YOUNTVILLE, CA – It truly is a global industry when a Brit convinces his South Korean auto maker employer to give a Euro-like suspension to an American-version car.
That’s the international back story to the development of the redone ’06½ Kia Optima, a midsize sedan with a tighter ride and more precise steering than its predecessor or, for that matter, its prototype.
It took some lobbying to convince Kia Motors Corp. to tune the suspension closer to a firmness preferred by European drivers, says Kia Motors America Inc. Chief Operating Officer Len Hunt.
When Hunt, a former top executive of Volkswagen of America Inc. who was a few months into his Kia job, first drove an Optima prototype, he thought the ride was too soft and handling too loose.
South Korean engineers thought it was appropriate for the American market. Hunt, a native of Manchester, England, convinced them otherwise.
“I told them: ‘This car isn’t engaging enough,’” says Hunt. “I said, ‘This isn’t Len Hunt from VW talking. We need to tune this suspension.’ They listened.”
The result is what Hunt calls Kia’s “signature suspension,” intended to set the brand apart. He dubs it “a hybrid – and I’m not referring to the engine.” Rather, it’s a balance of a comfortable ride and responsive handling, leaning more towards the latter.
Adds Ian Beavis, Kia of America’s marketing director: “We wanted great ride quality, but not the disengaged feel of a Toyota Camry. We wanted the handling dynamics of a Mazda6, but not its terrible ride.
“This actually started with our redone Spectra (small car). We nailed it with that car’s suspension. But the Optima is a different animal. It’s bigger. How do you get to a tight ride in a larger vehicle when you also want refinement and want to keep the NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) out? You want to push the envelope, but not off the table.”
An ideal suspension offering a perfect blend of ride and handling “is a secret no one has cracked,” says Gordon Dickie, Kia’s North American product quality director. But he says Kia sought “an emotional connection” in tightening the Optima’s suspension.
Kia expects that to appeal to 73 million Generation Y’ers who are in or entering the market. “Everything we are seeing indicates consumers under 35 want a more engaged driving experience,” says Beavis.
The redesigned Optima is on a new platform. Gone is the wishbone suspension system. Now there’s an independent suspension with MacPherson struts in the front and a multi-link setup with coil springs in the back. Anti-roll bars are at both ends. The chassis is 13% stiffer.
Unchanged is Kia’s aggressive pricing. The new Optima starts at $16,355 for a base model with a 5-speed manual (plus a $600 destination charge), $45 less than the predecessor that had less content.
The standard engine is a 2.4L inline 4-cyl. with 161 hp. The price shifts to $17,650 with a 5-speed automatic transmission for that engine.
A bigger engine is available: a 2.7L V-6 with 185 hp. Powered by the V-6, the LX model is $19,345 and the EX $20,400.
Ironically, the 4-cyl. engine is the one Kia touts.
“Don’t get me wrong, the V-6 is great, and there are customers who like a V-6,” says a Kia spokesman. “But the 4-cyl. will be a homerun for us because of the torque characteristics” (163 lbs.-ft. [220.9 Nm] at 4,250 rpm).
Options include appearance packages ranging from $800 to $1,500 (i.e. 17-in. alloy wheels, blacked-out front grille and aluminum interior trim), a leather layout at $1,300 and a sunroof at $800.
A sports version likely will debut soon, a Kia first, but a natural for this car, Hunt says.
The new Optima is wider and longer with a more aggressive stance.
Its driving dynamics are better than its uninspiring predecessor. On a drive through California’s Napa Valley wine country, the new car had the full body of a Cabernet and the balance of a Pinot Noir.
Side curtain airbags now are standard. But antilock brakes, electronic stability control and traction control are not. Those cost a total of $600. Hunt disagrees that they should be standard equipment, with the price point adjusted accordingly.
“You say it’s only $600, but we’re trying to work down every dollar,” he says. “It took a lot of doing to get the Optima’s price at $16,355. The Ford Fusion is a comparable model, and it doesn’t come with a standard safety package. But we’re keeping an eye on the market.”
Kia sold about 38,000 Optimas in the U.S. last year, says Beavis. He hopes to kick that up to 50,000 annually with the new car.
Kia’s overall U.S. sales totaled 275,851 units last year. Beavis expects to “punch through” the 300,000 mark this year with a 7-car lineup.
“Our problem is in not getting enough product” from South Korean plants, he says. “Our dealers are screaming for more vehicles. Some dealers say they could double their Rio sales if they had the inventory.”
Kia has 650 U.S. dealers. Dickie’s quality-control efforts now extend to them in an effort to boost customer satisfaction on the sales floor and in the service department.
“For technicians, we are offering one of the most advanced diagnostic systems around to help them in fixing vehicles right the first time,” he says. And on the sales side, “there is a major push to make sure dealers deliver the product properly.”
