Kia Optima

Great car – It is comfortable and drives nicely, i love that it is easy to maintain Show details

Great grand tourer with all the fruit – Bought in 2016, and we were going to keep for 4 years so we could sell with 3 years warranty. 2020 came and went - too nice to sell. 2022 - still too nice to sell. It's still feels as tight as a new car. Ride, build quality, longevity, features - it's all there. A luxe vehicle without the BMW or Benz price tag, or their (un)reliability. … Read more

Only problem has been a rattly sunroof, which was never properly fixed. It fixed itself eventually :(.

HOWEVER, dealer delivery from National Capital Motors was absolutely appalling. A piece of interior trim was missing, tyres still had shipping pressure in them (60 psi!), auto windscreen wipers did not work (their fault). There were other probs, but time has dimmed my memory of them. And they charged two grand for this 'service'. Will never buy another vehicle from National Capital Kia - in fact, wouldn't cross the road to you-know-what on them if they were on fire. However, John McGrath Kia has been OK. Not perfect, but OK.

Buyer Beware!!! – Engine just “died” after recall work was done to vehicle and corporate Kia has taken two months to decide on warranty coverage. I would definitely not recommend Kia Optima because they do not stand behind their product!!! TM Show details

Beautiful, luxurious, sexy, all the bells and whistles – Great to drive, responsive, loads of safety features. For a sedan it has a huge back seat area with plenty of legroom for even the tallest passenger. Enormous boot area. Choice of Sport, normal or eco drive choices. Hugs the road beautifully when cornering. Cannot fault this car. Have had it over a year now and still love to drive it. Moon… Read more

roof, sun roof are just some of the standard features on my model. Heated seats, steering wheel,lumbar support on both front seats makes long distance driving a comfort. Turbo does require 6 monthly services, but def worth it to keep the motor in top shape. Best choice in a car I have ever made and backed by Kia 7 year warranty.

Really great car – Loads of power yet economical when you want it to be, roomy and comfortable, sensible and attractive interior layout, and superb ride with a good variety of Drive modes. Would have liken ventilated seats, but everything else is there. Would recommend to anyone wanting an all-around car. Show details

KIA Optima GT very Reliable – I have KIA optima for 4 years and have done 120,000 km. It still runs like brand new. Car regularly serviced at KIA dealer. Car service interval is short to 75,000 km, it should be at least 10,000 km. Show details

DEATH TRAP - Kia has zero concern for human life! – September 2018: Engine Issues the Car wouldnt start, eventually when the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection They couldnt find a fault, and explained it was an electrical issue and they are difficult to find. September 2018: Dropping our son at school the vehicle locked itself with the keys in the car locking the youngest child in… Read more

the vehicle for 15 minutes the car again locking and unlocking on its own and the mirrors were going in and out. Car key was reset and batteries changed - still have this issue to date September 2018: car locked and unlocked itself repeatedly for over 15 minutes, the mirrors were not moving in this instance, the keys for the vehicle didnt work to unlock the car. September 2018: autonomous breaks deployed (approx. 60km/hr.), there was no vehicle in front, there was however a vehicle behind to which I was verbally abused by the other driver. It is stated by Kia that the autonomous breaking can be over ridden by pushing down on the accelerator, this is not the case. I was told I didnt understand the complex car - 8 month later Kia issued a recall on the breaks.

September 2018: breaks again deployed at 1039 again it could not be over ridden, resulting in a near rear collision. Car went back to Kia Service Department Camera was recalibrated

October 2018: autonomous breaking engaged on a motorway (100km/hr.) heading towards A Hospital, this had the potential to cause a major incident as there were cars in the lanes next to me and behind me, again the override didnt work. Car went back toKia Service Department The breaks were recalibrated

November 2018: Autonomous Breaking engaged near the public primary school on (40km/hr. school zone), there was a car in front but the other vehicle was over 700 meters in front.

My mother phoned Kia and spoke to [name removed] the Manager there and said if no action was taken, she will be reporting them, due to the fact they didnt want to put their own employees at risk a tow truck was sent to collect the vehicle.

Car went back to Kia Service Department, the vehicle was collected by a tow truck

November 2018: Vehicle collected from Kia service department, that day same issues occurred. Car wouldnt start, to make the vehicle start you had to open and close the door, lock and unlock it about 5 times, then compress the break repeatedly while pressing the ignition button at the Caltex fuel station. Called KIA Service and no one called back (left a message for [name removed]) Car went back to Kia Service Department

December 2018: Car stopped on the 110km/hr. on the A1 Highway, driving to Queensland, the rolled off the side of the road breaks didnt not work during this period of engine failure, then when breaks were compressed and it started again, we then used my parents vehicle until we drove back to NSW as Kia said they couldnt help us and call roadside if it happens.

January 2019: Engine not starting, and radio unit turning off and on during motion, side mirrors move in and out while in motion. Breaks deploying pulling into the driveway at our home, the dash (where all the drive information is) turned off and on during the drive from Office works (60km/hr.). Car went back to Kia Service Department

January 2019, Driving along the AEB activated, no vehicles in front of the car nor any on the side of the road, however a large truck was behind me and narrowly avoided a rear collision. After the incident the driver exited his vehicle and I was verbally abused for administering my breaks for no reason.

Car went back to Kia Service Department, they couldnt find a problem February 2019: Autonomous break deployment on (70km/hr.), again the dash and radio head unit turned off.

Car went back to Kia Service Department; told they couldnt find the problem.

March 2019: Car engine shut off in a school Zone (40km/hr.), there was no one behind the vehicle, the breaks didnt work and the steering was nearly impossible for me to turn, I kept pressing the button and it tuned on. Car went back to Kia Service Department; claimed the vehicle safe and issues fixed

March 2019: breaks deployed just after the top of the incline, again the override didnt work.

August 2019: Complete engine failure, the vehicle stopped as I was turning up into our street the breaks didnt engage, the vehicle rolled backwards down the hill across two lanes of oncoming traffic, while my young son was in the vehicle, both he and I were traumatized by this experience.

September 2019: saying the vehicle is ready for collection, to which we collected the vehicle, the service department said they found white powder in a plug they may have been contributing to the past/current issues.

September 2019: Driving back from dinner drivers chair moved for about 2 minutes while the vehicle was in motion, side mirrors folding in and out, the autonomous breaking was switched off manually and the breaks still engaged in 80km zone.

September 2019:vehicle would not start

September 2019 Car engine failure - breaks do not work when engine fails nor does the electronic hand break!

It was taken to KIA service department: It was also disclosed that there were apparent loose wired in the ignition circuit, they may have been contributing to some of the issues. It was also disclosed that a representative from Kia Australias Technical department had been on site to look at the vehicle, as a result the apparent loose wires were found and the breaking was recalibrated.

We invited KIA to place a dash cam to collect the information they needed to fix the fault, a Kia representative replied we are not willing to assist you in gaining the evidence you need to fault the car.

We have been called liars, made to feel like we are incompetent.

We are going to loose so much money on this car and KIA australia has ZERO concern for human life, we have been through the avenues and they are not made to protect the buyer only the big companies!

I would never recommend KIA to anyone! This car is a 2018 model - so is just over 12 months old.

Perfect – The Optima shares its platform, and many of its components, with its sister car: the Hyundai Sonata. Targeted at other midsized sedans such as the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Mazda6, Ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia, and Holden Commodore, the Optima features a big boot and a comfortable ride. A six-speed torque converted automatic is the only… Read more

transmission for both the naturally-aspirated and turbocharged petrol engines.

Variants range from the base $33,390 Optima Si to the top-of-the-range $44,490 Optima GT NAV (BLACK LEATHER) SUNROOF.

Best car ever – Very reliable car and interior quality is better than German car. Very quiet and smooth ride. Turbo 2.0l is powerful enough. Have driven 80000 km and had not a single problem. Show details

Generally pretty Good – Bought my Optima Platinum from my employer. 4 yrs old and low Km's. Looks good and has lots of options being the top model. I use this car daily as a sales rep vehicle so I get to use it in all conditions. Handles well but I aim to get brighter headlight globes. Looks pretty sporty. Having a few issues with the dash computer, sometimes screen… Read more

locks on something different or won't change. Reverse camera plays up sometimes. But I have not used the 7 yr warranty to get it looked at yet. Car runs well and is somewhat good economy, depending on where and how you are driving. Because it is a 4 cylinder is struggles a little bit from power esp if you have weight/passengers in the car but only an issue for race drivers (otherwise slow down and drive more carefully and you won't blow your motor). Has lots of safety sensors which can be a bit annoying at times eg when parked in front of the garage and starting the car first thing in the morning, the front sensor alarm goes off. Better to be safe than not have them, however, it is important not to rely on safety sensors and use the old fashioned look over your should plus looking in the mirrors as well! Quite low to the ground so if you have an issue with mobility then this isn't for you. Got to be a bit careful with large driving surface changes , speed bumps driveways so you don't bottom out or scrape the front bumper. Has a auto sunroof which is pretty good. The interior is pretty spacious for a smaller car. Sat Nav is pretty average esp as I could be using it daily but it sends me around the block and the long way. Give me Google Maps any day! In summary, this is a great little car, all cars have issues, it is just luck of the draw. 7 yr warranty is reassuring.

Need feed back – We have a new Kia Optima n when it reaches 60km then drops to 57kms the car jolts by itself every time .kia tell us this is a "feature" does anyone else have this terrible feature in there optima . 4 times back to fix it n finally they come up with this answer  Show details

Well equipped, great drive, pity about the SatNav – I bought this ex-lease car about 11 months from first registration. Was like new but at a much lower price. Very well equipped, drives well, feels well designed. Great having the 7 year warranty. The major downside is that this model misses out on any Satnav updates even though 2 were promised to new car buyers earlier, and it has many… Read more

inaccuracies. Much better to use my portable TomTom with lifetime updates, and stuck to the windscreen.

Edit later:- These models have the 2.4 litre Theta II engine, some of which can fail. Mine failed and the engine was replaced under warranty without too much of a hassle. When out of warranty I would suggest changing the oil every 7500km or 6 months.

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA – Nice looking car specially when you compare with other cars in the same price range (used car). BUT: Almost all the options you see in the car are fake or low quality like cheap items you buy on EBay. You may have different experience with your car but mine is exactly what I describe. Stupid Sat Nav which doesn't recognize traffic in your way.… Read more

I do prefer using Google Map on my phone. Much more trustable!!

It has speed camera warning which is not adjustable. It means you have 2 choices, ON with near 20 times alarm for each speed camera (almost each traffic light) or OFF. You will definitely choose it to stay off otherwise it will drive you crazy.

Driver seat easy access mode which should be interesting but it works in wrong order. It should work when you remove the key as the book says but it works when you open the door which makes it unsafe for getting off the car.

It has reverse camera with large screen but the camera simply freezes when you are driving back. It means you are getting closer to the object behind your car but it shows you have enough distance. Really unsafe!!

Even the parking sensors goes off by itself sometimes. It means you need to check them to be sure they are working. Again not safe!!

I lost a meeting once because the clock was slow and had 30minuts delay!! It happened 4 times after that but I had found that I should not trust it.

Such a noisy car! Lots of road noise probably because of the performance tyres and the height of car.

It is a 4 cylinder car but the fuel economy is like a 6 cylinder car. About 12L/100km on mine.

Useless fake warranty.

I spoke about all above problems with the Kia service but at first they did their best to say nothing is wrong with the car. Then after showing them the book and checking other car in their yard they accepted the issue with the seat and said we will ask Kia about the issue and will contact you. They didn't do that even after several follow up!! Let say they don't care.

The car has a mechanical issue which they did repair 3 times in less then a year but they couldn't fix it permanently and it came back after a short drive each time. Luckily it was under warranty. The car has been repaired several times for different reasons during the time I owned it (just one year). I can say if it was out of warranty cost of all work they done on the car in one year could be simply more than $6k.

Finally I decided to get rid of the car. I sold the car to someone else and I know soon they will find that Kia optima was not the right choice. Sorry mate I passed the trouble to you however it is still under the factory warranty and KIA should be sorry for that.

Excellent reliable – Great car, no problem at all. it has all the features, leather heated and cool seat, very reliable and had none fault. service interval 15000 km and very cheap around $200. Excellent handling. I love the panoramic roof.Better than German cars Audi and Bmw etc. I would recommend to everyone.  Show details

Great car – I bought my 2012 Kia Optima new and it has now done 102,000 klms and have had nothing done on it ,this car has been a pleasure to own and drive i sort of keep waiting for something to go wrong with it but never does,i would recommend this car to anyone out there looking at this type of car,the engine noise is a bit loud on take off but you get used to it and it has heaps of power as well.  Show details

Fantastic car – What a fantastic car. Not only is it a pleasure to drive, but it has enough power to feel quite sporty. The only problem we have identified with these cars is their seats are incredibly uncomfortable, which unfortunately can be a limiting factor and almost caused us to sell it. Some wool seat covers fixed the problem and now we can take it on long drives (more than an hour) and not feel numb afterwards.  Show details

A great car for long trips – The Optima is probably the best handling car I have ever driven, although a little harsh on really rough roads. The interior is conservative, which I like, and all controls operate smoothly and positively. The car has given no problems at all and has been used for trips to Cairns and Melbourne, returning fuel consumption figures between 6.8 and… Read more

7.1 litres per 100 kilometres. Although a little noisy under acceleration, it is very quiet at highway speeds. The longer I own this car the better I like it.

Great safe family car – This car has great handling, and was spacious for our kids. I love how quiet the car is. It did sit a little to low to the ground for my taste. The loved the safety alarms for seat belts and the auto air bag control using weight limit to turn on or off. Glad we rented this car while our car was down. I will be trading my car I'm soon for one of these.  Show details

Love it! – First purchased a Kia Optima about 5 years ago due to it being best bang for your buck in terms of interior & features, & upgraded recently to the Optima turbo GT. Whilst it was a bit pricier, it has the quality of a much more expensive European car. Features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, parking sensors & camera, GPS,… Read more

leather, the list goes on. At first I thought it was a bit tame, but once I found Sport mode I soon changed my mind, it really has some zip. The GPS isn't perfect (but show me one that is...), & some safety alert features need turning off before they drive you insane, but overall it is a very classy drive that has not failed to impress.

Good car, bad company – We love the performance of our OPTIMA as it does everything Kia claims. Mileage on a long trip comes in around 6ltrs per 100 ks driving to speed signage. It handles well but you do hear a lot of road noise especially if your tyres are too hard. The interior would be better if the leather was a light colour as black is a little hot for Australia… Read more

and back seat passengers seem to have a problem putting on their seat belts. The reason we have not given five stars is the rust problem and the fact Kia will not honour their warranty. We have found areas on the body that wasn't even painted so unless you live in Central Australia you are going to experience rust. We love our OPTIMA but we just wish it didn’t have the rust problem.

I Love my Optima – We required to buy a new car and decided on another Kia. This time the Optima Platinum. This vehicle not only looks great but performs and handles well. There is limited road noise and the standard tyres have a lot of grip. The car feels solid. Fuel economy is reasonable with a lot of city driving being 8.7 on Eco. Obviously on the highway it… Read more

performs even better down around the 7.5.

Interior is sporty and comfortable with all the instrumentation easily readable. Even with my height there is still plenty of room for an adult behind the driver.

The only issue I do have is the Bluetooth integration it is not up to scratch which can be annoying at times.

Otherwise I can not fault this vehicle.

I was going to get the turbo version but to have a service every 6 months was a bit rich.

2015 – I have a 2015 Kia Optima SLi which I purchased new in June last year. Overall I like the car with plenty of interior room as well as boot space. The car is comfortable to drive and on a long journey I can get 7.5l/100kms. But there are a couple of things I feel Kia could look at. The side mirrors need a little more protection because when it… Read more

rains the water runs all over them and it is hard to see what is behind you. Also the rear window needs a wiper on all models so again when it rains you can see a bit clear behind you. I think the shockies on mine at least could be upgraded as I compare them to the Camry Altise I use for work seem to be much better than mine.

Style with a bit of substance – The Optima is certainly a good-looker; it has heaps of extras - the reverse camera with sensors is great, otherwise rear vision would be limited. The Sat Nav is awkward - you have to reprogram it on arrival, otherwise it keeps barking at you to turn around, go up a tree or another irritating suggestion. Ride is harsh over speed humps etc but that's part of its sporty set-up. Optima is great for effortless touring.  Show details

Best 4 cylinder sedan – Excellent car I love it as it comes with tons of features. Friends and family love it as well to drive or be passengers. Drives great, smooth to drive, sun and moon roof in black looks fantastic, quick of the line, easy to handle, cheap on fuel as it's a 4 cylinder and looks fantastic wherever you drive it.  Show details

My cousin has a very nice car! – After being with my cousin (who owns this car) I was impressed at how nice it looks, I am a little Bias as I own a Kia Sportage Car did run very well, looks nice inside and out, quiet ride. Running costs are pretty good too. However the car is a little expensive to buy. Kia helps you a lot after sale when you go into their dealer if you want anything.  Show details

Reliable and refined – Purchased new in 2005 and replaced 2012. Traveled 125000km. Always reliable and only item ever to require repair was the globe in the radio, brakes pads at 115k and normal filters ect. Only reason the car was replaced was that it was involved in a head-on crash with a Land-cruiser. The airbags worked and the body absorbed the impact very well.… Read more

(The other car crossed onto the wrong side of the road) Strong and very smooth and quite. Fantastic on Highways

Good – This car is much like the Hyundai sister it joins. The differences are in the sheet metal and the interiors. The Optima has taken hints from Saab for the dashboard. It is well laid out and intuitive. The fit and finish inside is good and the materials are better than average. One thing some reports have indicated is that the seats are not very… Read more ·  4

comfortable. I would rate them average. There is also a bit more blind space than the Hyundai with the Kias larger roof pillars getting into your vision.

The exterior is more conservative than the Hyundai but still up-tempo. Think of it as what an Acura could of been without the gaudy face. The finish of the paint is top notch. You can see and feel this upon inspection. Last but not least is the good warranty and the lower price against less-than-inspiring competitors. Fit and Finish of Interior, Excellent Paint and Warranty. Average seats and visual blind spots

Very good vehicle for the price – 2001 Optima manual 2.5 V6 bought this in 2007 and drove till now. This car was really reliable and economical as V6 engine. 10l/100km mixed, 8l/100km highway. Mechanically very reliable, never gave me any problems. I drove this car from Sydney to Perth in a week(many stop over for nice views!!). some road was unsealed. Never give any problems! so strong car. Reliable and good engine. economical handling is nt that good. so so seat

Excellent – great car will buy again,and recommend to others done 30000ks no problems.Dont like the service centre there slack,dont care attidude. very low noise from engine heaps of extras great value for money.service intervalls 15000ks,good power if you need it thirsty on fuel,but i can cope with it.