Kia Optima

The 2011 Optima was a mammoth leap forward for Kia, replacing the Magentis mid-size sedan. Love or hate the styling, it was undeniably attention-grabbing. Add to the list Australian-developed suspension and handling, a ton of standard features, a five-year/ unlimited mileage warranty and excellent refinement levels, and the Optima made for a compelling case.

The Kia was launched with just one highly specified ‘Platinum’ model retailing from $36,990 plus on-road costs. This stand-alone variant came equipped with 18-inch flush-faced alloy wheels, static cornering Xenon headlights, full black leather trim, dual-zone climate-control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, six airbags, active front head restraints and seatbelt reminders for all five occupants.

Also standard was eight-way power seat adjustment with two memory positions and ventilation for the driver, a four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated front seats, a 3.5-inch colour TFT instrument panel display for the seven-function trip computer, eight-speaker Infinity six-CD sound system with MP3, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and a three-piece full-width panoramic sunroof.

The Optima’s 148kW250Nm 2.4-litre engine sent to the car from 0-100km/h in 9.0, with claimed combined fuel consumption of 7.9 litres.