I admit it, I am now in LOVE with Kia. I have been a very loyal Nissan owner ever since I was a teenager and after driving 2 different Kias, I am seriously considering switching my loyalties!!!
This time I was given the opportunity to drive the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid for a week and once again, I didn't want to give it back when I was done. I will say for MY personal lifestyle I would pick the 2012 Kia Sorrento SX that I got to review a month or so ago because of the fact that it seats 7 and this car seats only 5, however I just LOVE the fact that you get 35 mpg city and 40 mpg highway with this 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. My van gets only half that which means over the life of this vehicle, I could save a TON of money buying less gas !!! ** It even set the Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption by a gasoline hybrid car traveling through all 48 contiguous US states.
When I first got the car, the gas tank was full and when I switched over to the screen that showed how many miles til empty I was SHOCKED to find that it said "Distance to Empty: 553 miles". I was determined to try to empty the tank during the week I had the car but it was next to impossible. We even drove to places we normally would not go to because they were "too far" (like downtown Disney just to walk around and window shop).
It was really fun to watch the screen which showed the car switching back and forth between the battery mode and the engine mode. When you come to a light and are just sitting, the car switches over to the battery which is how it saves so much gas. Once you start to drive, the car will switch back to using gas. It was a very smooth transition with only a very slight hesitation (I probably noticed it more because I have such a "lead foot")
The next thing that caught my eyes was just how "sharp" this car looked. The 17? alloy wheels, rear lip spoiler and LED tail lights made this vehicle look classy!!!
Looking good however is not nearly as important to me as safety and the 2012 Kia Optima got 5 stars in government safety ratings on front crash, rollover and rear seat side crash tests. It comes with dual front advanced airbags, front seat mounted side airbags and full length side curtain air bags plus lower anchors and tethers for car seats, 3-point seatbelts for ALL seat positions, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control system (TCS), electronic stability control (ESC), hill start assist control (HAC) and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
Starting the Kia Optima was a breeze with the push button start and the thing that I found that I think I loved the most is that you don't need a key to lock and unlock your doors. You just keep a remote "smart key" in your purse or pocket and it will detect that it is close-by and you just push a button to lock or unlock the doors. That is so much easier than digging through my giant purse to find my keys that sank to the bottom. Also you can NOT lock your smart key in your vehicle, it will beep to let you know and it will just not lock until the smart key is out of the vehicle.
A feature that I wish I had in my van is the rear camera display and "warning system" so that if something is behind your vehicle, not only will you be able to see it, the car will beep to let you know. I really like this because my kids are always leaving their bikes on the sidewalk behind my vehicle and one day I know I am going to back over one. With this fabulous camera feature, I would never have to worry about that at all.
No need to worry about forgetting to turn off your lights and running down your car battery… just keep the setting on "auto" and it will detect when to turn the lights on and off as needed.
The kids once again LOVED the front seat sunroof and the 2rd row moonroof; they keep telling me how we really need to get one in our van LOL!!! Other fabulous features of this vehicle are cruise control, power windows, power door locks and power outside mirrors, bluetooth wireless technology, heated and air-cooled front seats, heated back seats and a heated leather wrapped steering wheel which is great for cold winter mornings when your hands feel like ice.
Of course having the navigation system w/ SIRIUS traffic and the SIRIUS satellite radio along with the Infinity surround sound audio system was a true luxury. The kids loved that Radio Disney comes in so clearly in this car and I loved the Pearl Jam radio station. Plus the 2012 Kia Optima will even come with a complimentary 3-month SIRIUS subscription included.
If you have 2 regular drivers, this vehicle has "2 driver memory seats and mirrors" which will allow you to switch back to your own personalized settings with just a touch of a button. Perfect for families that have one driver that is much taller than the other (or just has longer legs).
This fully loaded 2012 Kia Optima retails for $32,500 (base price is only $26,450) and will come with a 10 year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty, a 5 year/60,000 mile limited basic warranty, and a 5 year/60,000 mile roadside assistance.
Courtesy of Who Said Nothing in Life is Free? (Blog)
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