The flagship of the European division of Kia , the sedan Optima , has received a decent modernization in its green Hybrid version. The news is not visible at first glance, because Kia focused on the powertrain.
It consists of a two-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that works with an electric motor known as IPM . The electric motor has been modernized, as it now offers 35 kW (previously 30 kW). The petrol unit still offers 150 horsepower. Despite the increase in the power of the electric motor, the total power of the system was reduced to 177 hp . The torque has also increased – 319 Nm, which is now usable from low revs.
Hand in hand with this change, however, is the greater economy of the model. The Optima Hybrid now consumes 5.1 l/100 km in the combined cycle and emits 119 g of CO2/km. Dynamically, the car is also not bad at all. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes 9.4 seconds and the speedometer needle stops at 190 km/h. It is also important to mention that the 177 horses are transferred to the front wheels by a six-speed automatic transmission .
In addition to the new engine, the Optima has also managed to modify some of its transport properties. Thanks to the location of the batteries above the rear axle and the relocation of their cooling, the luggage compartment has increased by 12 liters (now 381 liters) and the Optima will offer a full-fledged spare wheel for the first time.
Source: Kia
