2016 Kia Optima Test Drive: An Old Dog Learns New Tricks

It’s been five years since Kia(with Car Dvd Player) first brought the Optima onto the scene, and during that time the Korean automaker has experienced uninhibited success with this sharp little sedan. It continues to outsell every other model in their lineup year after year. Long considered “crap” by many Americans, Kia went from being dead last on J.D. Power’s “Initial Quality” list in 2001 to second best this year — only being outdone by Porsche. Korean cars are now a force to be reckoned with. I’ve written multiple articles about how this phenomenon is one of the greatest success stories in auto-making history. I have also been busy driving a bucketload of them to put these claims to the test. From the plucky Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Sport and the track-ready Genesis Coupe R-Spec to the redesigned Sedona minivan and the $67,000 Kia K900, I can attest that there is a lot to be said for Korean cars these days. So, when I got an invitation to drive the latest and greatest turbocharged 2016 Optima SXL in the mountains of Aspen, Colorado, it was game on — except that this time it would be at 12,000 feet above sea level. The Optima has long been a safe bet for anyone looking for a solid sedan in the proper price range. While the simpler, $20,000 LX model continues to be Kia’s best seller, it’s the $34,000 SXL with the 2.0-liter turbo that gets me all giddy. There’s just something about a turbocharged four-door family car that makes me smile, and in the case of something like the Optima, the innovation behind the build is just half the story. According to Kia’s PR people, the 2016 Optima maintains many of the same aesthetics of the outgoing model because buyers have responded so well to the car’s styling that there is little sense in screwing with perfection. The styling changes are quite subtle; for example, the rear taillights now are LED in nature. The car has been widened, lengthened, and raised to accommodate an interior that is now roomier than Accord, Camry, Altima, and Malibu, all while retaining a profile that’s not bulbous in any regard. These new-found proportions not only give the new Optima a larger cabin, but that wider wheelbase is designed to offer better traction than before too. You can enjoy the music or movie by an Android Car Stereo. After an exhausting flight, a relatively sleepless night, and enough caffeine to make me more jittery than Mr. Bean behind the wheel, I set out on my mountainous quest in the all-new Optima. My task: To traverse from Aspen to Vail (along the way bridging the spine of the Continental Divide), have apple cider and pastries at 12,000 feet, and roll back down the other side through boulder-encrusted canyons, abandoned mining towns, and multimillion-dollar winter getaway resorts. It was an adventure that I was fortunate enough to capture on film, and to this day I cannot recall a drive that was more scenic and scary all at once. But first I have to tell you about this dog I found, and her human. It is suggested installing an Android Car Gps in the car.