The redesign of the 2016 Kia Optima improves an already good car. There are things that could be better, but Kia has done a largely good job in keeping the Optima competitive in the midsize sedan market.
Related: Kia Announces Prices for 2016 Optima
I tested a 2016 Kia Optima SXL for several hours around Aspen, Colo., over the Continental Divide and through Vail in a mix of winding mountain roads and interstate highway stretches.
How It Drives
For most of the drive, per Kia's request, I put the Optima in Sport mode to account for the high altitude. I switched between Sport and Normal mode to get a sense of the changes between the modes. The Sport mode changes the transmission and steering response. The steering was heavier, but it wasn't a workout. I preferred how the steering felt in this mode. I wouldn't rate the Optima in the same league as a luxury performance sedan like a BMW, but it's good for the non-luxury, non-performance class. The transmission also seemed to hold onto lower gears longer and helped provide more immediate response in Sport mode.
In Normal mode, the transmission will quickly kick down gears and, because it's a six-speed model as opposed to an eight- or nine-speed transmission, the downshifts happen quickly. The transmission doesn't hunt as the eight- and nine-speed models typically do, and it also doesn't produce the odd "un-mechanical/elastic" response of a continuously variable automatic transmission that other models in the class use. The power steering is much lighter than in Sport mode and is a touch overboosted for my liking. It's almost like a video game in that you don't get the predictable response of the best steering setups.
Kia said the engine was retuned for 2016 with a smaller turbo and a torque curve that produces more torque at lower engine speeds. The old engine's tuning, Kia admitted, would provide the most power in a sudden surge that occurred higher in the rev range. This new model uses a smaller turbo and feels "gruntier" with a broader power range. It's a good change. Winding through the tight roads was not when I wanted a "sudden surge" of anything.
2016 Kia Optima; Cars.com photo by Bill Jackson
How It Rides
The ride is impressive. Our drive consisted of some fairly bumpy roads and the Optima felt composed and predictable. The Optima did a good job of isolating the ripples and undulations and dealt with all but the biggest bumps well. Kia said it reworked the chassis to include a different mix of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel, as well as altered the suspension geometry and components to improve the chassis dynamics. The work has paid off.
The Optima is also a quiet car. Wind noise was negligible and there was also little road noise that came into the cabin. Kia said the chassis changes that helped improve the car's dynamics were also aimed at reducing cabin noise, vibration and harshness and, here again, the work seems to have paid off.
2016 Kia Optima; Cars.com photo by Bill Jackson
Interior
Front seat occupants can rejoice because they now have basically the same seat controls as the driver, including height adjustment, so those of short stature can see down the road better. And it's not just for the highest trim levels: On an Optima LX I took for a quick jaunt, the passenger's manual seat also had a height adjustment. I did notice, however, that the lumbar support on the passenger side in the SXL isn't height-adjustable as it is for the driver.
Kia said the center controls are canted toward the driver, but not so far that I couldn't easily adjust the climate controls or read the navigation from the passenger seat. In fact, if Kia hadn't told me the controls were angled toward the driver, I doubt I would have noticed.
Overall, the interior's design is OK, but it's let down by a design decision that I just don't think works.Kia designed the dashboard so that there's a clear, horizontal line marked with a trim piece. Above the line is a touch-screen. Below the line are physical controls. It almost works, except that passengers are faced with a broad expanse of empty dashboard that I just didn't find pleasing. That I also didn't like the graining/texture of the dashboard didn't help. This was less of an issue when I was driving, but still, as a passenger, I wasn't impressed.
In terms of materials, the top-of-the-line SXL had padding where you want it and in general felt like it measured up to the class. A nit that I have to pick is I didn't like the horn button - something about the plastic graining and its round shape stuck out in bad way. It just didn't look as rich as I wanted it to.
There's good room for the front-seat passenger; I never felt pinned in or bumped elbows with my driving partner. There's also a nice selection of bins and cubbies for things like water bottles, phones and notebooks.
The backseat room is competitive with the class. With the driver's seat set where I'd want it, I had plenty of backseat room for my legs. My knees were raised slightly, but I don't think it'd be intolerable for a long-ish drive. It's certainly no worse than other midsize cars I've been in lately. Headroom is also good, even with the panoramic moonroof on the SXL model I drove.
The New Model
For 2016, Kia added a new engine to the Optima mix. It's a 178-horsepower, turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that is paired up with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
I drove an LX 1.6 T with the turbo engine for just a quick jaunt up and down a hilly route at the end of the day's activities. I didn't have enough time in the car to pass full judgment on the powertrain, but I wasn't bowled over.
Perhaps because of the hills, it seemed sluggish off line, but once it got moving, it got with the program and provided better response. The shifts felt pretty smooth but didn't happen as quickly as I was expecting. My driving partner described it as "lazy" and that echoes my initial impression of the powertrain. Further testing is warranted, because other Cars.com staffers who tested the same engine had the opposite impression.
The LX 1.6T trim still seemed like a quiet car. And the cloth seats felt supportive and high quality, but I wasn't as sold on how the cloth looked. It's not terrible, but I wouldn't put it at the top of the segment. The overall look of the interior -- the stitching and horizontal segmentation of the dashboard -- remains and, while it's not as opulent as the SXL version, still looks presentable.
The LX 1.6T gets an EPA-estimated 28/39/32 mpg city/highway/combined. For comparison, the SXL models get 22/32/25 mpg.
Given its overall refinement, and especially the mileage figures, I could see it winning a lot of converts for the economically minded buyers. But, like I said, I want more time than a 15-minute jog to pass judgment on the new package of the LX 1.6T trim with the turbo 1.6-liter engine.
In the Market
The 2016 Optima redesign is a good effort that sits near the top of the class. Highlights include the improved chassis and the overall interior quality. And, while I didn't like some of the interior design choices and I wasn't blown away by the newest engine, there's nothing in what I saw to suggest that Kia has screwed up the Optima. That's significant when you're dealing with a car that was already good to start with. Look for a deeper dive on the trim levels, as well as Car Seat Checks and more details in our upcoming Expert Review.
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