Test Drive Kia Optima (K5) since 2010 Sedan

Famous similarity

Kia Magentis
2.0 l, 136 liters. p., 4-speed automaton, elementary level, $ 20,850.

Hyundai Sonata.
2.0 l, 133 hp, 4-speed automatic, GLS, $ 20 250.

Hyundai Sonata.
Hyunde Sonata of the fifth generation debuted in the summer of 2001. The front-wheel drive sedan is unified with Kia Madzhentis.
In the spring of 2004, the assembly was mastered
on Tagaza.
Engines: gasoline 2.0 l (133 liters.) And 2.7 liters (178 liters.).
Gearbox: 5-speed
mechanical, 4-speed automatic.
Required: GL and GLS.
Price in Russia: $ 17,50024,600.

Kia Magentis
Kia Madzhentis is shown in late 2000, and two years later his appearance was updated. Available with Sedan Body, unified with Hönde Sonata. In the spring of 2001, an assembly was established in Kaliningrad by Avtotor.
Engines: gasoline 2.0 l (136 liters.) And 2.5 liters (168 liters.).
Transmission: 5-speed mechanical or 4-speed automatic.
Two levels of configuration.
Price in Russia: $ 19,55022 600.

PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
The traffic cop stepped on the roadway and, having skipping a solid Madzhentis, deftly the striped tackle of a frivolous silver sonata. A lesson of practical psychology on the Kaliningrad sedans rides a lot of officials, so to slow down such a car, as before the nomenclature Volga, other times more expensive. Another thing is particular Hönde Sonata, however, the situation can be aligned from now on, this is also a domestic car and ride on it now quite patriot.
However, leave hardware games. We are interested in another: in the middle class there was a very attractive offer. The price of a large two-liter sonatoo, collected on the Taganrog Auto Plant, begins with $ 17,500. For dating, we took a car with an automatic transmission, which is only available in the GLS picking with alloy wheels, anti-test system. , climate control for everything about all a little more than twenty thousand. A pair of her other Russian Korean Kia Madzhentis Kaliningrad enterprise Avtotor, which is in very close configuration, also two-liter and with a machine gun, costs almost as much.

Sister Sonata and Brother Madzhentis
Sometimes we completely unequivocally attribute cars to female or male family especially when the name helps. Our couple is just from such: rounded, all of soft Sonata lines with coquettiously rumped corners of diagonal headlights are clearly lady in a silver dress. Serious, black with chrome Madzhentis, of course, a gentleman in a classic suit shaped with glitter cuffs, watches and a cigarette.
At first glance, two completely different cars are combined, which are only close dimensions yes affiliation to the European D-class. However, in common in them much more than it seems and even what can be learned from press releases. They are mentioned in the platform's unification is logical, because the company Kia Motors is part of Hyunda. But the unification concept is tensile, here we see the maximum manifestation. Honestly, the larger similarity of two cars of different marks see has not yet been brought.
Automotive firms are sometimes shovel, releasing a restyled version under the guise of a new model, let us understand that there is hidden under the changed appearance. However, there is a simple, but absolutely reliable way to find out the truth is enough to compare the shape of door and window openings, racks, roofs. They enter the power structure of the body, which in the course of cosmetic modernization does not affect. Just such a case in front of us with all the external differences of Hyunda Sonata and Kia Madzhentis are based on the same spatial frame: a close relationship is obvious.
By the way, the steps between the body details of the Sonatas are reached by one and a half or two millimeters (this is a trifle, by the standards of the domestic car industry!). Madzhentis also forgot to put the rear bumper fastening pistons. How not to remember the unfinished wing of the editorial focus or the wheel of the accent wheel falling down during the test they were also collected in Russia

Damage kinship
Absolutely expected, our pair turned out to be almost the same and spacious salons that can easily accommodate five non-good men. The general remark is a relatively small ceiling height behind which concerns the top of the passenger with growth above 180 cm. The driver will have to be pretty twisting the regulators of the vertical position before it finds a comfortable position of the chair spacious, but rather flat. In addition, the solid coil of the steering column does not torment the knees.
The similarity in the design of the salons is such that sometimes you are confused: seat, front panel, appliances, knobs, blocks of buttons and switches, climate control panel, automatic selector handle and many other elements or fully identical, or allocated only with materials or shades. By God, it's easier to list differences: a little different in the shape of steering and parking brakes, more or less original door panels, and the Central Console Kia is visually combined with the tunnel in Hyunda these elements separately. The overall impression: the interiors are sufficiently neat, but are unnecessarily modest, places on the verge of cheapness incompatible with the class. What are slippery, with burrs plastic handbones, not to the place crowned with chromed buttons!
If you retreat from the requirements of stylistic unity, the Magentis salon looks just richer: there are inserts under the tree, on the thresholds metal lining, and the steering wheel and the selector are covered with skin, which is really convenient. Installed and radio tape recorder, although pretty simple. On the other hand, he does not have a headlight regulator, without which cars are now, I thought at all. Sonata can not boast a radio tape recorder in a regular configuration: the one that turns in the test machine is installed by the dealer.
The originality of the equipment of cars is not exhausted. For example, there is a central castle, but without a remote control, to be honest, I have already forgotten when I had to open the car with the key. Four power windows are installed, but the automatic mode is only at the driver's and only for lowering. The blocks of the keys that twice the cheaper Kia Rio had a shame pulled the steering column for a long time, trying to adjust it along the length, until it realized that it would be possible to raise-omit. And only a pair of frontal airbags, albeit in the basic configuration! In general, the filling of our pair of Koreans is different from the one that is used to see the European buyer in this class. And on what we get quietly get used to.

Footwear different, characters are similar
Almost identical power units are installed on both machines: two-liter sixteenthly patched motors differ only in the electronics setting. Sonata has a characteristic of a little more than a 64 NM with 4500 rpm, Magentis 180 NM at 4600 rpm. But the last slightly more powerful than 136 liters. with. Against 133 with the same 6000 revolutions. Transmissions with automatic boxes repeat each other until hundredths in the values \u200b\u200bof the gear ratios. And they would not have to talk about differences in dynamic qualities if it were not for one thing.
The fact is that cars are equipped with wheels of different dimensions 205/60R16 at Hyunde and 205 / 60r15 in Kia. It is difficult to find a logical explanation, since the wheel arches are the same in size, but the results are obvious: an excess inch diameter provides Sonata to a very good road clearance of 170 mm, however, increases the radius of the turn to 5.6 m. Magentis, respectively, 160 mm and 5.2 m. The main thing is: a large wheel, with other things being equal, implements a smaller traction to a hundred silver car accelerates for 14.6 s, I gave the opponent for more than a second.
However, these are nuances. Subjectively, both Russian Koreans are calm, comfortable liners who are smooth smoothly, with a sense of their own dignity to accelerate and then fly on the highway, swaying on the soft, ignoring the sides of the suspension (we also note are also completely identical). But shoot from the traffic light or on overtaking, just to prescribe a bundle of steep aggregates does not really work. And the power does not seem to be small, but multiplied by four viscous transmissions of the hydromechanical automaton (by the way, with the possibility of manual control), and then referred to a small one and a half tons of the exhaust mass, gives a pull-made very moderate.
The payout for the lulling comfort is a strong routing on gentle waves, which, combined with large rolls, sometimes threatens to just throw out a car on the side of the road. It is difficult to catch it due to slow, smeared reactions and almost weightless steering wheel without reliable feedback. In such a situation, it looks like a limited performance of the steering hydraulic power engineer at both machines: with a sharp turn, he seems to be resting in a slowly retreating limiter, not allowing you to make unnecessarily bold evolution. Note that Kia Madzhentis seemed a little more collected and accurately possible because he was lower?

I CHOOSE
Perhaps, still Madzhentis. No, not only for those few advantages that he demonstrated in comparison with Sonata. Yes, I look more, I like it more, but this is a subjective thing. But the manufacturer's guarantee factor is objective. The Taganrog plant promises to be disinterestedly to take care of his Hyunda Sonata only two years or 40 thousand km, but the autotort will be devotionally to love my Kia Madzhentis as many as five years or 120 thousand km! Of course, the faultlessness is complete after all the cars are almost the same, but what is the buyer's business? The well-known truth is confirmed: the warranty does not reflect the reliability or technical perfection of the car, but only indicates the desire of the manufacturer to sell his goods. We will assume that I bought this move. However, the situation will soon change. Tagaz dealers seriously consider the possibility of increasing the guarantee presumably up to three years and 100 thousand km.

SUMMARY
Hönde Sonata in the minimum configuration is perhaps the most advantageous offer in the classroom.
+ Spacious interior, comfortable suspension, big ground clearance, good noise insulation, attractive price.
- Poor equipment and decoration, modest dynamics, sluggish fuzzy reactions, non-informative steering.

Kia Madzhentis maximum representativeness for each nested dennaution.
+ Spacious interior, comfortable suspension, considerable ground clearance, good noise insulation, solid appearance, attractive price, long warranty.
- modest equipment and decoration, moderate dynamics, smeared reactions, non-informative steering.

EQUIPMENT
Hyundai Kia.
Sonata Magentis
Fog lights
Headlights corrector
Light alloy
wheel disks
central locking
Power windows
(Before. / Back) / /
Electrozerkala
Adjustable
steering column
Climate control
Audio preparation
Audio system
Belts tensioners
Airbags
(count) 2 2
Transformable
trunk
Full-size
spare wheel
Price, $ 20 250 20 850
 
 
 
 
 
Yuri Nileyov. Photo: Konstantin Yakubov

A source: Journal "Behind the wheel"

Video Test Drives Kia Optima (K5) since 2010