The 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid is a midsize hybrid sedan that offers a blend of fuel efficiency, style, and features. I was provided with a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid to drive for a few days in order to facilitate my review. You get a nice looking sedan with hybrid functionality! I will share some key aspects of the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid.
2012 Kia Optima Hybrid
I am so excited today to be able to share with you my review of the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. I had never driven a hybrid before and I was wondering what it would feel like to drive. You might imagine that with the eco-friendly upgrade you might loose a little power. However, that is not the case at all. It actually felt pretty zippy to drive. Especially when I compare it to driving the compact sedan, Kia Rio. I felt that the Kia Optima Hybrid was powerful- I always notice this most when turning onto a busy street- and I felt confident in the speedy acceleration if offers.
Kia Optima Hybrid Power and Fuel Economy:
The Kia Optima Hybrid is a 2.4L, 4 cylinder, full parallel hybrid system. The estimated MPG is 34 city/ 39 highway. I found that I got about 37 miles per gallon when I drove about 70 mph on an hour and a half road trip. I loved that I didn’t have to fill up this car with any gas the for the whole week that I had it, even after my road trip it was even near empty.
Some things to note about driving the hybrid: When turning the engine on, I could barely tell that it had come on because it hardly makes a noise when it is just using electric. It switches back and forth almost seamlessly between the electric and the gas but you do feel an occasional skip or slight jolt when it changes modes. Nothing major just a little different feeling that is unfamiliar when you haven’t driven a hybrid before.
Kia Optima Hybrid Exterior:
The first thing I noticed about the KIA Optima Hybrid was the that it is a good looking midsized sedan. I really liked the look of the car body design, it is actually quite sleek. I got quite a few compliments when driving about the Kia Optima Hybrid and everyone really liked it. It is funny for a mom like me to say and even to feel, but I felt kind of sexy driving that car! The 2012 Kia Optima even passed my husband’s high standards and I found that he “stole” the keys and drove it to work whenever he could. He came home with a big grin one day and explained that he loved the heated seat relaxation on his drive home!
The KIA Optima Hybrid also featured a “Panoramic Sunroof.” I call it a double sunroof and it adds to the fancy look of the car exterior. My kids loved it because they had a sunroof over the back too instead of the usual with is just for the front. The KIA Optima exterior is also dressed up with LED tail lights, outside mirrors with turn signals, and chrome details.
Kia Optima Hybrid Interior:
The KIA Optima Hybrid has a very spacious interior. The passenger volume is 102.17 cubic feet. There was tons of room to scoot up and back and down (I loved the power seat adjustors!) This is a size sedan that could work well for a family. The truck is pretty big but loses some of it’s space to the hybrid system for a 9.9 cubic feet cargo volume. It also loses it ability for the rear seats to fold down because of the hybrid system.
The interior features include dual zone automatic temperature control with rear ventilation- very nice! Power windows, door locks, and outside mirrors are also standard. The vehicle comes standard equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, USB and auxiliary input jacks, 6 speakers and dash mounter tweeters, and steering wheel mounted audio control buttons.
You can also get a lot of cool optional features that make it really fun to drive such as the UVO powered by Microsoft Infotainment System, and the Navigation with Sirius XM Traffic and rear camera display. Don’t forget the heated and cooled driver and passenger seats and heated rear seats option!
Safety:
The standard safety features of the Kia Optima Hybrid include dual front advanced airbags, front seat mounted side airbags, full length side curtain air bags, anti lock brake system, electronic stability control, hill-start assist control, and tire pressure monitoring system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2012 KIA Optima Hybrid a 5 Star overall safety rating (with 5 stars being the highest rating awarded.)
Overall, we dug it! My husband wanted to keep it and my neighbors were bummed I gave it back! Oh yes, I forgot to mention, the KIA Optima Hybrid has a 10 year/ 100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty and starts at around $25,000- pretty sweet for a hybrid!
If you are curious to know more details and see more photos (much better than mine!) check out the KIA Motors website.
I was provided with the KIA Optima Hybrid to use for 7 days with the hopes that I would share my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.
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Wanda McHenry says
I like the dog better 🙂 but the Kia looks nice too!