Kia Optima Hybrid Review
Two weeks ago, two men went to our place and dropped off a white Kia Optima Hybrid, which looked like a sports car to me. And I quickly fell in love with its awesomeness!
I always hear about hybrid cars on TV. I pretty much know how different it is from regular cars and it isn’t really a big deal for me cause I feel like I’m already used to the regular type of car. There’s no need for me to go checking out hybrid cars, right? But my experience of actually being able to drive it was so amazing that it made me want to have one.
When the gentleman that dropped the Kia Optima Hybrid off at my place handed me the keys, he told me to remember that just because I couldn’t hear the car’s engine doesn’t mean it’s off. And with that he started telling me about the features of the car while I slowly drove the car around our apartment complex so I can get a feel of it. It ran so smoothly and was very quiet. I was told that the car wasn’t using gas.
Here’s a photo of the front dashboard of the Kia Optima Hybrid while my hubby was driving it.
The Kia Optima Hybrid has lots of controls so you can set it in a way that’s most comfortable and convenient for you.
There are 2 air conditioning controls so you can have different settings for the driver’s side and the passenger’s side. There are also 2 buttons (not in photo) beside the gear handle that allows you to set the temperature for the driver’s seat and the passenger seat. This feature will definitely come in handy during the winter months when it’s too cold and you need a warm seat to make you more comfortable.
The part that’s blocked by my hubby’s hand is where the input jacks are. You can connect using AUX or USB and I loved the fact that when we connect our iPod Touch using the USB cable, the screen shows us our song list so we didn’t need to operate from the iPod itself. It also charges the iPod so that’s another plus!
Here’s a photo of the back and front rows with my son’s new car seat installed.
As I mentioned when I did a review on the Kia Sorento, any car that’s bigger than our small Versa car is something I consider spacious. I love that whenever I decide to sit beside my son, I won’t need to squeeze myself in.
I had enough space to move whenever I need to fix or prepare something for my son, like when we went to Gilroy Gardens to celebrate my birthday. Since it was about an hour’s drive from San Jose, my son got anxious and uncomfortable because he doesn’t like long drives (but I guess that goes for most kids).
So I need to make sure that I can easily reach for and give him his snacks, drinks and toys. And since the front row has controls for moving the seats and the backrests forward, backward, and up and down, I just easily moved the front passenger seat forward so I can have more space for my son’s stuff.
The photos above show that even the back row of the Kia Optima Hybrid has controls for temperature so you don’t need to suffer if it’s too hot and the people in front decide to hog all the A/C. And as you can see in the photo on the right (though it may not be clear), you can also set your seat to go warm if you want to.
And one of the highlights of the Kia Optima Hybrid car (my son’s favorite feature I should say) is the sun roof.
The day this car was dropped off at our place was the day my hubby bought my son a new front-facing car seat so he’s not yet used to seeing so many things while in the car. We would see his face light up every time we open up the sun roof. Here is my little one enjoying some “exciting” sun roof time when we got home one evening.
I think it’s important for me to mention that for the whole week that we were using the car, we not even once needed to go fill up at a gas station. Granted, we only had to drive to the office, the church and Gilroy Gardens. But then, that’s really just where we normally go anyway. Hubby says if we just used it to go to work, the tank would probably just need to be filled after 3 weeks.
All in all, my experience in driving and riding the Kia Optima Hybrid was amazing and awesome.
I love that it has so many features that makes the experience great for whoever drives it. The base price for a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid is at $25,700 and you can opt for additional features based on your need. The specific Optima Hybrid that we drove for a week had all the additional features so it costs about $35,000. Check out Kia.com to see the full list of features.
*I received a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid for one week to facilitate this review. No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own. All photos except the first one are mine. See my Disclosure Policy.
Great features, love the sunroof.
This looks like it would be the ideal car for me. With the little bit of very local driving I do, I probably wouldn’t have to fill up but every couple of months! LOL.
It’s a cool car!
sounds like awesome gas mileage! and with the prices of gas it would really help! looks like a great car!
What a beautiful car! Wouldn’t mind putting one of those in my driveway!
Kia has really come a long way. I remember when Kia vehicles first came out, they were boring and unreliable. Now, their vehicles are elegantly styled and earn high marks in reliability. I’d definitely consider a Kia Optima next time I’m in the market for a new car. Thanks for the review.
the car is very nice i would love to win it
Wow…really stylish car! Not what I would expect from a Kia and the prices!!!
Sounds great! Too bad I won’t be able to afford a new car for a long long long time!
greAT CAR, price realy acceptable but still beyond my possibilities
This looks like a great car.
this car looks amazing! I would like to test drive one of these.
Never thought a KIA looked so good and great features! This is what I need next 🙂
awesome car, my GF has a Kia Sorento and we love it.
Great looking car! I want one.
This is pretty amazing! I love all the features it has and the quietness of the care seems like it would be awesome for me!
we test drove this car because we loved out 2009 optima, unfortunately it was out of our price range.
Now I want one, wonder if this will make it eeasy for me to takl my husband into it.
Sweet ride, Blake Griffen knows what he is talking about
nice car! i join ur kid loving the sun roof! 🙂
What a beautiful car!
We are a SUV type of family but this car looks AWESOME! It looks roomy and sporty at the same time! I know my hubby would love it plus it a hybrid making it even better in my book!
Cute looking car, I love the sunroof
I love that you are reviewing a car..
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amazing! Love the car. my husband would relly be interested in test driving it too 🙂
I love how this car looks on the outside! It does look like a sports car. I have never driven a hybrid, but I hope that our next vehicle will be a hybrid. I love how you can control the temperature where ever you are sitting. I also love that you can connect your ipod and use the car to listen to it and it is being charged while it is connected. Thank you for the great review!
This sounds like a great family car! It has great features and I like that it’s so spacious, too!
I want one ! 🙂
love this car
I did not know that Kia makes such cool car.
Ive never owned a new car! Someday I hope to though. I really like the look and extras on this Kia
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Very nice car, like that you say it’s quiet and not using alot of gas 😉
What a pretty car! 🙂
nice Car!! super cool ..love to have one.. 😀
Wow how did you get to test drive this awesome car? thanks for the review
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my husband talks about these all the time. From your pictures and review it makes us want one that much more. I know you hated giving it up after a week. It’s a shame they wouldn’t let you keep it or at least buy it at a discount since it was now a used car lol
great review about the kia–SURE WISHED I OWNED ONE–THEY ARE VERY NICE
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I love the KIA. Great review:)
i want one of these love to get one great car
Great review, makes me want the KlA even more. Hope to get one next year.
I love this. I have been looking at vehicles everytime we are out and about and I keep looking at the Kia brand. I like the way they look and was thinking we needed to test drive one.
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Like the kia optima but it would be too small to me
Nice review, very informative.
Great looking car, gas consumption must be good,too! I like it.
wow, kia is really stepping up their game. Great review!
The car Looks small
Cute, great on fuel I’m sure. But from a mechanic’s point of view,,,,if it is front wheel drive that is my firs minus,,,,,,
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I love the Kia. I had one and someone was texting and totaled it. I’m now driving the “Mimi Mobile” which is a van I do not like. Having a hybrid would be great!
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What a cool car.I’d be nervous about driving the review cars!
Wow, this looks really nice. I am in desperate need of a new car and this looks awesome!
what a great looking car!
I’d be afraid to drive a car to review. I’ve only driven a few cars and it takes a while to get used to them.
I plan on test driving one soon.. As seen from the advertisments I would enjoy one of these. My concern is space, romminess for the passengers and trunk. We shall see but like your review. Thx
I am looking for a new car and I think I will go and do a test drive. I like your review.
This car does look sporty
Car reviews via word of mouth are more important to me
I’d love to have a hybrid, especially since gas id $3.59 now. I love Kia’s. They are great cars. I had a Senata Once Upon a Time.
Jane Ritz recently posted..First blog
Great review! Sounds like a great little car. A friend of mine bought a Kia Rio and she loves it. I love this Optima Hybrid though! It looks sporty 🙂
nice car with a nice price
Thank you for this review. It is very imformative and helped open my eyes to choosing a hybrid next time. This car looks very. I am not in the market yet for a new car but I will hold onto this knowledge. I wouldn’t mind a couple of men dropping by my place with a Kia Optima Hybrid. 🙂
That is a sharp looking car. I love the way the new kias look.
Great car , they have come a long way
That sounds very interesting, but I wonder how well it would be to have in the colder climats.
Excellent pictures they really captures the faetures. I love the inside of that car.
Great car, i love this car 🙂
Cool deal. And this thing is a hybrid?
I”m looking for a car that has better gas mileage. I spend a lot of money on gas because of my business. It cost me $275 to $300 a month in gas. Thanks for the review, I’m weighing my option on a lot of different models.
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Nissan came out with a roomier Versa this month called the Note. It gets 40 miles to the gallon. You should check this one out too.
Sheila Simmons recently posted..McDonald’s Isn’t The Devil, Maybe It’s You.
I’m quit a fun of Hybrid cars and this one sounds interesting, thank you for the review.
This sounds like a great vehicle. I love the heated seat option and the two air conditioning controls. It also looks like it is room enough. Thank you so much for sharing this
Hi Author,
This is really helpful post and very informative there is no doubt about it. I found this one pretty fascinating.