Kia's Optima stacks up well on paper with petrol electric Plug-in hybrid technology. Does it represent a decent alternative to diesel power? Jonathan Crouch looks at the revised model and tries to decide..
Kia's revised second generation mid-sized Optima model looks particularly sophisticated when fitted with the hybrid technology that the UK was once previously denied. It comes in sophisticated Plug-in form and in this guise, the saloon and Sportswagon estate variants on offer can travel up to 33 miles before the 2.0 GDI petrol engine cuts in.
This revised Optima Plug-in Hybrid is powered by an uprated 11.26kWh lithium-polymer battery pack paired with a 50kW electric motor, allowing it to operate in pure-electric mode for up to 33 miles at speeds as high as 75mph, placing this Kia among the leaders in the Mondeo-class D-segment for pure-electric range. The innovative powertrain employs Kia's efficient 2.0-litre 'Nu' four-cylinder GDI engine at its core, which on its own generates 152bhp and 189Nm of torque. The engine is coupled with the electric motor, which allows the car to operate in charge-sustaining mode once the battery runs out of charge. The powertrain's total power output is 202bhp, with the application of the electric motor facilitating immediate engine response to throttle inputs. With the addition of electric power, the Plug-in Hybrid's total torque output is a high 375Nm, so you shouldn't want from grunt through the gears. Power is applied to the road through the front wheels via a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic gearbox. The 62mph from rest sprint time occupies 9.4s. As for handling, well there will be more involving cars in this segment you could consider, but you'll be buying this car for its technology, not to throw it around.
This PHEV derivative comes either as a saloon or as a Sportwagon estate and it looks quite a bit pricier now that the government no longer offers a £2,500 grant towards purchase. You'll need a budget of around £34,000 to get yourself this Optima Plug-in hybrid in saloon form - or around £35,000 if you want the Sportwagon estate variant (also available in plusher 'PHEV Plus' form for around £39,000). These figures still usefully undercut a rival Volkswagen Passat GTE Plug-in hybrid. You get a wide range of electronic safety features too, things like Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, High Beam Assist, a Lane Keeping Assist System, Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Plus of course all the usual features you'd expect to find on a car of this class, things like alloy wheels, dual-projection headlamps with static cornering lights and LED daytime running lights, UV-reducing tinted solar glass, auto headlamps and wipers, heated power-folding mirrors, front and rear parking sensors and an alarm. Inside, there's a 7-inch infotainment screen incorporating satellite navigation, a six-speaker DAB stereo, Bluetooth 'phone compatibility and a reversing camera. Plus dual automatic air conditioning, USB and Aux-in ports, cruise control with a speed limiter, powered lumbar support for the driver's seat, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, a leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel, a trip computer and a clever automatic defogging system.
We can understand why Kia didn't offer hybrid technology in the first generation version of this Optima. Back then, it didn't really offer enough to prise buyers away from diesel power. With Plug-in power though, things are different. No, it won't really work for high mileage company buyers - or those without access to garage charging facilities. For everyone else though, this is a car that might well make sense if you can make the ongoing figures work for you and finance the slightly higher up-front asking price. It's nice to see this approach provided a little more cost-effectively in this segment.
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