
The Optima Plug-In Hybrid quietly out-slipperied expectations — at 0.24 Cd, its drag coefficient matched the all-electric Tesla Model S.
Lead trim: FE · 2.0L · up to 202 hp
Kia Optima4th Gen · 2016–2020
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Kia Optima yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Optima Plug-In Hybrid quietly out-slipperied expectations — at 0.24 Cd, its drag coefficient matched the all-electric Tesla Model S.
Collectors Spotted in the Kia Optima Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Kia Optima yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base · 7-spd auto-manual · 1.6L | 2016–2020 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 178 hp | 195 lb-ft | — | FWD | Automatic (AM7) | — |
| FE · 2.0L | 2016–2016 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 161 hp | 145 lb-ft | — | FWD | Automatic (S6) | — |
| FE · 2.4L | 2016–2020 | 2.4 L Inline-4 | 185 hp | 178 lb-ft | — | FWD | Automatic (S6) | — |
| Hybrid · 6-spd auto-manual · 2.0L | 2017–2020 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 202 hp | — | — | FWD | Automatic (AM6) | — |
| Plug-in Hybrid | 2017–2020 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 202 hp | 276 lb-ft | — | FWD | Automatic (AM6) | — |
| S | 2018–2018 | 2.4 L Inline-4 | 185 hp | 178 lb-ft | — | FWD | Automatic (S6) | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the FE · 2.4L trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs

The Optima Plug-In Hybrid quietly out-slipperied expectations — at 0.24 Cd, its drag coefficient matched the all-electric Tesla Model S.

In September 2011 the Optima Hybrid drove all 48 states in 14 days and set a Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption in a hybrid gas car -- 64.55 mpg average over 7,899 miles on just five and a half tanks of gas.

This exact same car sold under three different names depending where you bought it — Optima in the US and Malaysia, Magentis almost everywhere else, and Lotze in its home market of South Korea.

The first Optima wasn't really a Kia design at all — from 2000 to 2005 it was a rebadged Hyundai Sonata, different only in trim and badges.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.

It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.

Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.

A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.

The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.

The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.

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The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.

This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.


