2014 Kia Optima EU-Version - Review and Design

2014 Kia Optima EU-Version. Safer, quieter, plusher, more comfortable and even more sharply styled than ever - Kia's hugely successful saloon, the Optima (known as 'K5' in the Korean domestic market) has undergone a facelift for the 2014 model year which makes it an even more compelling proposition.

As before, the Optima is configured to appeal to the UK business community. It is being sold with just one engine - a 134bhp version of Kia's smooth and efficient 1.7-litre U2 diesel - while all three specification options contain every essential for the business user.

Ever since launch the Optima has offered features previously unattainable on a Kia, including a high-end Infinity audio system as standard on the upper two trim grades. It delivers 550W of stunning sound through 12 speakers in eight different locations throughout the car, including a boot-mounted sub-woofer. Smart Park Assist, heated and cooled ventilated seats, cornering lights and an automatic cabin defogging system are also available.

In the 2014 Optima, there are more high end features added - dependant on model - by Drive Mode Select for the automatic transmission, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keep Assist and Tyre Pressure Monitoring. There are new, more supportive seats; restyled 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels for all grades; and new key fobs which are more premium in appearance. Smart Entry with ignition stop/start is standard on upper-grade versions.

Kia's shift from a purely rational brand to one which is design-driven is typified by the Optima. This 'must have' quality is enhanced in the 2014 model by subtle but significant changes front and rear which sharpen the external appearance and give the Optima even more of the crispness of a fine Italian suit - the phrase which Group President and Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer used to sum up the car at its introduction.

There are new-style headlamp units incorporating LED daytime running lamps. They blend into a revised version of the Kia 'tiger-nose' grille featuring a bolder central section. The lower air intake has been reshaped and on the top spec are housed in a chrome trim, while the front foglights - LED with the upper two trim grades - adopt the 'ice-cube' design first seen on the pro_cee'd GT.

At the rear there is a crisper edge on the boot lid and restyled lamp units, also LED on all but the entry-level model, which lend the Optima a more premium appearance.

There are no changes to the elegant profile of the Optima, but new alloy wheels - 17 inches in diameter on the entry-grade model and 18 inches on all others - are now fitted which give the car an added air of sportiness. Along with dynamic dampers added to the rear cross member, additional sealants on the dashboard and upgraded carpeting, they help to reduce noise in the cabin by 3.3 decibels.

From the outset it was clear that the Optima was a seismic shift in design for mid-size Kia saloons. Previous models were created during a transitional period for the company and sold under different names in different parts of the world. They were rational, functional and offered outstanding value, but they lacked any real identity. The Optima changed all that.

It was created by Kia's design teams in Frankfurt and California and unveiled at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Immediately it began to draw praise. 'Gorgeous' and 'the best car to come out of Korea yet' were among the comments made, and these were to be repeated when the Optima made its European debut at the Paris Salon de l'Auto later that year.

In 2011 the Optima was named 'Best of the Best' in Germany's Red Dot design competition, which attracted nearly 4,500 product entries, and not only from the automotive sector. It also won an iF Product Design Award in Germany. Both are ringing endorsements of Kia's decision to place design at the heart of everything it does.

The Optima was a clean-sheet design - longer, lower and wider than any previous Kia mid-size saloon, with a longer wheelbase and a coupé-like profile, emphasised by its cab-back proportions, shallow glasshouse and the sweeping chrome arch that flows from the A- to the C-pillars. It combines muscular proportions with elegant simplicity.

For the 2014 Optima those qualities are enhanced by subtle but significant changes front and rear which sharpen the external appearance and give the car even more of the crispness of a fine Italian suit - the phrase which Group President and Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer used to sum up the Optima at its introduction.

There are new-style headlamp units incorporating LED daytime running lamps. They blend into a revised version of the Kia 'tiger-nose' grille featuring a bolder central section with black mesh grille on the Optima '1' and '2' and high-gloss black mesh grille on Optima '3'. All versions have dual projection headlights, and in the Optima 3 these are Xenon with automatic levelling. The lower air intake has been reshaped and now houses a chrome trim, while the front foglights - LED with the upper two trim grades - adopt the 'ice-cube' design first seen on the pro_cee'd GT.

At the rear there is a crisper edge on the boot lid and restyled lamp units, also LED on all but the entry-level model, which lend the Optima a more premium appearance. Optima '3' has a rear diffuser trim and all versions have a chromed exhaust tip.

There are no changes to the elegant profile of the Optima, but new alloy wheels - 17 inches in diameter on the entry-grade model and 18 inches on all others - are now fitted which give the car an added air of sportiness. Along with dynamic dampers added to the rear cross member, additional sealants on the dashboard and upgraded carpeting, they help to reduce noise in the cabin by 3.3 decibels.

High, pronounced shoulders flow seamlessly between the sculpted front and rear light clusters, giving the Optima a strong appearance that is reflected in the broad C-pillar which rises from the shoulder line, and the bold flared wheel arches. There are grey-painted brake calipers on Optima '3' versions.

The coupé-like profile not only enhances the sensation of dynamism within the car, it also brings improvements in aerodynamic efficiency. The drag co-efficient is Cd 0.29.

Aggressive, elevated bonnet lines give the car a bold, athletic shape, while the decision to mount the Kia badge on the bonnet is a symbol that the Optima is a premium-quality saloon.