With the Optima GT, Kia is aiming to join the sporty set. When it comes to Britain in just under a year, the 242bhp saloon and estate will be the most powerful cars the Korean company has ever sold here.
The power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine driving the front wheels. It allows a 0-62 time of 7.4 seconds and a top speed, for all that such a thing is relevant, of 149mph, taking Kia into territory that might be some way off its premium rivals but certainly demonstrates how far the company has come.
The engine gets things going briskly so long as you keep the revs high enough. Doing so provokes a faintly embarrassing level of synthesised noise from the Active Sound System – Kia isn't alone in using this trick, but no-one else we can think of has laid it on this thick nor made it sound so overdone.
We're not fans of the standard-fit six-speed auto, either. It doesn't respond quickly enough to suit a performance car, and trying to take control manually can provoke downshifts that take forever and, when they finally happen, come in abruptly. It's better when you're pottering along, but didn't someone say this is meant to be a performance car?
The models we've driven so far weren't on UK-spec suspension or tyres, so we're not going to second-guess what the GT's ride and handling will be like by the time it gets here. Body control was good enough to suggest they've got a decent platform to work from, though.
When it does come here, the Optima GT will have stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, bigger brakes and more responsive steering than the standard model. So there are plenty of areas in which Kia can make it sportier. As it stands, they've had a go at the cabin – where beyond the usual spacious, comfy, well kitted fare we found that the GT-badged seats don't really hold you in place the way you'd like them to.Source
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