2011-12 Optima

dash5

I had no problem at all with the seats, but some reviewers have mentioned it. Guess it depends on the individual and what they are used to driving maybe.

snowallergy

If one describes amazing as a car that's worth half it's value after you sign the papers and drive it away, then yes, it's amazing..! :lemon:

snowallergy

Or it would break down more because 6 speeds are more complex and heavier than necessary. What's so hard about that?

snowallergy

It's louder in the cabin of the optima than the accord. I drove both. The accord is the better car. The seats are odd in the accord. But it has a 5 speed trans and feels solid compared to the unoptimal.

snowallergy

You have to soundproof a new car? Shouldn't it come with that, you know, as part of the heated steering wheel package?

snowallergy

You won't know the diff when you try to sell it.

snowallergy

I do have some cutting edge technology in my 01 camry that the unoptimal doesn't have at any trim level. This feature is also an upgrade option on the BMW 535i. Darn those people at toyota from 10 years ago. The feature-adjustable headrests. But I don't have a heated steering wheel, so I suffer here in Fl and the northeast when I go back there in the summer. :sick:

snowallergy

That's an easy one. You could probably do even better on the 535i if you look. It's a nice car. They had some glitches with the HP fuel pump. And the I drive is clunky and unnecessary. But it'll be worth something in 5 years vs the optima.

backy

You might try making posts that have some basis in fact. It's fun, and educational! And a lot more useful to other folks than baseless swipes at a car and a company just because you don't happen to like them.

For example, with a couple of minutes of googling, you could have learned that the 6AT used in the 2011 Optima is 26.4 pounds lighter than the five-speed it replaces. It also is considerably simpler, having 62 fewer parts, which is a key to durability, lighter weight and lower manufacturing cost.

stickguy

sat in one at the car show today. Certainly firm seats, but also seemed supportive and comfortable. Did not bother me.

rest of the car was very impressive.

backy

Anyone see it? I thought it was hilarious.

cpurick

Snow, it would be rather ignorant to try to predict the resale value of Peter Schreyer's Kias based on Kias of the past. These are good cars -- very good cars for the money, in fact.

Has it occurred to you, how it reflects upon yourself, that none of what you say about this car is backed up by anyone in the automotive press? What does that say about you?

cpurick

You mean the same way 5 speeds are more complex and heavier than 4, which in turn was more complex and heavier than 3?

Maybe the guy who makes the final decision about how many gears to put in the transmission just knows more about complexity, weight and necessity than you do, Snow. Why be hateful about it when you could just be grateful that we have people who can make such decisions?

cpurick

"The seats are odd in the accord. But it has a 5 speed trans and feels solid compared to the unoptimal."

Um, a 5-speed is not better. 6-speeds are state of the art, proven, and ready for primetime. The only things you can say about a 5-speed is that it's older technology, and cheaper than designing a new 6-speed from scratch. That's not a plus.

I haven't found that Hondas or Toyotas feel any more substantial than Hyundais or Kias. If I was determined to get something more solid than the Optima, I can't imagine that the Accord would make all the difference.

cpurick

I find most cars noisier than I like. What's neat about the Optima is that it was so inexpensive I can easily justify a few bucks for soundproofing. That would be a lot harder to justify in a Camry.

cpurick

Snow, is your life really so empty that trolling is entertaining???

akuma

i thought the older Kia "dreams" was more engaging as well as better at product recognition.

cpurick

I agree. That was a dear commercial. They should have held it back for the Superbowl.

dash5

Yeah that was good, I especially liked the shaman guy yelling "YEAAAHHH!" at the end heh. He was clearly psyched. VW Passat w/ Darth Vader stole the show though.

doz

Well, picked up my Optima on Saturday. Decided not to wait for the turbo, since I have no idea when they'll trickle through to my area, and the wife said I was too old for a turbo anyway haha! Got a silver EX with all available options, tech and premium packages, and wow! lovin it! Easy buy, did everything over email with thier internet manager, went in to the dealership, signed papers, salesman showed me all the gadgets, in and out in 20 mins. It's certainly a head turner, even got stopped in a restaurant parking lot on my way home from the dealer by someone asking what it was and how much. Very happy so far!

ivan_99

'6 Speed'...my problem with 6 speeds is they aren't 8 speeds...

VW's had a 6 speed in the Jetta for 6+ years (not like it helped their mileage...or performance)...but still :surprise:

I like the "trolling"...I like the argument, perspective...point of view. Even if a little 'off'. (I like political campaigns as well )

I have not driven the Optima...and probably won't for awhile so my perspective on the vehicle is based on what auto-mags have written.

But based on 'specs' and initial reviews I could imagine having this near the top of my list.

dash5

Nice, congrats on the new car. Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I'm gonna try the email only route myself this go around.

m6user

Congrats on your new car. It would be great if you could keep us advised on mpg results and your experience with the car.

trainer1366

24,400 beofre TTL. 26k after.

slee_stack

Snow can rest easily now. According to truecar, you can get the EX premium package WITHOUT heated steering wheel (and save $90).

With that cost savings he can retake that SAE course he obviously flunked out of.

doz

You can have my heated steering wheel when you pry it from my (toasty warm) cold dead fingers!!

couyon

Had EX w/premium package for just over 6 weeks now. Averaging 28-29 mpgs in mixed driving mostly hwy. Have just under 6K miles now so car is broken in. Just returned from 400 mile round trip all hwy miles and got 35 mpgs at avg speed of 71 mph. No problems for me with seat comfort or road noise. i didn't need the heated steering but it is a nice plus on cold mornings, even in La.

Love the car especially when filling up at gas tank. Previous vehicle was a Titan and while I loved that truck it was not practical with amount of miles I was putting on it and its avg of 18 mpg. :shades:

[Deleted User]

Ha! You are using the same tactic here that snowallergy does (needlessly mean sarcasm)...but somehow you still seem nicer. My bias showing, I guess!

snowallergy

No one..?

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/01/review-2011-kia-optima-ex/

Ulitmatly it matters not what others think unless, of course, they're buyin' it for me.. Of course MOST reviewers are going to wet themselves over the car. They're getting paid for referrals through their websites. Finding true objectivity these daze is difficult.

snowallergy

Camry doesn't require it. You can save yourself time and money. Can't put a price on 'time'. How much time will you spend at the stealership with follow up visits on your kia.. remains to be seen. If history is any indication...., it doesn't bode well for ya.

snowallergy

Great to hear you're getting good gas mileage. You'll need the extra money when you go to replace those 17 or 18 inch tires... I love how people laud the 'savings' after buying a car with tires of the size that are totallly unnecessary.

hbgti1

Does the memory setting affect only the seating position? Does it also change mirrors, steering column, radio settings, etc.?

Thanks

doz

only the seat position

dodgeman07

That's one of the things I like about the Optima. The LX comes standard with 16" rims and 205/65R16 rubber. Hard to find good riding, higher profile tires these days. Even the EX stays with 17" rims and 215/55R17 rubber which is fine and still inexpensive to replace.

I agree the 18" rims are overkill though.

couyon

Sorry to disappoint you snowallergy but I did have to replace tire, picked up nail in sidewall at construction site, and it cost $110. 3 months ago replaced tire on daughters car which was 16 inch tire and it cost $95 so only cost $15 more. I saved more than that on one fill up compared to my truck so I'll take those savings any day of the week.

snowallergy

If you can find a leftover new 2010 acura TSX, you can get one of those for the same price as a fusion or a POS...uh ...Kia optima. Great cars and made in Japan. About 200 HP and handle really well.

snowallergy

Now try sellin' it for anything north of 15.

snowallergy

Lighter weight and more speeds = Cheaper materials. Thanks for the insight. By the logic displayed on here (or lack thereof) a 10 or 15 speed trans should be even better. But anyone who's gotten off the couch and ridden a 10 speed bike knows that's not true. At some point the trans is spending more time hunting the right gear vs driving the wheels. That optimum point is 5 or 4 speeds. Anything more is overkill that's supposed to impress those how haven't a clue.

snowallergy

Careful with those chineese tires.

backy

By the logic displayed on here (or lack thereof) a 10 or 15 speed trans should be even better.

Or how about... infinite speeds? Hey, wait a minute--that actually exists. It's called a CVT.

I think back when auto trannies debuted, they had 2 speeds. Later, 3 speed trannies came along. More than enough for anyone, right? Why oh why did we ever need 4 speeds? Or 5? I'll bet you could find a nicely restored old car with a 2-speed auto tranny if you looked. Probably wouldn't have a heated steering wheel, either. Heck, might not even have an AM radio! :P

backy

If you can find a leftover new 2010 acura TSX, you can get one of those for the same price as a fusion or a POS...uh ...Kia optima. Great cars and made in Japan.

If it's such a great car... how could there possibly be any 2010s left over in February 2011? :confuse:

But lest we forget, this is the 2011 Kia Optima discussion, not the TSX discussion.

cpurick

Snow, the guy is something of a critic, but even he recognizes the value:

"The result is certainly intriguing, and to be fair it’s a good, attractively priced car that deserves a look from any enthusiast shopping for a midsize sedan. "

"There’s definitely a lot here for the price. And the basic car is also good, just not as great as my initial impression of the styling led me to hope it would be."

"This being a Kia, you do get a lot of features for the $27,440 MSRP (EX with Technology and Premium Packages; for the turbo and its larger, 18-inch alloy wheels add another $2,000). The related Hyundai Sonata is aggressively priced. But load up both sibs, and the Optima lists for $775 less—and according to TrueDelta’s car price comparison tool includes $800 in additional features."

Then he goes on to list the added value of some of the very same features you mock -- which, BTW, is pretty hypocritical behavior for a guy who brags about his adjustable headrests, don't you think?

But I did notice from your own comment that this critic -- who thinks the car is a good value even if he doesn't like the styling -- is as close as you've come to finding someone who "doesn’t wet himself over it."

Why don't you just admit you're the lone hater? It's not like you've got any credibility left to lose here. Or, you could just admit that Karesh is right: The basic car is good.

snowallergy

There's left over optimas as well. And your point?

snowallergy

But unlike the 'new' optima, it probably has an adjustable head rest. There's always a refreash on the horizon I suppose. Sigh...

backy

3 times as many new 2010 TSXes than Optimas available per cars.com.

Looks like the TSX isn't so great compared to the Optima after all.

snowallergy

Or how about... infinite speeds? Hey, wait a minute--that actually exists. It's called a CVT.

Not even the same animal. Comparing apples to oils.

backy

Both automatic transmissions, but one has infinite number of gear ratios.

If you don't like 6-speed trannies, even the lighter-than-5-speeds, simpler-than-5-speeds one in the Optima, you certainly can't like CVTs.

slee_stack

We test drove both an EX and SX model. There were many positives, and overall, I liked the Optima and still consider it a good value for the money. In the end, seating comfort wasn't there and the inside material quality was a little lower than we were looking for.

We purchased another make of vehicle in a different price category. I do encourage people to go test drive an Optima. Exterior styling, ride quality (noise and vibration), and acceleration were very good IMO. Definitely worth consideration when shopping a mid size sedan.

snowallergy

I stopped by the Kia dealership the other day. I had driven the LX but never had seen the EX in person. They had several on this day. Car looks nice in white. I'm surprised as I usually don't like any car in white. The sales guy insisted I drive it even though I told him I drove the LX.

This time he took me on an extended test drive on the interstate. I must admit the 6 speed is smooth in this car, especially compared to the newer camrys. Hope they hold up.

As the above poster mentiioned, the seats also left me wanting. Also the sunroof can't be opened without fully opening the back and front sunscreens which are motor driven. I see future mechanical problems with that setup. And that option would be too hot, long term, for Florida residents who live here full time.

The leather on the steering wheel felt cheap. The faux wood around the dash was a nice touch. Not optimistic, but I hope the reliability holds up for the new owners. The more competition the better the other cars will get.

m6user

Love it when someone comes in and shoots the h#ll out a car and then tests drives it again. Must be reloading. :confuse:

I sat in Optima at the auto show yesterday and found the interior to be fine. Nothing special but about average for the midsize car group. The vehicle I currently drive has a fairly firm seat and the Optima was similar. I have to agree that the switches/leather etc. were not luxury auto quality but, hey, for this price range the interior was right in the mix. Lots of attention around the car. Went back twice to the Kia display and each time heard a lot of positive comments about the Optima. I believe ALG has the residual value % right near the top of all midsize cars. ALG is depended on by lenders that are putting their money on the line so I beliieve their numbers more than anonymous posters.