Kia has Arriaved - Flagship Optima Leading the Way

Kia, a brand that many people don't associate a lot of value with, is poised to overtake leading Japanese car makers Toyota and Honda in the Executive saloon section, thanks to its new Optima. Hailed as refreshingly good and stylish by reviewers across the world, the Optima is also about to make leading European car makers nervous, if not already.

At about RM144k++, how could a car that looks so good be so affordable? Well, that's just the start to Kia's formula to winning market share in the Executive saloon segment. The clincher is the Optima's distinctive styling.

Check out its sleek, subtly upward-swept lines and the smooth curves that complement those lines. Check out the distinctive front grill, headlights and bumper design. And check out its tastefully plush, yet sporty interior. The Optima can more than hold its own next to other Japanese and European cars in its class.

A car that looks this sleek and fast must handle great, too, yes? You betcha! If the Kia Forte 2.0SX with 18-inch rims can be described as sturdy and responsive, the Optima's handling can be described as sturdy, responsive and smooth - a real car person's car, this is.

And don't let its Executive class dimensions fool you. Its basic variant comes with 2.0L engine that churns out up to about 161Bhp and that's more than enough to zip along highways in style whilst outgunning tailgaters and road hoggers.

So, if you're looking to upgrade to an upmarket saloon, don't confine your choices to those of the usual Japanese and European marques, because Kia now has a real contender - the new Kia Optima.

More than that, I dare say, if I had to choose between a comparable upmarket German car and the Kia Optima, I'd go for the Optima, not because I can't afford a BMW, Merc or VW, but because the styling and quality gap for the Optima is so close to the BMW, Merc or VW, I'd rather put the savings I make from buying an exceedingly stylish yet far more affordable car like the Optima into a house or unit trust.

This is the same rationale I used when my wife was deciding between the Mazda 6 and the Mercedes C200 Kompressor. She decided to go with the far more affordable but also exceedingly stylish Mazda 6.

Till today, she does not regret her decision.

Quite honestly, even after test-driving the new, plush and sporty Volvo S60 T6, I did not feel like the new Kia Optima is such a big step-down that it would be unworthy of someone who can afford a Volvo S60 T6 (more on this Volvo beauty later).

And if a lot more consumers start thinking this way, European car makers, especially German car makers, would have a real reason to worry.

Mazda showed the way with the Mazda 6, followed quickly by Hundai's Sonata and, now, we have the Kia Optima, too.