The Optima Sportswagon is yet another attempt by Kia to broaden its horizons, and with its
long, estate rear end, it looks to topple the Skoda Superb, Ford Mondeo Estate and Mazda6
Tourer. And I don't know if it's
the most stylish estate on sale, but it does look pretty smart. I mean just look at it, it's amazing.
Especially when you've got those LED headlights beaming at night, it certainly caught the attention of many curious road users.
But the bottom line is, it’s up against some seriously seasoned competition. But can it keep up?
So let’s talk Optima saloon and estate, more specifically, what’s the difference
between the 2 models in terms of practicality? Well, both models have ample leg room, you can even slide
down your seat and extend your legs if you want to – and there is just about enough head room, I mean
your hair might touch the roof a bit. You’ve also got this heavy duty arm rest with two cup holders. So, to be
honest there's not much is difference between the 2 models back here really....until you come to boot space.
You see the saloon has you going round to the boot, just to pull a lever, just to come back around, to pull the seats down.
But the estate gives you the option of having a little handle here for convenience, and for
quick release, you've also got these little levers here that have the seats firing down. Boom. Look at that.
But It’s not just that, you've also got the
40:20:40 folding seats, for extra versatility. You've also got a flat loading surface for long objects. The boot
opening is wider, the loading lip is smaller and lower, you also get this versatile metal skid plate.
And the space is just more useable as well. – with up to 1,686 litres to play around with.
And if you are really anal about practicality you can also get a few things like this
luggage divider which slides back and forth to separate your cargo and you can go for this organised underfloor
storage, which turns your car into a giant cutlery tray.
Smart, intuitive and well-laid out come to mind up front in the cabin – whether it’s
shirt and tie luxurious is up to you, personally I don’t think it’s high-end estate
quality – especially when it comes to woo factor. But for what it lacks in sometimes
unnecessarily flamboyant trimmings, it makes up for with kit, as every model gets a seven-inch
touchscreen with sat nav, a reversing camera, Bluetooth and dual-zone climate control
and models like this flagship GT-Line S get absolutely loads of kit, which
could easily be plucked out of a hgih spec BMW or Jag.
There’s an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you also get autonomous park assist, and a round view monitor.
This black leather apholstery with nice red stitching, wireless phone charging and you also get an
unbelievably impressive Harman Kardon sound system with 8 speakers.
I mean, it's absolutely, unbelievable. I absolutely love it. It's great.
And you know what, storage and practicality up front, is pretty good as well.
You've got cup holders here, nice little sliding mechanism. Loads of centre cubby storage here, you've got
storage under here and decent sized doorbins. So yeah, all round pretty good.
So the sportswagon is better than the saloon on the practicality front, but what about on the road? Well, the two
models aren't actually that different to each other. The Sportswagon’s steering has still
got that variable weight to it, which gives you a bit of extra tautness at a three-quarter
turn - some will like this, some won’t – but yeah, it's still very easy to manoeuvre at lower speeds
and it's nice and accurate. I would stick to normal mode though, because Sport Mode is...well it just ruins it.
The suspension also does a pretty good job, especially on the motorway, although
bigger bumps on country lanes can unsettle it a bit.
The Sportswagon also comes exclusively with the same 1.7-litre turbodiesel, which produces
139bhp and is, like the saloon, appropriately powered for what you’ll likely need it for.
The one thing that stands out though is this seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission,
which can be a bit temperamental – whether that’s a second or two delay when you try and floor it on the motorway for an overtake.
Or when you're coming to a stop, or when you're in traffic edging forward you can just end up bunny hopping a bit.
And if you're doing a lot of motorway driving, the Sportswagon’s 50-55mpg figure will
serve you well, as will its CO2 figure of 120g/km. But what about price?
Well, for this GT—Line S model will cost you £30,000 plus. Now for that
kind of money you could have a well-specced uber luxurious Skoda Superb Laurin and Klement model, which
in my opinion is a better car. But as with a lot of other Kia products, the Optima
Sportswagon remains more of a new, fresh alternative rather than a Superb, Passat or Mondeo-squashing
competitor. And yes, if warranty is a concern, then Kia remains top dog with its seven-year
100,000 mile warranty, which is definitely worth a few brownie points.
But which one you’d rather go for, let us know in the comments section below – and
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