Kia Optima
 (3/5)
expert rating
 (4.5/5)
owner rating
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Kia Optima TF Facelift (2014-Present) Owner Review

Share your experiences with the Kia Optima - Write an owner review

Do you own the Kia Optima? As the owner, you have literally sat in the driver's seat and discovered the ups and downs as you go about your everyday life.

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11 Owner Reviews
Date Reviewed
2 June 2023
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Zul
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 8 Years
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,500 km/month
    The look and the tech
    Feels underpowered. Driving feels not so good. The gearbox tends to hold the gear
To Improve
Driving feels. Turbo engine
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
8 March 2016
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
eng wah
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 16.5 km/litre (6.1 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 2,000 km/month
    For me, this is the most advance and optimum design ever have by Kia, is truly amazing. All parts/sections are comprehensively considered and are well delivered. I have driven few D-segment cars before, and for me, this is the best one. Just base on this FL design, the ice cube fog lamp has beaten all the competitors. Besides, the comfort inside the car during driving is really unexpected, very nice. Furthermore, the car is really quiet and can enjoy the ride all the ways. Up to date, i did not face any trouble with this car. Some more, the car is really fuel efficient. All depend on how you care for the car.
    Sometimes just can hear the sunroof have slight knocking sound and there is no phone charge behind the seats, the rest are standard.
To Improve
Should have the navigator, phone charger behind (passenger seats), air-conditioner controller (passenger seats behind), blind spot detection, auto-parking.
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
16 May 2015
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
holo
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 10.5 km/litre (9.5 L/100 km), RON95
    I have only driven the following non-Malaysian cars extensively :

    - 2008 Accord and Civic, 2011 Civic and 2013 Accord
    - 2010 Teana and 2013 Teana
    - F30 320i, E9 320i. Only SAT in F10 so far :(
    - 1.6 Elantra and 1.6 Cerato.
    - 2012 Camry

    Therefore my review of the Kia Optima will be based on comparing the list of cars I have driven above.

    First things first, the Kia Optima's got absolutely nothing to rival the BMW F30 or F10 in any metric whatsoever. Rear legroom doesn't count since nobody buys a BMW to ferry people around and in terms of comfort it is only VERY slightly better than the F30. Having sat in an F10 I feel as if my K5 was a Proton LOL.

    In anycase, the Kia Optima costs approx ~143k at the time I bought it. When taking into consideration the equipment levels, performance, comfort AND space, there is quite frankly nothing else in the Malaysian market to rival the value that the Optima delivers. I entered the car buying market with the intention of getting a 2011 Honda Civic, only to realize how poorly valued and underequipped the civic is in comparison to ANY C and D segment in the market. (Except Renault Fluence and Suzuki Kizashi which can't be taken seriously).

    I wish to make it clear that the Kia Optima is NOT the best car in the market, it is simply the best bang for the buck for an average Malaysian car buyer :D.

    Performance is more than adequate for non aggresive driving as the 80-120kmh takes approximately 6~7 seconds when flooring it. Blasting from left lane crawl (around 40kmh) to its top speed of 210kmh along in the car is just a hair under a minute (58 seconds) so its really 'enough' for our Malaysian roads ^^.

    Hafriz wasnt joking in the DRIVEN episode when he said that the gearbox changes gears really slowly...Its obviously set-up for city/fuel efficiency and even more so when Eco is turned on. 'Eco' however, does make the throttle slow but eerily smooth, providing a rather pleasant and cute ride during mornings and late night drives.

    (I am not going to comment on DRIVEN's depiction of the Kia Optima's NVH however. As one who drives and regularly sits in my dad's 2013 Accord, both cars have identical NVH so use your own judgement on how paultan reviews cars. We raised an eyebrow when the K5's NVH was exaggerated to that level.)

    The SEATS. Oh gawd the seats is so comfortable! The thickness of the seats both for driver and rear passengers are a joy for small sized people like me (I am 5 ' 7). Rear legroom is HUGE but footwell is somewhat narrow for sportshoes and heels due to the mechanical contraption beneath driver seats. The 2013 Teana has much softer(comfortable too) seats in comparison, but is angled in a 'sleep' position that isn't conducive to driving.

    While not necessarily an indicator of amazing durability (but something worth mentioning), a daydreaming Inspira reversed onto me at 30~40kmh, causing a 1cm crack on my front grille which I have not bothered to replace to this day (It's still the same shape so why bother). The Inspira's bumper on the other hand decoupled from the right fasteners however.

    In car ambience is something to be experienced with on a personal level to appreciate. Despite this being a 'budget' 143k D-segmenter, I have gone on pointless drives for pleasure late in the night or early mornings simply for the fun of it. The way the red lights provide minimal illumination in the dark of night coupled with the bright, crystal-like refraction of the white odometers serves as a cozy place to be in when driving alone. Be an opportunist and open the moonroof when the environment permits it, and you will find great joy with this car..AND your special partner >:)

    After-sales service feels weird. You know that Kia is simply an average brand at best yet the after-sales service from dealers and service centres treats you like a king. While exemplary, the over-the-top treatment makes me cringe at times :P. I rather be treated as a normal customer thank you very much :3

    Overall the best jack of all trades car. You won't feel like you overpaid or underpaid for anything, has decent looks to make you happy and will serve to stand the test of time now that all other automakers are going for aggressive looks.
    Steering AND pedal feel is absolutely pathetic in comparison to my mom's Hyundai Elantra. The Kia Optima's steering is ridiculously light, so much so that you can make a u-turn using your INDEX FINGER. Accelerator pedal has too little resistance causing you to rev higher than normal when in a rush (I keep hitting 3k rev in city/town driving by accident). Of all the cars I have driven, the Elantra's ultra tight brake and throttle pedal coupled with the heavy steering is a true pleasure to drive!

    The Infinity sound system while great for Orchestral and epic soundtracks with its amazing bass level, sometimes causes the speakers to rattle when the volume is too high. Oh well.

    Something must be wrong with the Snow White Pearl paint on Kia's cars. Unlike Honda and Toyota's white colors, the Optima's White paint is FAR TOO GLARING when under the sun! It reflects way too much light for the car to be seen directly at times. In this respect, H&T's pearl white paint are easier to the eyes in a sunny afternoon.
To Improve
-Kia should provide a more responsive gearshift and throttle mapping for the Optima
-Increase resistance on the pedals and reduce power assist for the steering. It truly is too light!
-Spare parts such as fuel line clips took too long to arrive (3 weeks from Seoul ._.). Seems like Kia only stocks up the major parts but not the small parts in its local warehouses.
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
20 August 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Shyin
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 8.5 km/litre (11.8 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,500 km/month
    -Premium feel inside Optima , Value for the money at this price range .
    -High spec inside with alot of features , most probably you have alot button to press when u stuck on traffic jam.
    -6 Airbags with lot safety feature.
    -Good leg room for rear seat
    -Rear & Front view is stunning good .
    -Underpower on 2000kg car ? don't worry , it has Eco mode , Normal mode & Sport mode . Normal mode will serve u good enough for daily ride .
    -Fuel Efficiency on Eco mode (City+Highway) roughly 8.0 litre / 100km , Normal mode around 9.0 litre/ 100km , while Sports mode can reach 11.0 litre/100km
    -Features like , Heat/Cooling seat , Cooling drawer (can store cans drink inside) , sunroof , full leather , paddle shift , LED light , Reverse camera etc .
    - HU is too small , 4.3" and without GPS . But can replace at accessories shop with 7" inch screen , but gonna cost u more than RM2000
    - Nexen Tyre perform so-so only .
To Improve
-Bigger HU
-Better Tyre
-SC getting better , but still got space to improve .
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
19 June 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Kevin
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 8.0 km/litre (12.5 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
    - Value for money
    - Well equiped with latest features like ventilated seats, driver memory seat, touch screen, rear view camera, front sensor.
    - Sporty among D-segment car
    - Fuel Efficiency
    - Underpower vary depends on your foot. If drive with race mode, then you have no problem on underpower
    - Perfect car for target audience age 20-35.
    - Car speaks young, active, energy
    - Suspension hard
    - Road noise cause by stock tyre
    - Small infotainment screen no GPS
To Improve
- Improve handling
- Turbo / GDI Engine will be best option
- Bigger infotainment system with GPS
- Reduce road noise
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
1 June 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Eric
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,500 km/month
    Mine is pre facelift model with NU CVVL
    - Elegant and aggressive look
    - Well Specs (Big sunroof, big wheel, good sound systems..etc)
    - Satefy features (6 Airbags, VSC, Good small overlap crash test)
    - Best value for money
    - knocking sound from the front suspension when going through hump (can be fixed by SC, yet to send)
    - Noticeable road noise at higher speed (>60km/h)
    - Wind-whistle at high speed (>120km/h)
To Improve
- Better torque would be the most welcome
- Noise isolation
- Slight creaking noise when travelling with sunroof cover opened
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
23 May 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Dureshwaran
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 9.0 km/litre (11.1 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 3,500 km/month
    The Handling
    The awesome looks
    Paddle shifters
    8 speaker Infinity Sound system with a subwoofer
    Very bumpy ride due to large 18' stock rims
    Under torqued
    Lack of front sensor in the pre FL version
To Improve
The FL version has front sensors
The ride has different modes in the FL
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
22 May 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Eng Loon
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 3,000 km/month
    - Full of features to play that up to European luxury cars standard
    - Soft touch material
    - Large cabin
    - Driving mode - power boost when using sport mode
    - New instruments cluster
    - Gear rev too high for low gear
    - Loud engine noise when in high rev
    - Some bad smell from aircon when AC is turned off
    - Small touch screen
To Improve
- Add in larger touch screen for Asia market
- Could be better tuning in engine and gear
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
21 May 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Calvin
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 13.5 km/litre (7.4 L/100 km), RON95
    Amazing equipment for its price
    Reasonable Fuel consumption (ranges from 6.8L/100km to 10L/100km depending on how you drive)
    Very good In Car Entertainment System (Infinity Sound System)
    Feels very stable at speeds and cornering
    Car gives an almost faultless ownership experience thus far, with very little to complain about
    Lacks front sensors
    Lacks an in-built GPS unit

To Improve
An in-built GPS with a large colour display
A more powerful engine because increase in performance is never a thing to say no to
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
20 May 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
SooHean
2.0 (2014)
Bought used, Owned for 2 Years
Fuel Economy: 14.0 km/litre (7.1 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
    Optima K5 is awesome! Very stylist, nice looking car! Handing also fantastic! Just perfectly build! Great job Kia!!!
    I think nothing is bad on K5!
To Improve
If there are a hybrid engine should be more awesome, you know, go green!
Yes, I would recommend this car
Date Reviewed
20 May 2014
Performance
Ride & Handling
Comfort
Safety
Space
Value
Mai Woon
2.0 (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 10.0 km/litre (10.0 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 3,000 km/month
    - Sporty Outlook
    - Plenty of Accessories
    - Value of Money
    - Braking Noise, claimed to be common by Service Centre
    - Bumpy due to low profile tyres
    - Random Squeaky Sound
To Improve
- Improve Service Centre Performance
- More Servie Centre
Yes, I would recommend this car

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