Kia Optima comes out fighting

By Nick Gibbs

September 2010

Watch out Passat! That’s the bold message from Kia after launching the Optima saloon for the first time in Europe at Paris.

With a plunging coupe style roofline and a sophisticated touches like LED rear lights, Kia has significantly raised the appeal on its Magentis replacement.

The firm is predicting sales “in the thousands” when it launches in middle of next year. That compares to Magentis sales barely into the hundreds.

Power comes from a 1.7-litre diesel making 136bhp. With an eco edition fitted with stop-start engine cut-off, it’ll emit just 113g/km of CO2 to keep tax and fuel bills low.

Kia is predicting most sales will go to business fleets, but private buyers are likely to be seduced by a starting price of just £17,000 with what’s likely to be a very equipped car.

The other engine available at launch is a 170bhp two-litre petrol with clever variable valve timing. And later on both will be joined by a higher powered, 160bhp version of the diesel unit.