2017 Kia Optima Sportswagon GT Line S, Sportswagon 3, Plug in Hybrid – Video
The 2017 Kia Optima Sportswagon is the manufacturer’s first D-segment estate and boy it’s roomy. Thanks to a minimum of 552 liters of cargo space and up to 1,686 liters with the rear seats folded, the Kia Optima Sportswagon is cavernous.
Priced from £22,295, the estate variant of the Kia Optima is available in three trim levels: 2,3, and GT-Line S. A high-performance GT model will make that four trims early next year. The only engine you can get right now in this car is a 1.7-liter oil-burning unit with 139 brake horsepower and 340 Nm of grunt.
The run-of-the-mill 2 grade boasts standard goodies such as 7-inch satellite navigation and infotainment system, dual-zone air conditioning, reversing camera, electrically heated folding side mirrors, 17-inch alloys, powered two-way driver’s seat lumbar adjustment, as well as max points for crash safety.
The 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, one the other hand, is only available as a saloon. The first plug-in hybrid model from Kia in the United Kingdom manages up to 33 miles (53 km) of all-electric range and CO2 emissions of just 37 grams per kilometer. According to the very flawed NEDC testing procedures, the Optima PHEV is good for 176.6 UK mpg (1.6 l/100 km) combined.
Priced from £31,495 after taking into account the £2,500 plug-in car grant, the plug-in hybrid model in the Optima lineup uses a 2.0-liter four-banger with 154 brake horsepower and a 50 kW (67 brake horsepower) electric motor powered by a 9.8 kWh Li-Ion polymer battery. And indeed, the electric motor replaces the traditional torque converter in the six-speed automatic.
After a small reduction of the petrol tank to make room for the battery pack, the Optima’s luggage space dwindles down from 510 to a respectable 307 liters in the case of the Optima PHEV. On that note, both the Kia Optima Sportswagon and the eco-friendly Optima Plug-In Hybrid are covered for seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever of the two comes first.