KIA is nothing if not bold and with the Optima it takes on some pretty major opposition head on in the competitive family saloon market.

ON THE ROAD: THE Optima is one of those cars that may lead to some doing a double take. You know the kind of thing, you see a car go by, think: “That’s a smart motor, hang on a mo, was that a Kia badge on the bonnet? No, surely it can’t have been”. Kia’s designs have come on leaps and bounds in recent times and the Optima is arguably one of the most stylish in its stable. Style is nothing without substance, however, and here’s where the Optima lets the side down a little. While it’s fine if driven sedately on well-kept roads, if driven anything approaching enthusiastically then it loses poise and the ride becomes something of an unsettled affair. The six-speed gearbox, for me, was a little on the vague side, while the steering didn’t offer much in the way of feedback.

ON THE INSIDE: THE cabin is ergonomically sound, but there are a lot of buttons and dials to get your head around and it was a little too dark and gloomy for my liking. There’s a fair amount of black and though it’s broken up by other trim, that too is on the dark side. Vision is good in every direction and although this is a big car you don’t feel like you are unable to judge its extremities.

WHAT DO YOU GET: OUR car came with 18ins alloys, tinted glass, black leather upholstery, electrically powered driver’ seat, electric windows, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, six-speaker audio system with USB and Aux ports, Bluetooth, advanced reversing camera system and intelligent stop and ago. In addition, we got a panoramic slide and tilt sunroof, cornering lights, front heated seats and reversing sensors.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT: STRETCHING out in the front of the Optima does not mean that those in the back are sat with their knees under their chins. There is plenty of room for all. I didn’t, however, like the central storage box which I was constantly catching my elbow on. The boot has 505 litres of space and while loading some items did require a bit of lifting here and pushing there, once in there was lots of room for luggage and the like. You can fold the rear seats down, but don’t go completely flat.

RUNNING COSTS: KIA say you should be able to get in the range of 58mpg on the combined cycle. We managed nearer 50mpg. CO2 emissions are 128g/km.

VERDICT: A CLASSY looking car that just falls short in a few areas.

ALTERNATIVES: Audi A3, Mazda 6