burlapp car

2009 Kia Optima

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First official picture.
I will show the interior later.

It is different and a bit more upscale. The Optima is one of these decent cars that doesn’t get much notice from anyone.
I guess it needs to stand out a bit more, and it needs some advertising money… (Don’t we all…)

Here is the current one, in case anyone forgot….

Conversation 9 comments

  1. When you can’t establish your own design language, people will always see you as an inferior product to the one that was imitated. Case in point, this Optima and the Honda Accord look similar. however, when one considers the Optima copied the Accord, they’ll be more likely to go for the Accord. had Kia come up with their own unique design motif, they would stand a better chance of getting noticed. It is the irony of the automotive industry.

  3. I see current Accord and TSX in the front clip. Typical Korean derivate, I think they used a Honda dealer for a design studio.

  4. i agree with 9:51 – a knock-off design will be perceived as second rate (think of all the imitation designer apparel, food products). The previous generation Optima at least only looked like one car – the Infinit Q. This new one looks like a mash-up between the Five Hundred (not the facelifted Taurus), Passat and Accord in the front.

  8. It’s still just an anonymous car. Nice enough, but anonymous like the Malibu used to be. For people who just want transportation, they won’t care.

  9. Everyone forgot, Vince.

    I agree, it looks better. But I think Kia needs to start raising the bar just a little. Throwing an Accord grille on an already forgettable, lightly worked-over iteration of the Hyundai Sonata is far from a winning strategy.

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