be completely unobjectionable. Steering wheel felt good but you could probably stand to improve the texture as that's the one surface you'll always touch. Push button start is really cool but I believe it precludes remote start which is a minor negative to me. I'd also add something to conceal your electronics when they're plugged in. Honda has the ipod connection in the center console, I believe the Optima only had theirs right under the stereo and above the shifter. So it's out in the open for people to spot if you leave them there. No biggie just a minor observation.

Another down side for me is that it's a big car compared to my little Jetta. That's no fault of the car though, just something I personally noticed that detracted from the overall perception. Felt awkward backing up out of the spot but the back up camera was there for me and helped out in that regard. A lot of it was also the "it's a new car" thing making me extra cautious.

I've contacted a nearby dealer with the Spicy Red SX and I'm looking to try to get it loaded for about 28k + ttl.

chuck1919

THE SEATS ARE HARDER THAN SITING ON A PILE OF BRICKS. I dare anyone to sit for two hours in those AND REPORT BACK.

dash5

THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK CHUCK1919 but i DISAGREE. MAY I ASK what kind of CAR YOU CURRENTLY DRIVE for COMPARISON?

jcspohr

Well, I didn't need a dare (kinda childish don't ya think) to do 2 hours plus in the seats yesterday.

My wife, daughter and I spent about 3 hours taking a Sunday cruise around the area. We were very comfortable and there was only one thing we did notice about the seats... that was how good the air conditioned fronts felt. Very nice!

JC

ps - I have owned mine for about 5 weeks and absolutely love the car!

samm43

Do you know how they cool the front seats? I didn't want to assume it is with cooled air via air ducts from the HVAC system. One other way might be if they have successfully used elements that use a reverse type of thermo-electric tech (like electronic camping coolers) yet.

I haven't been able to find any tech info on this yet from anywhere. And haven't been able to find a car to even look under the seat.

Sam

stickguy

If I remember right, the SAAB had cooled seats, and it was done with little fans in the seat? Pretty sure you don't have cooling coils running through them!

samm43

I was not implying that cooling coils were used, but rather cooling strips like the heating elements, only with tiny finned heatsinks on their backsides. Perhaps you have never owned a portable electronic cooler so are not familiar with (or have ever questioned) how the technology works that I was referring to.

If all they are using is fans then it is not a cooled seat but rather a ventilated seat.

Sam

ivan_99

I think all cooled seats are little fans; every manufacturer i think.

I guess the theory is if you're cooling the seats you've probably got the AC on.

Do you know of any manufacturer (even high end) that do not use little fans?

It may be a play on words...it's 'cooled' by ventilation...like you're 'cooled' by sweating

chuck1919

Honda Accord EX-L.

samm43

No I didn't know how it was done as I have never had the opportunity to check one out up close. The first time I read about a cooled seat, I had assumed that there were small A/C ducts coming from the HVAC unit and that the seat covering/base was coarse enough that it allowed that cooled air to easily penetrate. And if comfort is retained yet cooling being very effective, the entire concept has intrigued me if it is being done with success on sub $30k cars. But I also wondered if they used this other technology because it would conduct faster. I find it hard to believe that just through conduction alone, that cooled air from the A/C being on, would find its way to your body in time to be effective for most 15 to 30 minute commutes, let alone keep up if doing stop and go shopping trips as you run errands.

Sam