2021 Kia Optima - Released

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Originally Posted by cos
Looks sharp! Way better then the new Sonata and miles ahead of the worst styled car in the class - the current Camry.


But that Camry will still be on the road a heck of a lot longer and hold it's value much better all along the way.


Only if it doesn't kill you with abject boredom first.

I like it, I'll have to check one out. Digging the interior a lot as well.


Mario Andretti once said there aren't any boring cars, only boring drivers,



He also probably never drove a modern Toyota.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Only if it doesn't kill you with abject boredom first. .


What exactly is a car supposed to do or have or be on the morning commute or dropping the kids at school or going to the store? Or on a 3 hour road trip for that matter? Does anyone expect to track a Camry or tear around back roads in it? People seem to like them for what they are.


It's an appliance, and it does that job phenomenally well. But to me, it will never be anything more than just "a car." A Camry and a Hellcat both go to the store, or drop the kids off, or commute the same... but I personally would rather do it in the Hellcat.

I'd be happy for you, but I'd hate to do that myself. What if someone scratches my car? or I get a rock chip? Do you drive the Hellcat during the 9 months of winter that we get every year? Our roads aren't that bad, but it's not unheard of for potholes to destroy tires, rims, suspension--just the other day I saw one that was more than 6" deep. I used to have a Jetta and the ground clearance on that wasn't quite enough for some bad sections of (paved) road near my house one winter, it picked up some nice scratches on the oil pan.

I drive Camry's for the low TCO. Well, I hope to get low TCO, I guess that has yet to be seen. Drive for 10 years, 200k, maybe more. The older I get, the more I'd like to get out of this rat-race, and the only way I can do that is to economize and save as much as I can.

I understand the bit about boring cars but I've found my Camry's will cruise at extra-legal speeds just like anything else, and corner as hard as I need to. Wouldn't mind a bit more acceleration at times... but otherwise... just what am I missing? I don't get warm fuzzies about my toaster, why should I about my car? darn thing costs me money every time I turn around, shouldn't I try to minimize cost whenever I can?

 

[LoneRanger]

Whoever knocked the current Camry styling is just trying to bust on Toyota-- the current Camry looks awesome. On this Killed In Action ... I mean KIA... model, I see strong Honda Accord cues on the front fascia styling. And Dodge Charger cues elsewhere as already mentioned earlier in the thread. I'm not saying the car doesn't look good, it does, just seems to borrow from competitor's design cues and blend into something new. Similar to what Chevrolet has done with the new Silverados-- borrowed from Toyota Tundra styling from the bed box back, and Nissan has done with the Titan-- borrowed from Ford F150 styling.

 

[WhizkidTN]

I like the look of it, reminds me a bit of the beautiful aggressive flash of my '12 Optima SX. I'd have to see it in person to know for sure though. I'd like to have seen it be a have a rear hatch like the Stinger.

I really like the power-train improvements of the GT models (2.5T) and maybe with the AWD. If/when a tune can be had with that model sure should make for some fun!

 

[Jimzz]

Looks like a Lincoln/Ford a little bit, esp the rear.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/lincoln/mkz/2018/photos-exterior/angular-rear

 

[zorobabel]

The outside is OK, like just about every other new sedan.
The huge ugly knob finally trickled down to an Optima. Yuck.
Not a fan of the huge screen either.
Hate all the silver and reflective surfaces on the dash, obviously the designers never drive when the sun is out, and probably don't even have DLs.

 

[morepwr]

I like it! Kia and Hyundai have some decent looking cars in my opinion.

 

[PimTac]

I think it looks good. The interior is simple and elegant though I'm not a fan of chrome in the interior space and it looks like they use a fair amount of it.

 

[JeffKeryk]

While it is not for me, it looks pretty good.
I serviced a friend's Kia a few years back; it was a nice car.
I will probably rent one one of these days.

 

[PWMDMD]

Is it safe to say the game plan for Hyundai corporate is:

Hyundai is trying to compete with Toyota/Honda

Kia is trying to compete with Acura/Volvo/Buick

Genesis is trying to compete with BMW/Mercedes/Lexus?

I always thought the overlap of Hyundai/Kia was odd....this would make more sense.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I don't like it. Especially the big cheap looking plastic grille. To me it screams "poor man's Impala". The Hyundai Genesis imo is the classiest of the bunch. The Genesis Coupe being one of my fave cars.

Now the Kia Forte I like!

 

[ls1mike]

I like it. I really like this color too.

 

[dareo]

Looks pretty good. better than the new sonata styling.

 

[02SE]

I think it looks better than the new Sonata.

 

[PowerSurge]

You shouldn't assume things about Mario...... https://www.mrn.com/2019/08/21/mari...ar-driver-for-bank-of-america-roval-400/

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD
Is it safe to say the game plan for Hyundai corporate is:

Hyundai is trying to compete with Toyota/Honda

Kia is trying to compete with Acura/Volvo/Buick

Genesis is trying to compete with BMW/Mercedes/Lexus?

I always thought the overlap of Hyundai/Kia was odd....this would make more sense.


I'm pretty sure it's been explained by Hyundai as targeting certain demographics. It's tough to make one car work for all people.

Kia for the younger crowd that values cutting edge style

Hyundai for the older crowd that favors plain vanilla.

Of course Hyundai = Toyota & Kia = Acura is roughly equivalent to the above

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Originally Posted by cos
Looks sharp! Way better then the new Sonata and miles ahead of the worst styled car in the class - the current Camry.


But that Camry will still be on the road a heck of a lot longer and hold it's value much better all along the way.



Yep...and while the Koreans have gotten much better they still lag behind in true durability. I hear from a lot of owners that say while the cars initially impress and are quite good for the first 5 years, or 50k , they quickly decline after that, and seem to be tired, which you never find with Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. Additionally the price difference isn't there any more you're almost paying the same for the HK as you would for a competitive Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.


Saying they are tired at 50k miles is just not true. Is a HK sedan made in the last 5 years as reliable long term as a Camry? Probably not for most. Is a HK made in the last 5 years quieter and better riding than a Camry? I would say so. The Koreans are building cars that are rivaling the top Japanese manufacturers (Honda/Toyota/Subaru) and building better cars than lesser Japanese vehicles like Nissan and Mitsubishi. IMO Mazda is the best Japanese automaker right now. That said,

I've ridden in several newer HK cars with 100k+ that have no rattles or squeaks and run great.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by PowerSurge
Originally Posted by cos
Looks sharp! Way better then the new Sonata and miles ahead of the worst styled car in the class - the current Camry.


But that Camry will still be on the road a heck of a lot longer and hold it's value much better all along the way.



Yep...and while the Koreans have gotten much better they still lag behind in true durability. I hear from a lot of owners that say while the cars initially impress and are quite good for the first 5 years, or 50k , they quickly decline after that, and seem to be tired, which you never find with Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. Additionally the price difference isn't there any more you're almost paying the same for the HK as you would for a competitive Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.

Maybe come and whisper in my Sonata's ear that at almost 107k miles it needs to start feeling tired.

When I bought my Sonata, the cheapest Accord in the state of Arizona was 60% more than my car.

 

[cb450sc]

I am glad they finally made a major change with the car. It has essentially been the same since I purchased my Optima in 2011. It has been the most reliable car that I have ever owned. I love the front end, yes it is very Charger looking. I hope that there will still be more buttons and knobs than what I see in the interior pictures. I am not a fan of doing everything touchscreen. I think it can be dangerous.

 

[KCJeep]

Hyundai/Kia have already surpassed some Japanese makes, however the public perception has not entirely caught up yet. It has to some degree, as the Korean makes are already priced closer to the big Japanese names than they were 5-7 years ago.

I did some serious car shopping in late 2018. I can tell you the Kia Cadenza is a much better car than the Lexus ES350. I was surprised too.