Kia Optima TF (2011-2015)

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

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.

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

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