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2017 Kia Optima Sportspace wagon spied testing in final body

The recent four-door convertible version of the all-new 2016 Kia Optima will likely remain a show-car concept, but this much we know: the newly launched sedan will soon be joined by a wagon counterpart.


The new Optima sedan was first teased as the Sportspace wagon concept, back in February, but it wasn’t until August that Kia confirmed it would introduce a second member to the family.

Now, we have the first spied evidence of the new wagon model’s look, with a production-bodied prototype caught testing in Europe today.

Kia has wisely disguised much of the rear on the new Optima variant - which could retain the earlier Sportspace name - although it appears the concept’s general shape and proportions have informed the final design.

At the front end, the wagon wears an identical look to the new Optima sedan, stretching back into a long tapered roofline, above a fast-rising belt line.

Heavy camouflage obscures the rear and rear quarters, but we can likely expect the concept’s sharply hooked D-pillar to carry over - albeit with some improvements to rearward visibility.

The concept’s large tail lights also appear to have inspired the final design’s rear lamps, which would mark a key styling difference at that end.

Wagon fans in Australia could also be in luck, with Kia Australia confirming earlier this year that the Sportspace is high on its wishlist.

“The reaction to the Sportspace in Australia has been so unexpectedly strong it has gone from a very small chance at being in our model garage to a very strong chance,” Kia Australia communications manager Kevin Hepworth told CarAdvice in March.

“It’s certainly surprised us with just how strong the public response was, and there is a space for it,” he added.

Wagons don’t make up much of any brand’s bottom line in today’s SUV-hungry market, but with variants of the Mazda6, Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Hyundai i40 already playing in the mid-sized passenger market, Kia could do worse than diving in with a stylish contender.

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