If I asked you what the last generation Kia Optima looked like, you would probably have no idea. You would also probably not be able to tell me one thing about it. In fact, if you were looking at a group of de-badged cars, you probably couldn’t pick one out. That’s a problem. Though, once you see the new Kia Optima, you will have none of these issues.

Up front the new Kia Optima features the new corporate grille. Swept back headlights are actually much larger in person than one might think. In fact, the headlights are longer than my forearm.

Looking at the Optima from a side view, the front has a ridiculously long overhang. This is due to sharing its platform with the new Hyundai Sonata. Where the Sonata has swept back front end styling, the Optima has a more upright stance. This leads the front end to look rather large.

The rear doors feature an interesting king where the rear glass meets the C-pillar. This is unique, but does create a rather large blind spot. This can become an annoyance when backing up.

Around back the Optima SX Turbo feature LED taillights that wrap around the rear end and run into the rear fenders. They look terrific, especially when lit up at night.

There is a chrome strip that traces the greenhouse. It starts at the base of the A-pillars and actually runs all the way to the trunk lid. This is a very interesting design piece that looks great on dark colored cars. The fake fender vents don’t bother me, but some will find them ugly.

One last controversial styling element on the SX Turbo are the wheels. The 18-inch wheels feature black paint and are flangeless. It seems many people do not like their design. Personally I found them to be unique.

The interior of the Kia Optima SX Turbo may be the most impressive interior of any Kia to date. Most of the dashboard is soft touch, while part of the center stack is leather wrapped. Speaking of the center stack, it is actually canted towards the driver. The buttons are grouped logically and finding what you needed quickly was easy.

Two minor gripes have to do with the touchscreen navigation and the heated/cooled seat buttons. I found the navigation screen to operate great, but the screen itself was about an inch farther away from me than I would have liked. The heated/cooled seat buttons for the driver and passenger were both on the right of the gearshift. This looks fine design wise, but when the gearshift is in drive, the driver can’t see the buttons. You are left to feel for which button is which, otherwise you must peek your head around the side.

Small gripes aside, the interior is well designed and the materials are surprisingly nice. The fit and finish is terrific. The interior of this Optima SX Turbo literally puts the Camry to shame.

The heart of the Optima SX Turbo is a 2.0-Liter turbo four-cylinder featuring direct injection. This set up is good for 274-horsepower and 269 lb-ft all sent to the front wheels through a one choice six-speed automatic transmission.

I had the opportunity to drive the Optima SX Turbo over 1,000 miles on my way to and from the Chicago Auto Show. On the highway I average 31.3 mpg cruising north of 70 MPH. While I was in the city I saw an average of 25.5 mpg. Seeing as the EPA rates the Optima SX Turbo at 22/34 I was pleased with the mileage. It’s worth noting it was below freezing with heavy winds during my time with the Optima.

I personally loved the programming in this transmission. It isn’t hesitant to downshift immediately when needed and always seems to be doing just what you want it to be doing. Sadly, that is a rare characteristic these days.

The power comes on strong and with barely any turbo lag. You are hit with the full brunt of that 269 lb-ft at a mere 1,750 rpms, and it is a flat torque curve all the way to 4,000 rpms.

You would expect quite a bit of torque steer with that amount of power all going to the front wheels. Surprisingly, there is really isn’t any.

While the power is linear, the steering is less than. At highway speeds the electric power steering is nicely weighted, but at parking lot speeds it is ridiculously over boosted. It feels artificial and gives no real feedback.

The suspension is also quite harsh. The SX supposedly has a sport-tuned suspension and high performance dampers. Now I personally like a firm ride, and the Optima SX Turbo is quite controlled on the highway and through a clover leaf, but sometimes the suspension come crashing down when hitting a pot hole. I literally thought I might have ripped a wheel off more than once. Combined with the 18-inch alloy wheels and low profile tires, some consumers will not be able to tolerate the harsh ride on a daily basis.

You can get the turbo engine in the EX trim level (for slightly less than the SX trim level). While I could accept the harsh suspension in the SX on a daily basis, many consumers might not feel the same way.

The Optima SX Turbo I was in had a sticker price of $30,840 after destination. This included the technology package and SX Premium Package.

After spending a week with the Optima SX Turbo, I almost feel anyone that would buy a Toyota Camry V-6 over this vehicle might be nuts. The Optima is a true value. With everything from heated rear seats to great fit and finish, this is one Optima you’ll remember.

Full Disclosure – The review vehicle was provided by Kia

The new owner stated “The Regal is a superb car to drive on the road, with more of a European feel than any other car we looked at,” said the new owner. “My 15 year-old daughter has already said she wants to take the car to college with her in a few years.”

GM had this to say about the first sale, “We are encouraged to see that the first Regal was sold within 24 hours of hitting the dealership lot,” said Roger McCormack, director of marketing for Buick. “The Regal is the next chapter in Buick’s modern transformation and will continue attracting new buyers to the brand.”

I personally think the Regal stands a good chance at luring more buyers at a lower age range into the Buick showrooms.  Time will tell but everyone that has driven one so far walks away throughly impressed.

Source- GMInsidenews

The decision came down Tuesday that all sales would come to a halt on the vehicles affected. This sales freeze will be in affect until a fix can be implemented. Toyota has said they expect a fix in the next two weeks rather than months. With that said, they failed to mention what that fix might be. I would call this a “we are scrambling as quickly as possible” tactic. Many are convinced Toyota does not have a fix yet. Others are reporting Toyota already has the fix and new parts are starting to ship. It is hard to know what to believe at this point. The freeze affects eight models which makes up about sixty percent of all North American sales for Toyota. The list of affected vehicles is as follows-

• 2009-10 RAV4

• 2009-10 Corolla

• 2009-10 Matrix

• 2005-10 Avalon

• Certain 2007-10 Camry

• 2010 Highlander

• 2007-10 Tundra

• 2008-10 Sequoia

Avis/Budget car rental announced they will be removing nearly 20,000 Toyota’s from its fleet immediately. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who now also owns Alamo and National Car Rental, will be pulling all Toyota’s and Pontiac Vibe’s included in the recall. While numbers were not provided by Enterprise it is estimated to be about 4% of their fleet.

It is coming out now that Toyota has known there was problem since mid 2008. In June of 2008, Toyota announced “sticky pedals” are a drivability issue not a safety issue. Well we all know how that turned out now that people have died. Toyota has ignored this problem. They continued to sell cars when they knew something was wrong! This is just ridiculous. Even further, Toyota was contacted last Friday by NHSTA after they heard the models were still being sold. It took four days for Toyota to make the announcement of the sales freeze on the affected models. It almost seems as if they had no intentions of stopping sales until it started hitting the public and governmental eyes.

I have spoken with many people who are shocked at this whole situation. In a conversation with a gentleman in the baby boomer generation the words, “Never in my life have I seen an auto manufacturer halt sales of over half their line up. This is history in the making.” He continued to compare this situation to 9/11, the difference is that this is going on inside Toyota. Another friend compared Toyota to big tobacco.

Many see this whole situation as getting out of control. I have heard some say it is snowballing. I personally think this is far from over and it will get much worse. Toyota’s reputation has now been thrown into question in front of the public view and in a terrible way. It will be interesting to see how current Toyota owners react when it is time for them to purchase a new car. This could benefit Ford, Hyundai, and General Motors. Time will tell if that happens. In recap, Toyota knew what was going on before people were killed, they continued to sell vehicles, more people died, did not fully think through the recall, things are going to get worse. I think I’m going to get sick.

Why do strippers exist?  What is the point of them?  Many people say they would never touch a stripper but I am willing to bet otherwise.  Some have even touched one without even knowing it.  Hey get your head out of the gutter!  We are talking about basic cars here.

All cars come in base or entry level trim in some form or another.  This means the vehicle is lacking certain options.  Options are all relative.  For example a base Audi A4 will include leather, power windows, power locks, power driver seat, automatic climate control, and the list could go on.  That car also has a base price starting at $31,450, with which you are paying for those standard features in that base price.  Now take for example a Toyota Camry, which has a base price $19,395.  You lose the power seats, leather, automatic climate control, prestige branding, and many more options that are standard on the Audi.  Take this one step farther and you could buy a Nissan Versa for $9,990.  What does that $9,990 get you?  A car, four wheels, an engine, and air bags, along with all the things that make the car run.  No air conditioning, no power anything, steel wheels with hub caps, though you do get six air bags and a tire pressure monitoring system.  This is the essence of basic transportation at its finest.

So why do these “stripper” models exist.  I imagine you are saying to yourself, “who buys these?”  In reality these models sell in higher volumes then you think.  Two directions are taken when it comes to sales of these models.  One is fleet sales, there are a ton of stripped down or modestly equipped Toyota Camry’s and Chevrolet Impalas in rental car fleets.  The second route is simply people that want basic transportation.  Believe it or not, there are people out there that simply care about getting from point A to point B.  Sure most say they want a stereo with a CD player, and air conditioning is usually a requirement for them as well.  The fact is a base stripped down Toyota Camry or Chevrolet Impala meets those needs.  They are also relatively inexpensive to maintain.  Most even get respectable gas mileage.

Few cars come without CD players and radios.  Almost none (save for a handful) come without air conditioning.  Modern conveniences are in tow.  Safety is always there, air bags are standard on all cars (though more are sometimes optional).  Shockingly some cars do not have ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes) standard.  I personally know a handful of people that are car guys, and they feel power seats and other newer technologies are just extra weight in a car.

The point is simple, “stripper” or base cars play a vital role in sales on different levels.  Advertising the lowest price on a base vehicle is what gets people in the door.  Once they realize how many things are missing they start to think about upgrading, but that stripper got them in the door.

You may ask yourself why would someone want to buy a Lexus ES350.  In essence, the Lexus ES350 is essentially a really nice Toyota Camry.  For the higher price you receive a much nicer dealer experience, a cushier ride, and overall a nicer car.  This car has no sporty pretensions about it.  The industry keeps moving towards sporty cars while this car retains the traditional luxury feel.  Lexus has made strides to become a little sportier on other models, but this is a break in that formula.

The ES350 is designed using what Lexus calls “L-Finesse design”.  The result of this design particularly in the ES350, is a bland car.  The car tends to just blend right in.  Those characteristics continue onto the inside with a simple design. The dash is soft touch and gauge cluster is very good looking.  The clock on the dash looks like a cheap wrist watch which seems to take away from the interior.  The seats are road trip worthy, though they have no real support for energetic driving.  With plenty of real wood thrown around the interior, this car is a nice place to spend your time with a few things that seem dated.

The ES350 is powered by a once choice 3.5L V6 which is ULEV II (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) certified.  This engine is good for 272 hp and 254 lb-ft which is channeled through a six speed automatic transmission.  The transmission does have manual shifting abilities but no paddles are included.  Like the Camry, the ES350 is front wheel drive and is not available in all wheel drive form.  Rated at 19/27 mpg, the ES350 posts respectable milage numbers.  Though most drivers will not be speed demons the car is rated at 6.8 seconds 0-60 which is respectable in its class.  Torque steer is well in check and the steering is very light.  Driving the ES350 is a very uneventful affair.  The car can literally just cruise along.

The car I had was a base model with optional equipment including heated and ventilated front seats, and a wood and leather trimmed steering wheel and shift nob.  The sticker price for the vehicle I had was $36,645.  That is nearly $3,000 more than the better equipped Buick LaCrosse.  The LaCrosse is more engaging to drive and overall had a better driving balance.  The interior of the LaCrosse also has more design character and feels slightly richer.  I am comparing the ES350 to the LaCrosse in a harsh way and the reason is simple.  The all new for 2010 Buick LaCrosse is trying through both marketing and design, to directly take on the ES350.

So this all seems to circle back to the beginning.  The car drives like it looks, boring, fluid, yet comfortable.  The dealer experience is top notch.  The question I have is why pick this over the Buick LaCrosse?  The LaCrosse seems to be more car for the money and is definitely more engaging to drive.  Picking the Lexus ES350 over the Buick LaCrosse comes down to two simple reasons.  The first is Buick has an image problem.  Though it is worth noting they are working swiftly to try and change the brand’s perception.  The second is the dealer experience.  The Buick dealership does not give out free loaner cars and will not pamper you anything like the Lexus dealership.  At the end of the day, the Lexus ES350 is a fine car, but now there is real competition in the price point now and Lexus needs to step up their game.

2011 Hyundai Sonata

The midsize sedan segment is one of the most competitive and is the largest volume class of vehicle.  The perennial kings of this segment have for a long time been the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.  The Ford Taurus once played in this segment but then faded away.  The Hyundai Sonata has been making moves and gaining market share for years now.  Each revision getting better and more refined.  Having sold over 1.2 million Sonatas, it is safe to say Hyundai is getting the swing of things.

The U.S. version of the 2011 Sonata was shown at the LA Auto show.  The car is radically different then the current generation.  With a fluid design and crisp lines, the new Sonata looks terrific.  The cars overall shape somewhat mimics the higher end Volkswagen CC four door coupe styling.  An up swept character line runs from behind the front wheel well through the door handles, and through to the top of the taillights.  The car’s overall stance is somewhat sporty and aggressive.  The rear trunk has a slight spoiler built in.  The rear tail lights look like a mash up of a BMW 3 series and the brand new 2011 Infiniti M.

The interior of this new Sonata is going more up scale.  The hvac controls are similar to those found in new Fords and Volvos.  Do not worry about the lower roofline in the rear, rear headroom has decreased by a mere 0.4 inches.  Hyundai worked with the headliner and put the rear seat cushions slightly lower to keep the headroom.  The car is actually 130 pounds lighter then the outgoing model.  Hyundai accomplished this weight decrease with the increased use of aluminum in the frame and high strength steel for some of the body parts.

Three trim levels will be available, GLS, SE, and Limited.  The SE and Limited trim levels will have a chrome grille.  The GLS model will have a body color grille.  The new Sonata will be available at launch with a one choice 2.4 liter direct injection four cylinder.  This engine will push out 198 hp and 184 lb-ft to the front wheels through either a six speed automatic or a six speed manual.  Those who opt for the SE model, which is going to be the sportier model, will get dual exhaust along with paddle shifters, and 2 more hp along with 2 more lb-ft of torque.  Hyundai did announce a turbo four cylinder and a hybrid model are both coming but did not release details.  No V6 is being offered (for now).  Hyundai was heard saying the V6 in midsize cars will go the way of the dinosaur.  While final numbers are not in yet, Hyundai expects the Sonata to be rated at 23/35 mpg with the automatic transmission.  That is 2-4 mpg better then the competition.

So what just happened?  Well Hyundai is setting the stage to try and over take the crown from Toyota and Honda in the midsize segment.  With a base price under $20,000, the new Sonata just became the best value and fuel efficient non hybrid in the midsize class. Pretty much, when no one was looking Hyundai got serious.  Your move Toyota and Honda.

With all the news buzzing around about the Frankfurt Motor Show last week I almost forgot about a very important product launch in Korea the new Hyundai Sonata. Hyundai has played second fiddle to Camry, Accord, and the other major plays in the mid-size car market for a few years now. They are no longer content being that guy. They are looking to shake things up. The new 2011 Sonata will continue what Hyundai has started with from the Genesis sedan and Genesis Coupe over the last two years. Sleeker, sexier, and more curvaceous, the new Sonata has gone under the knife for a complete redo and is coming out swinging at the champs. Upon first glance you must say it is a looker. Taking the four door coupe theme started by the Mercedes CLS and continued on by the Volkswagen CC, the new Sonata has a short rear deck and fast roof line.

2011 Hyundai Sonata

Arriving here sometime next year the new Sonata will feature initially two engine choices with a hybrid joining the mix about a year after. The base vehicle will have a upgraded 2.4 4 cylinder featuring direct injection. The 4 cylinder will probably be putting out close to 200 hp. Also available will be a V6 option. The both engines will most likely feature 6 speed transmissions. The Sonata remains front wheel drive with no all wheel drive option currently offered.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Interior

The mid-size sedan segment has been heating up as of late and this makes it that much hotter. The fact remains this car mimics styling cues of cars with much higher price tags. Hyundai has said while official pricing is not available yet, pricing should be similar to Korean pricing on the Sonata which ranges from high teens to mid twenties. The US spec version and more details should debut at the L.A. Auto Show or Detroit Auto Show. This is definitely one mid-size sedan to keep an eye on not to mention Toyota Camry should be worried.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Interior Center Stack