2016 Kia Optima 1.6T

When it debuted at the New York auto show in 2010, the now-outgoing Kia Optima wowed spectators with its attenuated roofline and determined visage, penned under the direction of design boss Peter Schreyer. That Optima established Kia’s current design language, and the new, 2016 version doesn’t stray far from the script, with the tiger-nose grille, the arc of chrome along the roof edge, and the beltline that sweeps up at the rear. Details may have changed, and the car is 1.1 inches wider and a bit longer, but no one will confuse the new car with anything but an Optima.

Enter the Wee Turbo

Two of the three available engines carry over. The mainstay 2.4-liter four-cylinder is a naturally aspirated unit making 185 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque; it’s found under the hood of the base LX and the mid-level EX. At the top end, the 2.0-liter turbo returns brandishing 245 horsepower and 260 lb-ft; it powers the SX and the SXL. Both get a six-speed automatic. New to the party is the engine in our test car: a 1.6-liter turbo four married to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Its 178-hp output is the lowest of the group, but its 195 lb-ft of torque betters the 2.4-liter.

Available only in the LX 1.6T, the 1.6-liter is designed to be the most economical offering of the bunch (apart from the Optima hybrid, still based on the previous-gen car), and its EPA ratings of 28/39 mpg city/highway are at the top of the class. Its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, however, is a welcome break from the rising tide of CVTs in this category. It credibly mimics the smoothness of a torque-converter automatic at low speeds and delivers well-timed shifts under acceleration. That acceleration is pretty spry for a green guy, aided by the fact that the Optima LX 1.6T danced across our scales at 3241 pounds—more than 300 pounds less than the 2.0-liter SX. That figure is about on par with a four-cylinder Honda Accord.

It’s also more than 200 pounds lighter than the Ford Fusion 1.5-liter EcoBoost, which is perhaps the Optima LX 1.6T’s most direct competitor. In a battle between those two eco-misers, the Kia shines. Engine output is pretty much a draw—the Kia’s 1.6-liter makes 3 fewer horsepower but 10 lb-ft more torque than the Ford’s 1.5-liter EcoBoost—but the Optima’s fuel economy is better by 3 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway (and that’s spotting the Fusion its optional auto stop-start system). And when it’s time to put your foot down, the Kia’s 7.3-second zero-to-60 time trounces the Ford’s 8.2-second result.

In fact, the case could easily be made that the 1.6 is the best of the three Optima powerplants. The 2.0-liter turbo got to 60 mph only half a second faster in our test, at a cost of 6 mpg in the city and 7 mpg on the highway. The 2.4-liter four (which we tested in the Optima’s close kin, the Hyundai Sonata) is both slower, at 7.9 seconds to 60, and thirstier. Speaking of the Sonata, when we tested the 1.6 turbo in that car—where it’s offered in the Sonata Eco—it was even quicker, hitting 60 in 6.7 seconds; that suggests our Optima, which had less than 500 miles on the clock, might have done even better with a more broken-in engine.

The LX 1.6T rides on the Optima’s standard suspension, not the “sport-tuned” version found in the SX and the SXL; even so, it need not make any apologies for its ride. Pleasantly tied down without excessive body motions, it’s also compliant enough to take the edge off harsh pavement, aided by this version’s 65-series rubber on 16-inch wheels. The low-rolling-resistance tires, however, led to a long stopping distance of 185 feet from 70 mph, although roadholding was a respectable 0.83 g.

2016 KIA OPTIMA LX 1.6T FIRST TEST REVIEW

The previous-generation Kia Optima helped revolutionize the midsize family sedan when it debuted in 2011. Although it was never a top-seller, it did show buyers that a family sedan could be desirable. It could drive well, look cool, and in general be a car you’d be proud of owning. The last Optima and its Hyundai Sonata stablemate are the cars we ought to thank for pushing Ford, Honda, Toyota, and others into revamping their midsize sedan offerings. The last Kia Optima was a risk taker, and it was all the better for it. The new 2016 Kia Optima is less of a daring departure from the norm than the car it replaces.

I imagine most (including myself) will have trouble visually differentiating the new 2016 Kia Optima from the old, but Kia spent a fair amount of time engineering the new Optima to be lighter, longer, and leaner than before. With the new chassis also comes a new engine. Our just-about-base-level 2016 Optima LX 1.6T tester sports a 1.6-liter, turbocharged I-4 under its hood, making 178 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. Only available on the LX trim level, the 1.6-liter turbo slots between the base 185-hp, 2.4-liter I-4, and the optional 245-hp, 2.0-liter, turbocharged I-4. Paired with a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission, the 1.6-liter engine, which nets an EPA-estimated 28/39/32 mpg city/highway/combined score, is the fuel sipper of the Optima lineup until the hybrid returns.


Although efficient, the 2016 Optima LX 1.6T doesn’t give up much in regards to performance compared to the more powerful 2.0-liter-powered Optima SX Limited that we recently tested. Despite making 67 less horsepower and 65 less lb-ft of torque, the Optima LX 1.6T accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, just two-tenths of a second behind the 2.0-liter turbo model. The Optima LX 1.6T also isn’t much slower in the quarter mile; it needs 15.8 seconds to complete the quarter mile at 90.1 mph. The 2.0-liter turbo-powered car does the deed in 15.6 seconds at 90.3 mph. Things remain close in the figure eight, as well. Our Optima LX 1.6T lapped the course in 27.8 seconds at a 0.62 g average; the Optima SX Limited lapped the figure eight in 27.4 seconds at 0.64 g. You can attribute the parity between the two engines to the wonderful quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox versus the six-speed automatic found in other Optimas—and the fact that the LX 1.6T weighs 325 pounds less than the fully loaded SX Limited.

Around town, the Optima is mostly fine to drive. It accelerates well off the line but struggles a bit when asked to pass traffic in tight gaps; the transmission isn’t the problem here. Rather, it’s just a lack of available power from the small engine in the big car. A little planning goes a long way. Once at highway speeds and with the 1.6-liter’s revs kept down, the Kia offers up a smooth, relatively quiet ride. Dynamically, the Optima is mostly unimpressive and lacking steering feel, though given the car’s target market, I doubt many owners will find anything to complain about here.

The rest of the Optima’s package is hit and miss. Inside, the Optima is a hit. The larger dimensions help Kia offer up a back-seat package that’s plenty roomy for adults; at 6 feet tall, I had ample room to sit behind the driver’s seat set in my preferred driving position, which is more than can be said for many family sedans. Interior materials are generally a mixed bag. I’m not a fan of the fake stitched dashboard, but the instrument cluster was pretty nice, as was the updated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-friendly infotainment system. I rarely touch on styling in a review because I’m a firm believer that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I must say that visually the new Optima is a huge step back from the previous-generation car. It isn’t different enough—it looks like a face-lift, not an all-new model. I’m not the only staffer to feel this way. Here are some excerpts from the Optima’s logbook:

“The design of the previous-generation Kia Optima made that car a sales success. The exterior styling of the new model is clearly intended as an evolutionary step but falls oddly short. Instead of panache, we have pastiche—a mixture of old cues rearranged in a slightly different manner.”—Editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie