Head to head: Hyundai i45 Premium v Kia Optima Platinum
Hyundai i45 Premium
Hyundai i45 Premium ... from $38,990 plus on-road and dealer costs. 2.4-litre 4-cyl; 148kW/250Nm; 6-sp auto; 7.9L/100km and 188g/km CO2; FWD
Value
Sits at the top of a three-model line-up, so cheaper versions are available. Shares 18-inch alloys, six airbags, reversing sensors, six-speaker six-CD audio, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, six-way electric driver's seat adjust. Foot-operated park brake in auto models.
Inside
Decent small-item storage and dual 12-volt charging outlets in the centre console. Good rear legroom, big 523-litre boot but wide centre console eats into cabin space. Seats need a bit more support.
Prestige
Very conservative in appearance. Leather on steering wheel only covers areas your hands never touch. Glossy black surfaces look nice but show up fingerprints. Sombre black interior. Gearshift paddles, like the Kia, hint at unfulfilled sporting focus. Eco mode hidden away in trip computer.
Engine
Quite economical and powerful in its class. Gets a bit noisy higher in the rev range but delivers restrained pulling power at best. Gearbox tends to hunt a bit on hills.
How it drives
Suspension takes longer to recover from sharp hits than its twin under the skin. Steering lacks feel and the nose will push wide in a corner without too much effort.
Verdict
Shares most of its underpinnings with the Optima, yet falls behind in almost every respect. Recent revisions haven't improved ride and handling enough.
Kia Optima Platinum
Kia Optima Platinum ... from $36,990 plus on-road and dealer costs. 2.4-litre 4-cyl; 148kW/250Nm; 6-sp auto; 7.9L/100km and 189g/km CO2; FWD
Value
Range-topper only but that low starting price has the competition — including its i45 cousin — beat for price and equipment. Adds gear such as dual sunroof, eight-way adjust driver's seat with cooling and heating, extra speaker, iPod compatibility and chilled glovebox.
Inside
Just as clever for small-item storage. Big roll-back cover over relatively small centrally-mounted cupholders is only disappointment. Still, it has big, comfortable seats and almost the same decent boot space.
Prestige
Bit of a wild child, with a strong face. There's a leather steering wheel and a driver focus to the matt centre console, sharp instrument cluster graphics and soft-touch dash and door trim. "Eco" button on steering wheel adds visual smugness.
Engine
Uses exactly the same engine with the same performance characteristics. Engine noise is more muted in the Kia than its rival, though.
How it drives
Slightly heavier but doesn't suffer for it. More weight to steering gives a better feel and the ride also marginally betters its rival in terms of its ability to recover from sharp bumps.
Verdict
How can two such similarly founded cars turn out so different? Kudos to Kia, though the Optima's bland drive experience still needs to catch up with other
mid-size rivals.
Hyundai i45 Premium ... from $38,990 plus on-road and dealer costs. 2.4-litre 4-cyl; 148kW/250Nm; 6-sp auto; 7.9L/100km and 188g/km CO2; FWD
Value
Sits at the top of a three-model line-up, so cheaper versions are available. Shares 18-inch alloys, six airbags, reversing sensors, six-speaker six-CD audio, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, six-way electric driver's seat adjust. Foot-operated park brake in auto models.
Inside
Decent small-item storage and dual 12-volt charging outlets in the centre console. Good rear legroom, big 523-litre boot but wide centre console eats into cabin space. Seats need a bit more support.
Prestige
Very conservative in appearance. Leather on steering wheel only covers areas your hands never touch. Glossy black surfaces look nice but show up fingerprints. Sombre black interior. Gearshift paddles, like the Kia, hint at unfulfilled sporting focus. Eco mode hidden away in trip computer.
Engine
Quite economical and powerful in its class. Gets a bit noisy higher in the rev range but delivers restrained pulling power at best. Gearbox tends to hunt a bit on hills.
How it drives
Suspension takes longer to recover from sharp hits than its twin under the skin. Steering lacks feel and the nose will push wide in a corner without too much effort.
Verdict
Shares most of its underpinnings with the Optima, yet falls behind in almost every respect. Recent revisions haven't improved ride and handling enough.
Kia Optima Platinum
Kia Optima Platinum ... from $36,990 plus on-road and dealer costs. 2.4-litre 4-cyl; 148kW/250Nm; 6-sp auto; 7.9L/100km and 189g/km CO2; FWD
Value
Range-topper only but that low starting price has the competition — including its i45 cousin — beat for price and equipment. Adds gear such as dual sunroof, eight-way adjust driver's seat with cooling and heating, extra speaker, iPod compatibility and chilled glovebox.
Inside
Just as clever for small-item storage. Big roll-back cover over relatively small centrally-mounted cupholders is only disappointment. Still, it has big, comfortable seats and almost the same decent boot space.
Prestige
Bit of a wild child, with a strong face. There's a leather steering wheel and a driver focus to the matt centre console, sharp instrument cluster graphics and soft-touch dash and door trim. "Eco" button on steering wheel adds visual smugness.
Engine
Uses exactly the same engine with the same performance characteristics. Engine noise is more muted in the Kia than its rival, though.
How it drives
Slightly heavier but doesn't suffer for it. More weight to steering gives a better feel and the ride also marginally betters its rival in terms of its ability to recover from sharp bumps.
Verdict
How can two such similarly founded cars turn out so different? Kudos to Kia, though the Optima's bland drive experience still needs to catch up with other
mid-size rivals.
No comments:
Post a Comment