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2020 Kia Optima (K5) revealed, not for Oz

Kia has revealed the first images of its all-new K5/Optima mid-sized sedan, which is a marked departure from the vehicle that preceded it.


Measuring 4905mm long and 1860mm wide, the new Optima is 50mm longer and 25mm wider than the current model, while the longer 2850mm wheelbase is claimed to provide a "stable driving character", while the 20mm lower roofline (1445mm) ensures a "low-slung sporty profile".

Up front the Optima sports Kia's new 'Tiger Nose Evolution' design language, which incorporates a three-dimensional design and blends the headlights and grille "more organically" than previous iterations. According to the Korean brand, the texture of the grille has been modelled on shark skin for a "powerful and sporty image".

The slim headlights incorporate a new LED daytime-running light signature, too, first seen on the larger Cadenza/K7. Kia likens the design to a 'heartbeat'.

Down the sides there's a prominent crease running the length of the vehicle's body, while a chrome strip runs along the top of the window line through to the rear – the side windows themselves are now frameless, too.

At the rear there's a new LED tail-light spanning the width of the vehicle, and echoes the 'heartbeat' signature on each side.

The fastback roofline extends into a "subtle rear wing" on the bootlid, while the chrome trim from the sides loops around the base of the rear window.

Filling the arches will be a range of 16-, 17-, 18- and 19-inch wheels (the launch model appears to be a high-spec vehicle with 19s), which offer a range of finishes including light grey, dark grey and gloss black.

 

Drive

Above: 2020 Kia K5/Optima interior sketch

The new-generation Kia K5/Optima is scheduled to hit its domestic Korean market in December.

Further details like interior images and specification details will likely be revealed in the coming weeks ahead of the market launch – though given its shared underpinnings with the new Hyundai Sonata, expect big displays, the latest driver assistance tech and new 'Smartstream' engines and transmissions.

It's unclear whether the Optima will continue to be exported to global markets like the US and Europe like it is now, but that could be clarified when the new model is fully revealed and detailed in due course.

 

Australia

The new Optima will not be sold Down Under, as there are no plans to produce the vehicle in right-hand drive.

So far this year just 369 Optimas have been registered to the end of October, making up just 1.7 per cent of the declining medium passenger car market.

Compared to the similarly sized rear-driven Stinger, the Optima is outsold by roughly three to one.

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