The vehicle that many said would never make it has now become an essential part of any car lineup. Gasoline-electric hybrids are cropping up everywhere and one of the latest is from Kia.
Most road tests cover day-to-day driving but on this occasion, I needed a car to drive to Las Vegas and back and while gas prices have fallen, I still wanted the most fuel efficient vehicle I could get. With one of the best EPA estimated miles per gallon (mpg)-35 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway-the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid performed beautifully.
It's powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine connected by a wet clutch to an Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) synchronous electric motor and matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. A state-of-the-art, air-cooled 270V lithium-polymer battery powers the electric motor.
On this 2771-mile journey, the Optima hit 41 mpg and sometimes better, on the leg between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Las Vegas. Otherwise, it hovered between 36 and 39 mpg. While the Optima includes an ECO mode for added fuel efficiency, I didn't notice a particular advantage. I spent less than $200 on gas for the whole trip.
Also delightful were the various digital displays to help monitor the vehicle's performance, from a graph with green or yellow leaves on the hybrid display viewed on the center navigation screen, or the bouquet of flowers that sprouted up to five blossoms as fuel efficiency increased. I even earned a final ECO score of 69, which I'm guessing is better than average?
The version I drove included the Premium Technology Package that comes with wonderful features like navigation, a panoramic sunroof, and cooled seats. Navigation was a godsend on a trip like this but there was at least one glitch-it rerouted me on its own and if I hadn't kept a sharp eye on the ETA and miles to destination readouts on the navigation map, I might have missed the error and gone way off course.
Still, on a solo ride like this, your car is your best friend. The Kia Optima Hybrid proved loyal and true.
Pricing begins at $26,450. The as-tested price came to $32,500.
**Courtesy of Latino Metro Austin (Online)
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