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Impressed? By a KIA?

GTaudiophile

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Depends on how much it will cost...

(Autoblog: First Drive)

2011_kia_optima_f34_fd_902102_815.jpg
 
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I've been pleasantly surprised by a cheap import before. It was a Hyundai, had it as a rental and I would actually consider purchasing one if I was going to buy that type of car.

I've also been surprised by a Kia. Other end of the spectrum though, absolutely hated it. The picture looks good, but I personally would never own one.

The first time I ever saw one I thought someone was playing around and tagged there car with KIA Killed In Action to be funny.
 
God the nose of that thing looks like a fucking monstrosity, the sonata is a much much much much nicer looking car.
 
Meh. Not interested, Kia. Thanks for trying though.

I see this Optima as a properly refreshed version of the outgoing Optima; it looks and is new and updated, but it doesn't push any boundaries. It doesn't have that zing which the Cruze, Malibu, Taurus, or Fiesta have. It's still a Kia, and still an Optima.
 
Looks nice, although my friend has a Kia Sedona with 79k miles on it and it makes noises and crap.

I will say this... the new Forte looks really nice, unlike other manufacturers who are keep making their otherwise good looking cars uglier.
 
I think this is one of those cars that has to be seen in person and only should be sold in certain colors. I bet this thing in black, and in person is pretty damn sharp. Could also use a different set of wheels. I didn't like that style when VW/Audi used it. Didn't like it when honda used it. Don't like it on the Kia's either.
 
I bought a 2003 Kia Spectra New back then for 6000.00 Cash. I used it while commuting to Dallas, Tx instead of putting miles on my Jeep.

I ended up after changing Jobs giving the car to my broke ass sister in law.
2010 This Kia has 120,000 Miles give or take a 100 or so, and still (knock on wood) is running great.

I truly didn't think it would last that long...
 
This would actually look really nice with a normal grille and normal wheels for a day to day car. I hope this is not what the production model is supposed to look like though.
 
JulesMaximus said:
My wife had a 2009 Kia recently while her car was in the shop...it was a complete piece of shit.
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We have a ton of Fortes at work. They're alright. Certainly not as bad as the Cobalts they replaced. But yeah, they're not great. Once they hit 40k km, they're done.

We just got a Soul and a Sorrento in. I was a little surprised by the Soul. Certainly a lot better than I thought it would be. Would I buy one? No. It's like a Rio5 posing as an SUV.
 
are you kidding I love the new Acura front.

OP: I've been impressed lately with the Kia Soul (the back looks pretty cool) and the Hyundai Sonatas and Genesis. Nice looking cars.
 
soccerballtux said:
are you kidding I love the new Acura front.

OP: I've been impressed lately with the Kia Soul (the back looks pretty cool) and the Hyundai Sonatas and Genesis. Nice looking cars.
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I think you're about the only person in the world who loves the new Acura front.
 
soccerballtux said:
are you kidding I love the new Acura front.

OP: I've been impressed lately with the Kia Soul (the back looks pretty cool) and the Hyundai Sonatas and Genesis. Nice looking cars.
Click to expand...

I just picked up a 2011 Soul on lease. I'm really enjoying it. To me, Kia is the new Saturn - your basic econobox on a budget. I like the color (green) & shape, plus I'm averaging 29mpg, which is pretty nice for what is essentially a micro SUV. My only complaints so far is that the ride is a bit stiff and it has some rather large blindspots. It's a lot more solid on the highway than my wife's Honda Fit though, which is nice.

I have a growing respect for Kia. They seem to be putting out quality cars nowadays. Again, these are the new Saturns - cheap, but with some nice features. I don't think I would ever get a Kia sports car or luxury car, though...to me, Kia is squarely in the sub-$20k car market, at least perception-wise.
 
I bought a Sorento SUV 4+ years ago .. only put 24k+ on it so far and, other than oil changes, I haven't needed to do a thing to it. Runs smoothly, no knocks or body noises, so I am very satisfied for my $$.

It all came down to the price for me. I paid about 23k for it as a leftover '05 with every option you could get and the odometer at 425m. It stickered at 30,015 new so it was clearly the cheapest new vehicle that fit my practicality needs.
 
Kaido... We recently bought a Soul ! and its the alien color as well... It was for the wife and she loves the heck out of it... Also we checked out the Honda FIT and the Scion xD and a few others in that same basic class and I agree the ride is a tad harsh but the feel of the car is like its quite solid... I like the warranty and after talking with a few other Kia owners here local they all agree Kia service is really good or has been for those that have needed it...

Also I`m a mechanic of 30+ years and was kinda sceptical of a Kia but have a brother in law that has a 2008 Kia Rondo with 200K miles, they drive all over the state with their jobs and not a problem one till recently the A/C went out... Ended up being the pressure switch so was a very cheap fix...


As for the frontend of most any new car... Each to his own (but most suck anyhow)
 
Bartman39 said:
Kaido... We recently bought a Soul ! and its the alien color as well... It was for the wife and she loves the heck out of it... Also we checked out the Honda FIT and the Scion xD and a few others in that same basic class and I agree the ride is a tad harsh but the feel of the car is like its quite solid... I like the warranty and after talking with a few other Kia owners here local they all agree Kia service is really good or has been for those that have needed it...

Also I`m a mechanic of 30+ years and was kinda sceptical of a Kia but have a brother in law that has a 2008 Kia Rondo with 200K miles, they drive all over the state with their jobs and not a problem one till recently the A/C went out... Ended up being the pressure switch so was a very cheap fix...
Click to expand...

Nice!! :biggrin:

I really like my Soul. My wife went with a Honda Fit, which does have a nicer ride (although compacts are always kinda stiff, like over speedbumps), but it's more squirrley at high speeds. The Soul has a much more stable ride. I like the back seats in the Fit more - the fold both up (4' vertical room) and down (completely flat), but the Soul has a bit more room inside, so it makes up the rear seat differences. Also the Soul is more roomy - you are very compact in a Honda Fit, in the driver's seat. I also like sitting up a bit higher on the road.

I've never had a Kia before. We were big Saturn fans for a good 10 or 15 years, until they went out of business. I didn't want an orphan car, so I traded in my '05 ION (loved that car!) and went with the Soul. It's a really, REALLY fun car. It does get a fair amount of attention, and I like being able to instantly find it in a parking lot. I think green is definitely "the" color for the car too 😀
 
Who are you guys kidding? The new Optima looks gorgeous compared to the sea of crap in the midsized market. Modern and stylish, if a little derivative. I bet it looks great on the road.
 
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