Test drive Kia Opirus (AMANTI) 2003 - 2007 sedan

Kia Opirus

Koreans are purposeful people, and when Kia Motors decided to get into a new business class car segment, this was not a surprise for specialists. The company is developing violently, and the appearance of a large sedan in the lineup is quite natural. The appearance of the flagship Opirus was a real surprise

Who is he?

It was the case, conceived by the South Korean company Ssangyong the Big Sedan Chairman, which, in fact, was a slightly converted Mercedes S-class. The manufacturer not only did not hide this, but also tried to play a marketing party on this fact. In the case of Opirus, the calculation was on its striking similarity to the products of the German auto giant, although the fact that Opirus is very similar to the Mercedes E-class, Koreans prefer not to speak out loud. They built an unconditionally controversial car from the point of view of design not in the hope of indulging in one of the leaders of the world auto industry, but declaring it as a completely independent idea embodied in metal. Naturally, the premiere of the car, which replaced the Enterprise model, gave rise to many conversations on the external and internal content of the Opirus, but everyone had only one association - with Mercedes E -class. Representatives of the manufacturer for numerous sparing comments calmly answered that the novelty was not painted from the German machine, and its appearance corresponds to the spirit of design trends in this class. As a result, skeptics left a large Kia sedan alone and began to look for another reason for criticism.

Meanwhile, the Opirus began to be sold behind the ocean, and in Europe itself, things went quite normal for him, customers estimated the quality of the product and its affordable cost, and his external data ceased to worry people who knew the price of money earned.

Our acquaintance with Opirus for various reasons was constantly postponed, and, frankly, there was no hope there was no longer any hope, but then the case intervened. We were still impressed by the real holiday, arranged by Koreans about laying the first stone in the foundation of the new plant in Zhilina (Slovakia), which is 200 km from Bratislava, when it suddenly turned out that there was an opportunity to make a trip to the flagship of Kia to neighboring Austria.

And finally we met

At first, it was not possible to leave thoughts about a car with a three -beam star on the hood. It is enough to look at the four-eyed Opirus in front, and the word Mercedes stubbornly asks for the tongue. Not only the headlights are similar to the Opirus to Mercedes: here the hood cover is in the same way, in waves, repeats the upper edges of the headlights, and the large grille of the radiator resembles both the Meredaesovskaya and the one that Lancia Thesis. Two long strips of LED turning indicators are implanted in the lower part of a sufficiently massive front bumper, they just dilute this pseudo-German picture. When you look at the Opirus in profile, it seems that the designer for a second forgot what kind of car he works on. So he drew the front wing and the doorway, then suddenly woke up and remembered the installation of the leadership to create a completely different machine. Immediately the opening of the back door with a slight rounding and a massive rear part with original lighting equipment appeared.

The car cannot be occupied with solidity, but it is far from the brutality of American large sedans, and if you distract from the associations that his face causes, it turns out to be a very serious business car. Opirus confirms its status with internal content. The doors open smoothly and slowly, like a sleepy porter of a five -star hotel, seeing you, decided to fulfill his duty with dignity. In the same way, they close smoothly, leaving the owner alone with the best with the ergonomic achievements of Kia. On the instrument panel, generously trimmed with wood and made of soft, elastic plastic, large arrow hours that occupy the niche between the average deflectors are especially distinguished. If desired, they can replace the navigator screen (as an option), but then the salon loses light plaque of pomp. On the central console there are a BeCker radio and climate control unit, in a traditional place and an automatic gearbox handle.

The car is large and wide, which means that the process of choosing the optimal posture for the driver does not seem to be a problem, everything is controlled by electric drives here. And the buttons for serving commands to electric motors are located on the door, and externally, the adjustment unit is again almost Mercedes. A large, skin -trimmed steering wheel also has a wide range of electrical controls. Looking around, you notice that, despite the solid size, the car inside is quite cozy and friendly, and it is not only as a decoration or cost of materials. It’s just that it is generally resemble a deep and soft sofa, which is rather inherent in American cars than the freshly vehicles of South Korean production. But this is a subjective sensation. And if objectively, thanks to the large rear view mirrors, Opirus has a good overview back, and the optimal combination of devices is easily read and does not give glare in bright sunlight.

As appropriate for a solid car, the rear sofa of Opirus is very convenient and has a leisurely-measured lifestyle. It is better to sit here together, although the third is not superfluous. Between the two shaped passenger places there is a armrest on which, in addition to traditional cup holders, heating regulators are also located. There are two deflectors at the end of the Boxing Boxer, located on the central tunnel between the front seats, which, however, looks like this for granted. And again, familiar interior details are found - such as plastic overlays on the backs of the front seats, but in this case they only provide proper comfort to all passengers, and are not another detail like Mercedes.

So it turns out that an independent product of a South Korean company is constantly associated with cars of another famous brand. On the one hand, this is not the best effect on the individuality of the car, and on the other hand, the Koreans did not invent the bicycle and borrowed a certain number of sound and useful ideas, which is not at all shameful.

Soul affairs

For Opirus, two gasoline engines are offered to choose from - a working volume of 3 and 3.5 liters. My companion in the journey between the two European capitals was a 3.5-liter engine with a capacity of 203 hp, working paired with a 5-band transmission. And when a powerful V6 is under the hood, the only limiting factor is the severity of European laws. A car weighing almost 2 tons of the engine moves in space confidently and smoothly. As if trying to gallantly protecting those sitting inside, the motor begins to clearly bite only in the upper speed range, however, an aerodynamic noise at high speeds is not for example to make the music louder. The box switches upwards with noticeable delays, probably hoping that the driver will change his mind to spur open opirus. In principle, against the background of general calm and courtesy on the part of the car, this does not look like a disadvantage, especially since if necessary, Opirus is capable of rapidly acceleration and is confidently kept in the speed row of a car, reaching a passport maximum of speed.

At the same time, the steering is set according to the canons of the American market. The reactions are clearly delayed, and the steering wheel itself without a resistance to the driver reacts to manipulations, although for such a car the acuity and speed of reactions are much less important than, say, for Subaru impreza. The suspension is soft, but quite noisy, even small Shcherbins in the asphalt it swallows, grumbling displeasedly, but in no case transferring vibrations to the salon. At the entrance to the bend, it does not allow the car to go very much, and if it were not for the American steering, then Opirus could afford to claim the high title of Driver's Car. The stabilization system is optimistic and calmly watching the exrases of the driver from the bowels of the car, waiting for a rough error. But it is difficult to hear the car with a steering wheel, and therefore it is difficult to react to the beating and direct the car in the right direction. In general, Opirus is quite unambiguously hinted at his main purpose - to comfortly deliver passengers to the right place, not being distracted by trifling fun such as a fan of driving.

Several times the car demonstrated the effect of the brake system when it turned out that in Austria they also like to remove asphalt with stripes, leaving steps. The pedal turned out to be short -term, and as the pressure increased on it, the intensity of braking increased. The case did not reach the operation of ABS. In the early morning, near the hotel with a centuries -old history, we arranged a small photo shoot. The woke up by the inhabitants of the vein, striking measuredly about their business, necessarily stopped for a short while and peered into the face of the car. Many came closer and, seeing the Kia Schildik, smiled sweetly, going further, while others, having coped with the price and brief characteristics of the Opirus, judging by the expression of their faces, began to ponder the possibility of buying such an ambiguous, but good inside the machine.

And there really is something to think about, because with all its advantages and disadvantages, Opirus is not the most expensive car in the classroom. In the Russian market, a car with a 3.5-liter engine and an automatic transmission costs about 40 thousand dollars, which is quite comparable to the price of a well-equipped Toyota Camry. Another thing is that the sellers of this car need to break a stereotype, thanks to which South Korean machines are perceived as high-quality, but still plastic ones. On the example of Opirus, we can say that this is not so, there are no complaints about the quality of its manufacture and finishing materials, as well as to its material part. You just need to get used to it and perceive it as an independent product.

Some technical characteristics Kia Opirus
(manufacturer data)
Dimensions, mm: 4980x1850x1485
Base, mm: 2800
Front/behind, mm: 1570/1560
Diameter of the turn, m: 12.5
Engine type: gasoline V6 24-valve
Working volume, cubic meter. cm 3497
Max. Power, L.S./rpm: 203/5500
Max. moment, nm/rpm: 295/3500
Transmission: automatic 5-band
Tires: 225/60 R16
Max. Speed, km/h: 220
Acceleration time 0-100 km, s: 9.2
Fuel consumption (EU), l/100 km: 8.2/11.4/16.9
Top volume, l: 70

Maxim Rakiti
 
 
 
 

Source: Avtopanorama magazine