2012 Kia Optima consumer reviews

I've had my Optima for a little over a month now, and have no complains so far. The exterior of the car is very stylish and the interior is no different. I especially like the accessibility of all the features on the steering wheel and dashboard. The color scheme in red and white is a nice touch as well.

This car is very good and has a very attractive look. Very well equipped'. My car is a Optima EX GDI 2012. Best value for the money spent. Also the service is very good at KIA

About a month owner of this fine machinery, rides well and smooth on the road. Was surprised how far Kia improved it's self from the past. I had a 2008 Sierra Denali love this truck had everything, was hesitant of getting a Kia, because of past reviews. But I'm sure glad I did the SX with the turbo is so nice love the quick response and the "fuel mileage " compared to my usual mpg of 15 with my Denali, to 22 city and 30 highway hand calculated is amazing. From all the other reviews I read there is that wind noise you hear on both the driver and passenger side right in between the A and B pillar. You only hear it once you're at highway speed. But that's my only con for this vehicle, looking forward to what Kia will bring out in the future.

Hi my name is Joe, i owned a 2012 kia optima Lx, pearl white. I bought the car a year ago, and now i have 23k miles on it. I do my own oil changes, air filter changes. I use mobile 1 full synthetic oil and only genuine kia parts for oil filters and air filters because of warranty purposes. i have to give it up to Kia for a great vehicle, they did a great job on the design and all around its a great car. My friends loves to drive my car, i take the car for long trips and my friends wants to drive it every time they get a chance. The feeling when your get inside the driver seat is like being in a Cockpit, because everything face toward the driver and it makes you feel like your definitely in control of your car and ride, its a great feeling. i hit 23k miles on the car within a year period, and so far i have to say good performance and good fuel millage. Overal Rating for this car out of 10, i would give it a 9.5.

I loved the look of this car as soon as they redesigned it, couldn't believe it was a KIA. I researched and researched this model and other mid-sized sedans and ended up comparing everything to the Optima. Finally, I pulled the trigger. It was the one of the most comfortable cars to drive, had the most room on the inside and in the trunk, great features, and what I thought was top notch MPG. I settled on the EX with the premium package (great premium features in that package). I was going for luxury without the high price tag and I got it this car. I was trading up from a 2006 Pontiac Vibe, and what I found out quickly was I got better gas mileage in the Vibe. The tank in the Optima is much bigger and I can go twice as far on one tank but when I calculate the MPG when I fill up, the best I can get is 30MPG. 80-90% of my driving is highway miles so I was expecting over the "average" 35 Highway MPG that was on the sticker. I used to get 33 MPG with my Vibe driving the same routes that I do today. I've tracked just about every fill up since I've owned the vehicle (about 10 months at the time of this review) and the the range is 24 to 30 MPG, I'm averaging 28 which is just above what KIA will tell you the average is (26 MPG combined). I just don't want anyone to think they'll be getting 35 MPG when they buy this car. It's just not possible unless you are driving 60 MPH on a flat road for 8 hours straight with no stops. I have no idea how they did their tests to make these claims but real world driving doesn't equate to that. I've made many trips in this car since I've owned it and in no scenario does it get better than 30.3 MPG. I've tried just about everything, tire pressure, ECO mode, cruise control, etc. I've tried to account for any variables. The trip computer shows you a number but it as soon as you get off the highway that MPG average drops. I can't trust that number either. Now, all in all I do recommend the car. I do love driving it and wish I could have afforded the SX model with the sport suspension but I don't want anyone to make a decision to buy this because of the MPG on the sticker. The heated AND cooled seats are very neat, the panoramic sunroof is cool too. I'm having an issue with the UVO radio but other than that the car has performed well for the first 13,000 miles.

I wanted the SX with Technology package. Fully loaded, every option...Turbo, Navigation, Panoramic sunroof, rear camera, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, and numerous other goodies. With the performance and styling of the SX package, it has a European feel- "athletic" in its more tightly tuned suspension yet still very comfortable. Road and driving feel is tangible with the perfectly balanced steering. (Note, the SX has the MUCH better performance of the Hankook tires rather than the lacking Nexen brand of the EX. Night and day) Styling is sporty and aggressive without overreaching. I've had numerous queries re: "what car is that?". I got black on black, tastefully (and legally) tinted the glass, opted for the premium rims Quite the distinctive looker. And lastly...a 5 yr/60K warranty bumper to bumper? That's just icing on the cake. What's not to love? Drive an Optima, Altima, Accord, Camry and Mazda 6 (similar trim lines) and you'll realize the same...the Optima is the clear class leader in performance and value.

I've owned an Optima EX-T for a year now and the only complaint I have is from my kids after four or five hours of riding in the back seat they get a little numb. I've driven by myself 6 hour trips and the driver seat is one of the best I've sat in. Of course, I'm 6'2" and have plenty of leg room. One thing to note if the passenger seat is only horizontally adjustable. One this I really kia would have done was to add a fully functional (similar to driver) seat. I do not drive that fast 75 on interstates and managing 30-32mpg. Very happy with that considering my F150 drank fuel. One thing that threw me off was the traction of the korean made tires. After the first 5000 is when you really appreciate them. They offer a soft ride but before that it seemed to loose a little traction and they felt stiff My wife and I both noticed this. Not sure if all tires are like that and I'm sure there is some sort of break in that was needed. I also looked and drove the SX model, but I did not need the little (paddle shifters) and a few other items which dropped the cost significantly. Also the sound (Infinity) can't beat any records but they come a long way from stock systems. I really like the UVO/Infinity w/sub. Nice clean sound at decent sound levels as well.

The steering is horrible, the wheel is connected to the tires with a rubber band. The gas pedal is an on/off switch. The seats are so bad my leg went numb! I have driven some junky cars in my life and could not believe that a modern car could be this bad!

I have purchased twelve new vehicles since I started driving. All makes and types and the Kia optima is by far my favorite!

I love this car... it has all of the features that I was looking for... ie; gas economy, stylish, affordable.