Used 2015 Kia Optima LX Sedan Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2015 Kia Optima LX Sedan.
Most helpful consumer reviews
One of the best cars I've ever owned
BMT, Atlanta, GA, 11/19/2015
2015 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
I'm leasing an LX. Deal was too good to pass up. I've got a friend with an Optima - 2011 - he loves it. The 2015 has upgraded engine and performance which was one of his complaints on the 2011 model.
The passenger front seat is ridiculously low...close to the floor, and not adjustable upwards. My wife could barely see over the dashboard and she is 5'4". I found out this is an ongoing … complaint for this and other Hyundai and Kia models. I found a set of risers that bolt onto the original set points and raise the seat almost 2 inches. Easy install and corrected the problem. You can find them online...just do a search.
Interior is well appointed and quality is fine at this price point. Car, looks, feels and drives like a more expensive model. I've owned BMW, and own a Honda Accord and this car easily competes with both of them at a lower purchase price.
Edmunds has done a good review of all the features...I opted for the Convenience Plus Package upgrade which includes rearview camera, acoustically upgraded windows (noise reduction) and a few other goodies. It is worth it. Without the rearview camera you're going to find backing up entails lots of blind spots given the high rear end and a sharply raked rear window.
I've driven this car in monsoon like rain at night and the handling, traction control, fog lamps...all served to give us a sense of control and safety.
I bought the Sparkling Silver with light grey interior. Its sharp.
At the price point
More than I expected from a new mid-sized sedan
Tyler, Sanborn, NY, 03/03/2016
2015 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
I leased this car after my 2002 Ford Taurus was finally put to rest. I grew up riding in that car as a kid, it was my first car, and I broke 200k miles in it; bear that in mind as you read this review. When I test drove this car, my first impressions were that the steering was loose, the interior was excellent, and it was far and away the best looking midsize sedan in its class … alongside the Ford Fusion. I liked it, and it was the cheapest lease deal I found, believe it or not. With taxes/fees etc. I paid $1000 down and $177 a month for a two year lease.
Performance-wise, this car met my expectations. The 2.4L puts down 192 HP and 181 ft-lbs of torque. It accelerates as hard as I'd ever want or need it to, and I never have problems passing people. The brakes, as in any proper new car, are fantastic. Thankfully this car has a true automatic transmission instead of a CVT (which I can't stand) and it even has the option to go into a pseudo-manual mode. The tranny searches for gears very rarely. The steering, like I said before, is really loose. I got used to it, it really isn't that big of a deal. Test drive one and you'll see what I mean. The steering is probably the biggest point about this car to be debated.
The seats are excellent. They hold you in when you throw the car through a corner and they keep you comfortable on long road trips. The rear seats are good too. There is a good amount of leg room for its class. It rides as smooth as you'd expect it to for a mid-sized sedan. The headlights are FANTASTIC. It has HIDs for the standard lights, and halogens for the high beams. What's nice about this car is it has fog lights as a standard feature. Unfortunately, they really don't do a whole lot. I can barely notice the difference with them on, even in fog/rain/darkness, but it doesn't matter anyway because the normal lights work so well by themselves. I think Kia just put them there as a way to "one-up" other car companies. They make it look better.
The rear visibility is not that good, for some reason. Blind spots and forward visibility is great, but rear visibility seems limited. You can still see fine, but the field of view is smaller than what I'm used to. There is no standard rear view camera. A lot of other new cars have this as a standard feature, which is something to keep in mind. The bluetooth feature is nice because I've never used it before on my phone. It is all very intuitive once you set it up at the dealership. The stereo is...not that good. It works fine and enjoy listening to it, but it definitely isn't the best. Changing the bass/treble/middle etc. doesn't help much. This is probably the worst feature of the car, and thankfully that isn't saying a whole lot. It came with 3 months of free satellite radio, which I didn't really care about. I listen to my radio stations, iPod, and CDs. All are very easy to use in this car.
The climate controls are great. Everything is set up intuitively and it warms up/cools down the cabin quickly when I want it to. The interior materials themselves actually surprised me. There is quite a bit of soft and hard touch materials in this interior, and it was designed really well. It is a really pleasing place to be. My grandpa wouldn't shut up about it when I took him for a ride, he thought he was riding in a Cadillac. It's designed really well but at the same time you know you aren't in a high end luxury vehicle either. To be fair, there isn't a whole lot of cheap plastic - they instead opted for a lot of leathery-like materials and it really looks good.
The tires are just a standard all-season, Nexen (Korean tire). Nothing to write home about, but it isn't anything less than I'd expect. This car does as well as I'd expect it would in the dirty, snowy, icy winters Buffalo is famous for. I don't underestimate the importance of the quality of tire you put on your vehicle, and I have to say I'm pleased with how these tires (and the car in general) have gotten me through the winter. They aren't outstanding, but they get the job done.
I get 29 mpg in this car and I drive it pretty hard. I'd say I have a 70% highway 30% city mix, and I drive fast on the highway (65-75 mph). When I actually do the speed limit, I get 33 mpg in this car with 87 octane. I'm pleased with that, considering how spirited of a driver I am.
To sum up, I'd say the strengths of this car are how incredibly good looking it is, and how attractive and intuitive the interior is compared to the other cars in its class. Its weakness is its sound system. I'm an enthusiast and would rather be driving a Subaru WRX or Focus RS, but for now this is what I can afford that is new. This car was everything I expected/wanted out of it. I got this car because I needed something that wouldn't break down, (a new car) something that isn't terrible in the snow, (Front Wheel Drive) and was the cheapest lease deal I could find.
very pleased after 3 years
Jeff R, Torrance, CA, 10/11/2015
2015 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
I bought a Kia Optima LX after previously owning bmw 528, and nissan maxima. I wanted to save money and not spend so much on a car. I was attracted to the warranty and the commercials, but was leery of a Korean, bargain basement brand. I must say, I have been impressed with everything. The power (0-60 in under 9 seconds on regular unleaded), the air conditioning is fantastic and the … stereo is surprisingly good. It includes sirius/xm and ipod/iphone ports. I really do not miss driving the bmw or the maxima, very happy KIA customer so far.
3 years later I still love my car. No repair issues at all.
2 years in: Still very happy no repair issues, just get oil changes every 6 months. Great car!
Love my optima
susan, 09/19/2015
2015 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 years 190,000 miles...yeah I travel a lot. The Kia is running great!! We had to replace the air conditioner compressor at around 135,000 miles that cost around 1000 dollars. Other than that and routine stuff like a battery, tires and brake pads we haven't done a single thing mechanical to the car. Back in July I was hit by a large pickup truck and I have to say I did not feel a thing. … I was side swiped the pickup truck striking the front fender and his trailer striking the back fender. I've always felt safe in the car but after taking such a hard hit and not even feeling it I'm confident this is a safe car. There was almost 6000 dollars damages to the car. Pros of the optmia... it rides smooth always has. It has great power. The radio is great. I absolutely love the hands free feature. It looks great as well. It has been more than dependable these last 4 years. The price we paid for it was pretty good. Now for the bad stuff!! The clear coat on the front bumper had started to peel off which looked pretty bad. (got that fixed with the accident repairs) there is a small rust spot on the hood. The door seals appear to be dry rotted and have since before 50 thousnad miles. The seats are not comfortable at all and the front passenger seat basically sits on the floor and is not adjustable. Many people have told me they feel like a small child riding over there. Other than those few minor things overall it's a great car. I fully intend on my next car also being a new version of the same car!!
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2015 Kia Optima LX Sedan
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Lots of standard and optional features for the money
- Pro:handsome cabin with easy-to-use controls and comfortable front seats
- Pro:top crash scores
- Pro:lengthy warranty.
- Con:Tight on rear-seat headroom
- Con:lower fuel economy than class mpg leaders.
Full Edmunds Review: 2015 Kia Optima Sedan
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2015 Kia Optima in California is:
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