2016 Kia Optima GT REVIEW – Kia’s Sleeper… But Can Korea Produce ‘A Real GT’?
WITH A TURBOCHARGED 2.0-LITRE ENGINE AND LOADED WITH TOP-END FEATURES, KIA’S OPTIMA GT GETS 'STAR BILLING' IN THE KIA RANGE.
But none in the Optima range is setting the house on fire with buyers. In the mid-size segment however, which is dominated by Toyota's Camry, the stylish Optima deserves to sell in bigger numbers than it does.
Mind you, Australia’s love affair with SUVs isn’t being kind to 'conventional' passenger cars, neither large nor mid-sizers like the Optima. At the end of July, large cars were down by 9.7 percent year-on-year and mid-sizers were down by 3.9 percent.
It’s confounding because the Kia Optima GT has plenty of family-friendly space, boasts impressive levels of equipment and drives very well.
Vehicle Style: Medium Sedan
Price: $43,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol | 6sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 8.3l/100kms | Tested: 9.1l/100kms
OVERVIEW
Priced at $43,990 (plus on-roads), the Kia Optima GT commands a $9000 premium over the Si variant.
But, justifying those extra dollars, it comes equipped with a host of technical and styling enhancements including the turbocharged 2.0-litre powerplant, 18-inch alloy wheels with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport3 tyres, sharpened steering, stylish leather seats (fronts heated and cooled), bi-xenon headlights and even a heated steering wheel.