Kia Optima 2 Tech CRDi Mile Muncher
Discussion
Historically, I've always had early 2000s cars - these are what I grew up with, and have tended to shy away from anything more modern. After 17 years of good service from several Rover 75s / P2 platform Volvos - I think they're just getting a bit too long in the tooth. I seem to regularly be spending £150 a month on repairs / bits for them and the latest Volvo S60 that I was dailying was munching through fuel, and costing a bit in diagnostics / intermittent faults. The main driver of the change is actually the hassle of getting a garage to actually look at a car and spend time diagnosing faults these days.
I need a car that will happily do 50 miles a day, is comfortable, has decent range, and will (hopefully) be relatively trouble-free. After much deliberation I narrowed it down to a Peugeot 508 or Kia Optima. Both of these cars seem to be the underdogs, and you seem to get a bit more for your money. In the end, an Optima was available locally which looked to fit the bill.
£5000 has got me:
I need a car that will happily do 50 miles a day, is comfortable, has decent range, and will (hopefully) be relatively trouble-free. After much deliberation I narrowed it down to a Peugeot 508 or Kia Optima. Both of these cars seem to be the underdogs, and you seem to get a bit more for your money. In the end, an Optima was available locally which looked to fit the bill.
£5000 has got me:
- 2013 Kia Option 2 Tech CRDi
- 39,000 Miles
- One Previous Owner
- 12 Months MOT
- Full Kia Service History
- Bluetooth
- Reversing Camera
- Reversing Sensors
- Powered Driver's Seat that slides back to exit and enter the vehicle
- Heated Seats
- Dual Zone Climate Control
- Touch Screen Sat Nav
A fellow Optima owner, welcome to the under dog club 
This summer I would have had mine 2 years and not much to report in the last 12k miles.
Only recently has the bonnet release wire starting to stretch, the car just soaks up the miles. Do mostly motorway miles and the average mpg hovers around 48mpg.
The little lady loves being a passenger in it as comfy and smooth.
Yours looks good and a good deal, at first I thought yours was a newer one as although mine is a face lift I think your cockpit screen looks more modern.
Very rare to see one on the road in the UK, regarding owners help the US sites seem busier but complaints of their petrol turbo engines.
The UK Optima and Kia owner Facebook groups are friendly.
The front and rear sensors make parking easier than I expected but I came from smaller hatchbacks unlike you.
Happy motoring
This summer I would have had mine 2 years and not much to report in the last 12k miles.
Only recently has the bonnet release wire starting to stretch, the car just soaks up the miles. Do mostly motorway miles and the average mpg hovers around 48mpg.
The little lady loves being a passenger in it as comfy and smooth.
Yours looks good and a good deal, at first I thought yours was a newer one as although mine is a face lift I think your cockpit screen looks more modern.
Very rare to see one on the road in the UK, regarding owners help the US sites seem busier but complaints of their petrol turbo engines.
The UK Optima and Kia owner Facebook groups are friendly.
The front and rear sensors make parking easier than I expected but I came from smaller hatchbacks unlike you.
Happy motoring
V6Nelo said:
A fellow Optima owner, welcome to the under dog club
This summer I would have had mine 2 years and not much to report in the last 12k miles.
Only recently has the bonnet release wire starting to stretch, the car just soaks up the miles. Do mostly motorway miles and the average mpg hovers around 48mpg.
The little lady loves being a passenger in it as comfy and smooth.
Yours looks good and a good deal, at first I thought yours was a newer one as although mine is a face lift I think your cockpit screen looks more modern.
Very rare to see one on the road in the UK, regarding owners help the US sites seem busier but complaints of their petrol turbo engines.
The UK Optima and Kia owner Facebook groups are friendly.
The front and rear sensors make parking easier than I expected but I came from smaller hatchbacks unlike you.
Happy motoring
This is what I like to hear - I've read through your thread This summer I would have had mine 2 years and not much to report in the last 12k miles.
Only recently has the bonnet release wire starting to stretch, the car just soaks up the miles. Do mostly motorway miles and the average mpg hovers around 48mpg.
The little lady loves being a passenger in it as comfy and smooth.
Yours looks good and a good deal, at first I thought yours was a newer one as although mine is a face lift I think your cockpit screen looks more modern.
Very rare to see one on the road in the UK, regarding owners help the US sites seem busier but complaints of their petrol turbo engines.
The UK Optima and Kia owner Facebook groups are friendly.
The front and rear sensors make parking easier than I expected but I came from smaller hatchbacks unlike you.
Happy motoring
Glad that yours has been trouble free - I'm hoping for similar.Mine's a pre-facelift, but it is certainly well kitted out. Kudos to Kia for also providing Sat Nav updates that you can simply download onto a USB stick and install yourself. No dealer necessary!
That's something else I meant to mention actually - contrary to many reviews I read before buying the car, the ride is actually very good! The car feels taught, but soaks up bumps and lumps without feeling wallowy. Certainly the composure and ride quality of modern cars is much better than P2 Volvos (which are somewhat crashy!).
Almost a month in now, and 850 miles travelled.
Just put a full tank of fuel in, so a brim-to-brim check is showing 50mpg on the dot. Pretty happy with that, as I've been sat in plenty of traffic, and includes a fair bit of town driving, as well as a 180 mile jaunt up the M1.
The car really needs a wash as there are plenty of squashed bugs on the front of it now, so I'm going to attend to that this weekend. I always HATE the first few times I wash a new-to-me car, because you notice all sorts of blemishes on the paintwork.
Just put a full tank of fuel in, so a brim-to-brim check is showing 50mpg on the dot. Pretty happy with that, as I've been sat in plenty of traffic, and includes a fair bit of town driving, as well as a 180 mile jaunt up the M1.
The car really needs a wash as there are plenty of squashed bugs on the front of it now, so I'm going to attend to that this weekend. I always HATE the first few times I wash a new-to-me car, because you notice all sorts of blemishes on the paintwork.
Donkey44 said:
Cheap!
Euro 5 I guess?
Do these have a belt that needs changing from time to time at big cost, or not?
It is Euro 5 - thankfully I don't presently need to venture into the ULEZ, and if I did, I'd take a train (and claim it back, because it would be for work!).Euro 5 I guess?
Do these have a belt that needs changing from time to time at big cost, or not?
The engine on this one is chain driven and they don't seem to suffer failures from what I can see - so happy days!
Time for an update. About 1200 miles in now, and all is going well.
The car itself is 100% and getting on with the job well. Objectively it's a very good car, and I'm enjoying the excellent heated seats on a morning, and the very chilly air conditioning on an evening. Absolutely everything works, which is nice as I think all of my cars have had something that isn't quite right / doesn't work / only works if you poke it in a certain way.
I'mm 300-odd miles into my second full tank now, and still well above half. The trip computer seems to reckon I'm still averaging 50mpg, which based on the last tankful, seems pretty accurate. With the cost in fuel coming down in the last few days, it'll be even cheaper to run.
Having not owned anything newer than a '57 reg before (which was a model that dated from 2000), I have noticed a few things which I suspect are par for the course with modern cars, but slightly annoying, all the same.
My list of annoyances include:
In short, it does what it was designed to do very well, but I can see why it was significantly cheaper than an equivalent Passat / Mondeo. All things considered, I'd definitely have another one, and I do think I'll enjoy owning this for the next few years.
The car itself is 100% and getting on with the job well. Objectively it's a very good car, and I'm enjoying the excellent heated seats on a morning, and the very chilly air conditioning on an evening. Absolutely everything works, which is nice as I think all of my cars have had something that isn't quite right / doesn't work / only works if you poke it in a certain way.
I'mm 300-odd miles into my second full tank now, and still well above half. The trip computer seems to reckon I'm still averaging 50mpg, which based on the last tankful, seems pretty accurate. With the cost in fuel coming down in the last few days, it'll be even cheaper to run.
Having not owned anything newer than a '57 reg before (which was a model that dated from 2000), I have noticed a few things which I suspect are par for the course with modern cars, but slightly annoying, all the same.
My list of annoyances include:
- The seats aren't all that comfortable. While they're supportive, the base is very hard and proved slightly fatiguing over a 200 mile drive. Having come from Rover 75s and P2 Volvos, perhaps I've been spoiled. It feels like you sit on the seats, rather than in them.
- Various minor interior creaks, especially from the centre armrest area. I think it's the armrest lid rubbing against the main centre console, so I might try some sticky back felt to see if I can sort it. Some trim somewhere is also resonating with the drivers door speaker, especially when using handsfree.
- Parts of the interior feel particularly 'cheap' such as some of the plastics, and especially the carpet which seems very thin indeed. Although some of the interior feels a bit cheap, it doesn't seem to scratch or mark, which is nice.
- Everything feels just a little flimsy. The doors are very light and sound tinny when they shut, as does the boot-lid. Indicator and wiper stalks look and feel like they're parts bin specials,
- Start bloody stop. Can't permanently disable it, so you have to manually turn it off every time you drive the car. I really don't like the fact that it'll kill the engine even when the engine is near enough stone cold - can't be any good for it!
- Driver's seat slides backwards when you turn the engine off to give you more room to get in and out. It reverts to the saved position when you turn the ignition on again.
- The little car graphics on the dashboard displays - cute!
- The leather steering wheel feels lovely - it's a really nice thickness and shape.
- Powered folding mirrors - they look like ears when they're folded!
- As above - great heated seats (including backrest) and excellent air-conditionin
- Really roomy inside - plenty of legroom in the back & tons of room in the front.
- Excellent cup holder placement - very few cars get this right. I have a reasonably tall thermos-mug and I don't like it interfering with my gear knob!
- Really classy / clear dashboard & instrument cluster.
- Centre console is angled towards the driver a la Saab / Volvo.
- Exterior styling - it's a great looking car IMO.
- 1.7 CRDi engine punches well above its weight and moves the car along well.
In short, it does what it was designed to do very well, but I can see why it was significantly cheaper than an equivalent Passat / Mondeo. All things considered, I'd definitely have another one, and I do think I'll enjoy owning this for the next few years.
Time for an update I guess - it's not very interesting, sorry.
Just over 6000 miles or so since I picked the car up, and doing alright. I'm still on the fence as to whether I actually like the car or not, but it has been utterly dependable and returning good economy.
I've somehow managed to rip the pleather on the side of the driver's seat, which is annoying, but it has highlighted how awfully thin the material is. The one thing that really lets this car down is the quality of the interior materials - it feels really, really budget. Objectively it's a good car, but it doesn't feel at all like my previous vehicles, and really shows what a good job the likes of MG-Rover did with the Rover 75 and Volvo with the P2 cars - they're in a totally different league.
The interior is really quite buzzy, too, which seems to change on a daily basis, and the cabin lets a lot of road noise in at speed. First world issues, but they're annoying and highlight that the car was built down to a cost.
Speaking of costs, though, it's doing very nicely:
Can't really argue with those figures! The only maintenance the car has required as all four wheels balancing and an oil & filter change.
Just over 6000 miles or so since I picked the car up, and doing alright. I'm still on the fence as to whether I actually like the car or not, but it has been utterly dependable and returning good economy.
I've somehow managed to rip the pleather on the side of the driver's seat, which is annoying, but it has highlighted how awfully thin the material is. The one thing that really lets this car down is the quality of the interior materials - it feels really, really budget. Objectively it's a good car, but it doesn't feel at all like my previous vehicles, and really shows what a good job the likes of MG-Rover did with the Rover 75 and Volvo with the P2 cars - they're in a totally different league.
The interior is really quite buzzy, too, which seems to change on a daily basis, and the cabin lets a lot of road noise in at speed. First world issues, but they're annoying and highlight that the car was built down to a cost.
Speaking of costs, though, it's doing very nicely:
Can't really argue with those figures! The only maintenance the car has required as all four wheels balancing and an oil & filter change.
Time for an update as it's MOT time! First MOT with a car is always nerve wracking, and this car failed an MOT for the first time in its life - never mind!
Realistically, I knew it was going to fail, but I thought it would be front tyres (which apparently are OK, and not advisory-worthy). It actually failed on rear brake pads, and apparently the discs weren't in the best shape (likely the originals) so I opted to have discs and pads at the back in one go. Because I have one day to get it all sorted (although the MOT isn't out until the 12th) I do feel like I've paid a bit over the odds for the work (£330) - but hey, it's done.
Here's the up to date costings since collecting the car last April:
There are a few things to do in the near future, so those figures will likely change a bit again:
Realistically, I knew it was going to fail, but I thought it would be front tyres (which apparently are OK, and not advisory-worthy). It actually failed on rear brake pads, and apparently the discs weren't in the best shape (likely the originals) so I opted to have discs and pads at the back in one go. Because I have one day to get it all sorted (although the MOT isn't out until the 12th) I do feel like I've paid a bit over the odds for the work (£330) - but hey, it's done.
Here's the up to date costings since collecting the car last April:
There are a few things to do in the near future, so those figures will likely change a bit again:
- Two front tyres & alignment
- Oil & Filters due in April
- RFL due in April
- Insurance due in June (which is looking at least double the price of last year - Grr!)
Interesting reading and as a fellow Kia owner, although a newer one, I see some similar notes
Congratulations on the MOT by the way and the costs are impressive
Seats I am fine with, and most of the buttons, but the interior does lack that "well built" feel.
The wheel is great, but the door pulls feel cheap, and they have gone OTT with the shiny black plastic in places
However the driving dynamics are rather good.
Congratulations on the MOT by the way and the costs are impressive
Seats I am fine with, and most of the buttons, but the interior does lack that "well built" feel.
The wheel is great, but the door pulls feel cheap, and they have gone OTT with the shiny black plastic in places
However the driving dynamics are rather good.
Alwayzsidewayz2 said:
Kia Ceed GT
Nice!Kia clearly know how to make a well-driving car, so I'm at a loss as to why the Optima feels crap to drive. Nothing wrong with it - as evidenced by the MOT - but the ride is harsh / crashy AND wallows at the same time. The electric power steering isn't nice either, and Kia clutches seem to universally feel horrible!
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