Kia Optima Owner

[caterpillar]

No owner here? I kinda joined Kia Optima forum with the hope that an owner could help me decide on whether to buy the car!

I know owner reviews are the best!

Yes. The most unbiased of reviews.

[Pip]

Yes, I'm an Optima PHEV owner - and I love the car. Day to day local use I use no fuel at all and on a recent 210 mile journey returned an overall mpg of 83.5. On top of that the car is so comfortable and easy to drive and it's just been upgraded to Apple CarPlay too - I can honestly say I've never had a better or more economical car. Bought as an ex demo so considerably cheaper than brand new. If you're in any doubt about buying one I hope this helps

[admin]

Yes, I'm an Optima PHEV owner - and I love the car. Day to day local use I use no fuel at all and on a recent 210 mile journey returned an overall mpg of 83.5. On top of that the car is so comfortable and easy to drive and it's just been upgraded to Apple CarPlay too - I can honestly say I've never had a better or more economical car. Bought as an ex demo so considerably cheaper than brand new. If you're in any doubt about buying one I hope this helps

Thanks for sharing, Pip! Question: How did you get an ex-demo vehicle, this is such a new car? What country are you located in?

[citygirl]

Looking forward to hearing from actual owners. It would be extremely helpful in making my decision.

[ginforce]

Yes, I'm an Optima PHEV owner - and I love the car. Day to day local use I use no fuel at all and on a recent 210 mile journey returned an overall mpg of 83.5. On top of that the car is so comfortable and easy to drive and it's just been upgraded to Apple CarPlay too - I can honestly say I've never had a better or more economical car. Bought as an ex demo so considerably cheaper than brand new. If you're in any doubt about buying one I hope this helps

Thx for the feedback - glad you are really liking the car. I never thought about getting a demo - good info thx again

[RobH]

I'm in the UK, and I've had my 2017 KIA Optima Sportswagon PHEV 2.0 for just one week.
Same as Pip, I bought a demo vehicle from the local KIA dealer. Purchase total equates to about a 21% discount compared to buying new.

It has just over 2000 miles on the clock and its average mpg was 77.6 while it was being used by the manager for his daily commute. That figure is rising steadily now that I've taken the control! So far it's only been on a few short runs to the school and main town, so ECO and EV mode only. Looking forward to doing a longer journey, maybe I'll reset everything and see what I can achieve.

The car's spec and equipment is almost exactly the same as what I would have chosen if I'd bought it new: I've added some rubber floor mats, a boot liner and the interior lighting in both front and rear footwell areas.

Having a charging pod installed for £150 (including government grant), scheduled for just under 8 weeks' time. This is something which I hadn't thought about before committing to buy. Fortunately the cable which plugs into the domestic supply was included, but I have to trail it out of a window, meaning I can't leave it overnight.

Lots of positives of course, and so far there are only a few negatives:
- Less space in the back than a standard estate (wagon) due to the batteries
- Being the second owner I had to pay £130 road tax... it's ZERO for the 1st year when you're the 1st owner
- Would prefer to have more control over combustion engine use: I want to decide how much battery power to use!
- Cruise control has a "SET" indication, but the selected speed is not displayed
- There are no front fog lights on the PHEV version, and no option to add them

Overall, I'm very happy with my choice - I had the cash to buy a Merc C Class estate, but the KIA dealer is much nearer to my house and I needed a car quickly...couldn't wait 3 months for delivery!

Oh, and I joined the forum not because I have a problem with the car... just that I'm the only owner of this car in the area, and I need some friends!

[duunoit]

I'm in the UK, and I've had my 2017 KIA Optima Sportswagon PHEV 2.0 for just one week.

Lots of positives of course, and so far there are only a few negatives:
- Less space in the back than a standard estate (wagon) due to the batteries

I wish that model was available in the US. I've bought sedan and really love it (other than batteries taking up some trunk space).

[Iantj]

I am a new owner in UK. I bought the car in December. It was 8 months old with 10000 or so on the clock. It was a Hertz Vans VP’s car commuting between Oxford and Essex everyday. I looked st every Phev around and chose the Kia because it was excellent VFM especially nearly new. No tax this year, £130 next year. I charge it every night at home from the mains; no special charger. I love the car but There are a few comments I would make. 1. No fog lights, 2. Small boot, 3. Cruise control is not very precise and you can’t see what speed you set up. Finally, although the mileage is literally miles better than any car I’ve ever had, I am surprised that it’s not as high as I expected especially as I do a lot of short in town journeys where I thought I would only use the Battery. However, in these cold months I find the engine comes on a lot even if it isn’t driving the car. I assume this is to generate heat and top up the 12volt service battery for lights and wipers etc. as well as topping up the main battery.
I’ve always used the car in EC and ECO modes, so I’m going to see how the HEV mode works when the battery is full. Also I’m looking to see what happens when the weather improves.
Anyone else had this experience?

[DZircher]

I just purchased a 2019 Optima w/ the tech package. This is one of the nicest vehicles I have owned. I commute less than 10 miles to work and the battery is performing quite well.

[joskens]

nice, mine 2019 model sw has been delivered last week. i love thi vehicle. it drives o so smooth