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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The look of the Sonata 2.0T is rather unspectacular compared to the hybrid. If you think the regular Sonata is a woman with a figure, then you can think of the hybrid as that same women with a sexy dress on. It was that much better. All the detailed changes worked out well I thought.
Optima EX's interior is definitely on par with its competitions. I sat in all the midsize sedans today and none of them were really stand outs. No one is particularly good, or bad, they all had their draw backs. One thing I did not like about the Optima's interior was the piece that goes under the center arm rest and forms the cup holders. It felt like a piece from a 1990's Ford or Chevy, hard and cheap. Sonata's cup holders definitely looks better. There is also a piece of hard plastic on the door panels just above the Infinity speakers, I felt like Kia was "hiding" that particular piece. The center console is rock solid. Every button I pushed had good feed back. The seats can use a lot more bolstering, hopefully the SX will receive them better seats.
There were 2 Optimas on display at the show, silver and red. I thought the silver definitely looked better with the panoramic roof. A lot of people who checked out the Optima could not believe Kia is now making such good looking cars. They commented how the interior is very nice as well.
Also, their "contact us" page on www.kia.ca does NOT work. In fact it has not been working for months, but I imagine nobody (but me) cares and that is why they did not know it was broken. Emails to the webmaster resulted in nothing. I guess this is the end of my Kia shopping experience.
Usually you won't get replies on weekends - they like time off too!
Thanks for posting as yours is the first consumer impression I've read.
He called me a few days ago and said availability looks to be around the end of November.
Don't know if this is good information, but that is what he said.
I am in Southern California.
http://www.kia.com/#/2011optima
It doesnt sound like it's a huge deal but too many people are mentioning it.
http://blogs.automotive.com/6719580/opinion/2011-kia-optima-car-review-and-pictu- res-sporty-looks-match-sporty-drive/index.html
"Two issues of (minor) note. The first is that some of us found the driver's seat maybe too sporty ala hard. Maybe a little more cushioning?
The second involves noise. Engine noise, as mentioned above, is minimum in the Kia Optima unless revving up. Road noise was well controlled. We did note wind noise, to our surprise, which is almost (wordplay intended) unheard of in this segment. It was not especially loud (we never had to raise our voices while chatting, for example) but unexpected. It could have been our sedan's sport trim; we suspect our model was pre-production and just about to undergo finally turning before full production. "
For comparison they produced 8,466 units for their domestic market in September. Wonder if they are waiting for all the reviews before going into full production.
Based on production figures there is a good chance that all the reviews so far are based on pre-production models.
Never put aftermarket accessories on the seat (covers, pads, seat heaters, lights, etc.).
http://civic.hondafitjazz.com/A00/HTML/00/SNB6E00H46400000000AAAT00.HTML
Or this one, from Volvo (which knows a thing or two about safety):
The front passenger's seat should not be modified in any way. This could reduce pressure on the seat cushion, which might interfere with the OWS (Occupant Weight Sensor) system's function.
http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/2006/2006_S80/06s80_01a.htm#pg5
So, yes, I think there is a good reason to be careful about adding extra padding to the front seats of any car equipped with SRS sensors.
I agree putting something on top of the seat is a bad idea. However, putting a 1" thin piece of foam in to the seat bottom "properly placed" again is no big deal. You cut open the bottom cushion and properly slide it in to place.
I spoke to a sales person the other day when he went over the safety features of the car I was looking at. I asked him, "Does any body buy a car with the intent of getting in to a accident?" And least he was honest and said no. Most people care about the vehicle meeting their needs and price. This proves correct when side curtain air bags were optional. Many, many people didn't pony up the dollars.
You can fix an uncomfortable front seat.
And I have no idea what you meant by, "Does any body buy a car with the intent of getting in to a accident?", and how it could possibly relate to this discussion.
BTW (and this is not "lawyer-speak"), a 1" foam pad applied to the top of the seat (yet under the seat fabric) is in fact on TOP of the seat, wrt the SRS sensors. In fact, from the perspective of said sensors, there is absolutely no difference if the pad is on top of or under the seat fabric. But you probably know just how to position the pad so it won't interfere with the sensors. Maybe you can even post the link to those directions, they would be helpful to others.
Heck, why not go all out for comfort and add a 2" pad, since it doesn't matter wrt safety, right?
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2010/10/18/501812.html
Childish.
Stop.
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I agree with backy that it sounds touchy but I also agree that it is probably not brain surgery to make an alteration. However, a modification to an auto that could affect any safety system is playing with fire in regards to warranty and/or legal recourse in the case of a malfunction.
As a potential buyer of the Optima, I'm hopeful that Kia will note the large number of reviewers complaining about the seats and make a manufacturing change on the fly.
I assume the Korean K5 has the same seats we'd get in the US, that's been out since May I think? So November release will have been 6 months.
Hopefully it's not an issue.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e53-forum/27096-occupancy-sensor-srs-l- - ight.html
(You can do a copy and paste if the link doesn't work in the content of the post.)
I thought this comment near the end of the thread was spot-on:
wow...so detailed. all that work just to replace a sensor?
I have tried out cars I was interesting in (the 2006 Civic comes to mind) and absolutely wrote it off due to how uncomfortable the seat was.
As to hard, this is something you always heard about German cars. hard, but long haul support and comfort.
When does this car show up at dealers? Now, I am curious, and need to go try this thing out.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
One person's butt-buster can be another person's heaven-on-wheels.
http://automiddleeast.com/first-drive-2011-kia-optima/
"Comfort-wise, we spent close to two hours crossing the UAE and never felt even a twinge in the lower back – the electrically-adjustable seats are more than supportive enough and also come with a cooling function, which is good news for the Middle East market. However, we’d prefer the seat to lower more than it does, as taller drivers may find their head brushing the roof lining as we did."
And a more general comfort statement. They knock the cars performance, which I'm not worried about:
"Any good? Fantastic to look at, great value and comfortable to sit in, but disappointing on the move. The Optima is fine at a cruise but despite Kia’s claim that it’s fun to drive, it’s too woolly and vague to be involving."
I'm confident the SX will be plenty involving for my tastes. I want it to be comfortable first, while at the same time having the balls to have a bit of fun when I get the opportunities.
Note, however, these have not been officially confirmed by Kia US.
So these should be showing up to dealers shouldnt they? Main Kia site says November 2010. Anyone hear anything yet?
I'm kind of thinking I like the equipment and price of the EX turbo better than SX. Don't need 18", paddle shifters, Xenon headlights, heated AND cooled seats or 4way power passenger seat. Actually, I'm not even a fan of sunroofs either so I could see an EX turbo with the tech package as a very nice and reasonably priced car.
Sunroof is nice on occassion but I have one on one of my vehicles and very rarely use it. Had a 1996 Maxima with one and used it less than 10 times in 6 years. It's either too hot, too cold, too noisy, too much sun or not secure enough to leave open. Just not a fan but I can appreciate that many people love them.