Optima is Kia's first PHEV

By CARSIFU | 25 August 2016


SEOUL: Meet Kia's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle model, the Optima PHEV that features 53km of pure electric range.

The 1,718kg (kerb) is a 4,854mm-long PHEV that has a 2,804mm wheelbase and stands 1,859mm-wide and 1,460mm-tall, while having a 130mm of ground clearance.

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Under the hood lies a 2.0-litre (1,999cc) direct-injection petrol engine made of aluminium with 154bhp at 6,000rpm and 190Nm of torque at 5,000rpm, which gets managed by a six-speed electronic automatic transmission before sending it all to the front wheels.

The combustion engine is supplemented with an Interior-Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor - lets call it an electric motor shall we? Ok, so that alone has 66hp from 2,330 to 3,300rpm and 205Nm of torque from 0-2,330rpm, which gets fed by a 9.8kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack located under the rear bench which reduces the boot capacity to 307 litres of luggage space.

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The combined output is 202PS at 6,000rpm and 375Nm of torque at 2,330rpm.

In pure electric mode, the Korean PHEV is able to travel a maximum distance of 53km and has the potential to achieve a fuel economy rating of up to 1.33 litres per 100km.

With a top speed 120kph, 0-100kph is dispatched in 9.1 seconds while in hybrid mode and the switch between electric and hybrid driving is seamless, while the electric motor's 205Nm of torque from standstill ensures rapid acceleration and instantaneous response from the throttle pedal.

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The Optima PHEV uses an active air flap grille to help increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the 0.29Cd steel body by dropping it to 0.25Cd instead, while rolling on 17-inch wheels with 215/55 series tyres that obscure the upsized disc brakes from the standard 262mm to 300mm due to the additional weight from the battery pack.

Although the suspension uses front McPherson Struts and an independent multi-link rear suspension, which has been retuned for the additional weight.

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The Korean PHEV gets fitted with LED daytime running lights, LED headlights with automatic levelling, welcome and follow-me-home lighting, black cloth and faux leather seats with four-way powered lumbar adjustment on the driver's side, front and rear parking sensors and a reverse camera.

The list continues with dual-zone automatic air conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshifter, steering wheel mounted controls, all-round electric windows, cruise control with speed limiter, remote central locking and an electronic parking brake.

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Inside, there's an 8.0-inch touch-screen navigation system with European mapping, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (available later in the production run), Kia Connected Services powered by TomTom, a wireless mobile phone charger, a 270-degree around-view monitor and a 10-speaker harman/kardon Premium Sound audio system with Clari-Fi technology

Active safety provisions include electronic stability control, vehicle stability management and hill-start assist control.

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Other technologies include regenerative braking, a driving style guide, an ECO-DAS (ECOnomy Driver Assistance System) featuring Coasting Guide Control, a Drive Mode Select button so that drivers can personalise the powertrain's dynamics, and an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) Select switch. It also has an intelligent heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to save battery power.

HEV Select gives access to two driving modes via a button in the centre console that includes EV (charge depletion) mode, where the car runs as a purely electric vehicle when the energy stored in the batteries is adequate.

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In HEV (charge sustaining) mode, which allows the powertrain to balance the use of motor and petrol engine for a seamless combination of electric and internal combustion power, where reliance comes from the latter.

The Drive Mode Select gives the driver the choice of Eco and Normal settings to obtain maximum energy efficiency or greater performance. This switch is also located in the centre console. A driving style guide delivers information through the instrument panel about how efficiently the car is being driven so that drivers can adapt their driving style as necessary.

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Kia's regenerative braking system, now in third generation guise in the Optima PHEV, allows the car to harvest kinetic energy – energy created by motion – to top up the batteries when coasting or braking.

The advanced HVAC system has been adapted from that in the Soul EV, and permits only the driver's side of the car to be cooled when the other seats are unoccupied to minimise energy usage.

It does this through a smart air intake, in contrast to rival systems which merely divert the airflow towards the driver when other vents are closed and consequently do not reduce energy consumption.


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