2011 Kia Optima Hybrid First Impressions Review

By Alex Kramer
Pros:

• Eye-catching exterior design
• Roomy, well-apportioned interior
• Smooth, quiet hybrid drivetrain
• Solid handling and ride quality

Cons:

• A bit slow for a car with over 200 hp
• Brake pedal feels squishy
• Untested fuel efficiency

The folks at Kia Motors are very optimistic. Having launched seven brand new models in under 2 years and with record sales growth over the past year, Kia is transforming itself into a major player in the car market.
Part of this success is surely due to an emphasis on value, which has resonated with buyers in these tough economic times. At the same time, a shift away from forgettable econoboxes and towards quality design and engineering has made for an almost unbeatable combination of high quality at a low price.
To keep the momentum rolling, Kia is now offering a hybrid gas-electric vehicle in the form of its Optima mid-size sedan. With gas prices looking to stay close to $4 a gallon, this could be the perfect time to make a case for fuel efficient motoring and take a bite out of the growing hybrid sedan segment.

We recently had the chance to take the Optima Hybrid for a brief test drive around the streets of South San Francisco. On the outside, the car shares the same eye-catching exterior as the gas-powered Optima, save for a few hybrid badges and what look to be unique alloy wheels. The cabin also features the same roomy, well-built interior, and includes options like heated and cooled leather seats and a panoramic sunroof, amenities that used to be available only on luxury cars.
The Optima Hybrid features the same powertrain as its sister car, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Combining a 2.4L 4-cylinder gas engine with a 40 hp electric motor and a lithium polymer battery, the system produces 206 hp. Rather than using a CVT (continuously variable transmission), the Optima Hybrid routes its power through a conventional 6-speed automatic transmission.



Altogether, the system works well and you can barely hear the motor turn on and off when cruising slowly. Only at full throttle does the engine sound a bit raspy and unrefined. Acceleration is decent, although a bit slower than we would expect for a car with over 200 horsepower. Ride quality and handling are quite good, although the car does feel a bit heavy on its feet and the brake pedal could use some firming up.
Our brief test didn’t allow for a thorough evaluation of the car’s fuel efficiency, but the EPA rates the Optima Hybrid at 35 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, figures that compare well with competitors like the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid. At slower speeds the car switches over to EV, or electric-only operation quite regularly, and you can coast on electric power at speeds up to 60 mph. There is also an Eco mode, which changes the throttle response to encourage more frugal driving.
 

The Optima Hybrid starts at $27,250 and comes quite well equipped. Our loaded tester stickered at over $30k, but featured enough luxury options to justify the price. Like most Kia models, the Optima Hybrid should compare well on value with other hybrid mid-size sedans, and its more aggressive appearance might even convince a few car enthusiasts to take a hybrid for a spin.
Source : Carreview.com

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2011 Kia Optima by Driving Sports TV - VIDEO REVIEWS

UAC.com - Hyundai and Kia are getting better and better with each new model release and the latest from Kia is a prime example why they are gaining market share at a fantastic rate. The 2011 Kia Optima jumps into the one most heavily contested categories and does well competing against the heavy hitters such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.
Designed at Kia’s studios in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California, the all-new Kia Optima is longer, wider and lower than the out-going model it replaces and is based on an all-new midsize platform that allows for distinctive dimensions and proportions, while also providing a unique canvas for Kia’s global design team to pen a vehicle that stands apart from everything else in its segment.

Watch Driving Sports TV review of the 2011 Kia Optima:

Source : http://reviews.carreview.com/

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2011 Next-Gen Kia Optima Sports Sedan

The next generation Kia Optima is set to make its world premiere at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. "The next generation of Kia Optima possesses the power to surprise," says Peter Schreyer, Kia's Chief Design Officer. "It's a car that people will simply not expect from Kia - and that's exactly what we set out to achieve." Kia has officially unveiled the next Optima four-door coupe, ahead of the full reveal set to take place at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Kia’s new flagship sedan/coupe looks to be a far more attractive and far more worthy of a flagship designation.

2011 Kia Optima

Just weeks ago Kia released new sketches of the upcoming 2011 Magentis four-door coupe – currently known as the Optima sedan in America. The sketches look to be very true to the now official images that have been released ahead of the full reveal set for the upcoming 2010 New York Auto Show. The saloon exudes an athletic confidence from every angle - its raked roofline, high and pronounced shoulder line of its sculpted flanks and its extended wheelbase are complemented by flared wheelarches and a shallow glasshouse that create a saloon with a muscular, self-assured stance. The striking visage of the car features a new interpretation of Kia's bold 'tiger' family face that's edged by piercing projector headlamps.

2011 Kia Optima

The Kia Optima is currently the flagship sedan for the automaker and the next model gains considerable changes in the exterior cosmetics department. The outgoing Optima is a fairly tame sedan, but Kia is replacing its sedan with a much sportier silhouette – much more akin to a coupe, than a sedan. So much so, Kia says the 2011 Optima will be labeled as a 4-door coupe, rather than a sedan. Following the theme of recent model revisions, new Kia Optima is longer, lower and wider than before, the Kia's coupe-like profile is enhanced by the sweeping chrome arc that flows from A to C pillar, a distinctive design motif that visually lowers the car further still and enhances its cab-backwards proportions.

2011 Kia Optima

In addition to significantly overhauling the overall styling direction of the Magentis/Optima, Kia says that it will be bringing its next flagship sedan/coupe closer to the ground with a lower stance, in addition to giving it a wider and more stable stance to go long with its longer wheelbase. Kia says the end result is a four-door coupe that has more room for its occupants and cargo alike, as well as a more planted driving dynamic. "For this car we started with a clean sheet and worked to achieve an exterior design with a European feeling and stance," explains Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer, Kia Europe. To help achieve this, the exterior was designed by his team in Frankfurt. The interior was created by the design team in California.

2011 Kia Optima

Power-wise, the Optima will use the same engines as the 2011 Sonata and will be offered in four and six-cylinder versions. The four-cylinder offering, should it come from the 2011 Sonata, will be a 2.4-liter good for 200 horsepower and 186 lb.-ft of torque – all the while getting as much as 35 miles per gallon on the highway. The new D-segment offering is spacious, and with class-leading levels of safety and luxury equipment, the intelligently configured and driver-oriented cabin underlines a newfound poise and presence. "This new model embodies Kia's confident new design direction," says Schreyer. "It's a global car with individual appeal."

The 2011 Kia Optima is expected to hit the market in the fall of 2010, with a hybrid version possibly available at lunch, or relatively soon after.

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2011 Kia Sportage Images

How did Kia maintain to come to be one of the most smoking looking decisions in the crossover business? The fresh out of the plastic new Sportage is a stopped leap send in terms of outside styling and, thankfully, the open motors once again down the handsome brand new sheet metal. A 176 bhp 2. 4 liter 4 barrel and 2. 0 liter turbocharged four are unoccupied, and both go with a 6 speed programmed transmission a 6 speed manual is ready just on the base model. Possibly motor may be had with front or all wheel drive. No picnic to think, but the 2. 4 liter 4 barrel is as a matter of fact more influential than the 2. 7 liter V 6 found in the past Sportage.

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage

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2011 Kia Optima Hybrid info

The Optima hybrid lands in showrooms in right on time 2011, with a cost looked for to be roughly $26,000 significance the Optima hybrid might go in as the most reduced estimated mid size gas electric sedan on the financial sector (the restrained openness Nissan Altima hybrid begins at $27,530, while the Ford Fusion hybrid costs $28,990). That situations the hybrid close the top of the Optima's go, with costs for the routinely powered poses stretching from $19,690 to $26,690.



2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


Kia and Hyundai can offer their hybrid poses at such easy costs, to a limited extent, on the grounds that their full parallel hybrid framework utilizes a modular go at, piggybacking the hybrid hardware onto existing motors and powertrains in this case, a 2. 4 liter four barrel motor, modified with Atkinson cycle operation for preferable effectiveness, and an off the ledge six speed mechanical. Consolidated output from the gas electric framework is 206 hp and 195 lb ft of torque.

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

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2011 Kia Sorento DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase 106.7 in (2710 mm)
Track, front / rear 62.2 in (1580 mm)
Length 179.8 in (4567 mm)
Width 73.3 in (1862 mm) (LX)
74.2 in (1885 mm) (EX)
Height 68.1 in (1730 mm) (LX)
71.3 in (1811 mm) (EX)
Ground clearance 8.2 in (208 mm)
Approach angle 28.4 degrees
Departure angle 26.7 degrees
Head room (front/rear) 39.7 in (1008 mm)/39.5 in (1003 mm)
38.3 in (973 mm) /38 in (965 mm) (sunroof)
Shoulder room (front/rear) 58.9 in (1496 mm)/58.4 in (1483 mm)
Leg room (front/rear) 42.6 in (1082 mm)/36.1 in (917 mm)
Hip room (front/rear) 55.3 in (1405 mm)/58 in (1473 mm)
SAE volume, interior 138.4 cu ft (3.9 m3)
SAE volume, front seat 57.6 cu ft (1.6 m3)
SAE volume, rear seat 49.4 cu ft (1.4 m3)
SAE volume, cargo 31.4 cu ft (0.9 m3)
SAE volume, rear seat folded down 66.4 cu ft (1.9 m3)
2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento




2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento


2011 Kia Sorento




2011 Kia Sorento










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