I’d grab one of these from the Hertz Gold Plus area, if the only other choice was a RAV4.
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I’d grab one from the Avis exchange lane if they originally assigned me a Nissan or FCA product. I enjoy trying the new Hyundais and Kias: and handing the keys back after.
The Optima name is terrible IMO; it’s a tax relief agency that advertises everywhere, and it sounds like a diet plan with nothing but side effects. The letter/number system is also a poor choice for consumers to remember. They were be better off with more names like the Stinger.
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We don’t think about it anymore but Civic and Accord must be the most boring, PC-sounding names ever.
Also considered:
Tolerance
Coexistence
Acceptance
Harmony
Names don’t become iconic by themselves, they become iconic because the products have been good for 20+ years. Even then Corolla is hardly iconic in the US. It’s just a synonym for “most reliable econocar”
I have a mental block and cannot conjure up a mental image of an INFINITI Q-Anything, no matter which Q-Anything it is.
I also get nothing when I see the name of a specific Volvo model… and it only gets worse once you start throwing in all the suffixes.
I might actually want an XR20 T9 Dementia if I didn’t need to hit Google to figure out what it is.
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Geniuses at every OEM thought they could emulate BMW and Mercedes with alphanumeric model lineups.
Turns out it’s a wee bit harder than that. Who knew
And Audi…
Looks like if you want a mid-size AWD optioned sedan it’ll have to be between K5 and Camry.
For those mildly interested in a better detailed vid:
Yeah, Camry! Camry far exceeds what K5 would do.
I saw one driving around a few days ago. Pretty good looking
Definitely not in the looks department so what’s left for the Camry to do better?
The Kia warranty is vastly superior and the cars are known to be reliable in the past few years.
They come very well equipped for the money as they try to offer value.
Is it handling? I haven’t driven a K5 yet so not sure how it would compare.
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No, I wouldn’t say better handling.
There is a saying that Koreans don’t even trust Korean product.
In Korea, Kia products were known for being a nightmare.
You are right that Kia warranty is vastly superior, but that only covers the defect, meaning it covers ONLY on company acknowledging their mishandling on product.
So, whether it is 5 year/60,000 miles powertrain, 10 year/100,000 miles powertrain, it wouldn’t matter because we all know most Koreans and Japanese cars run fine until reaching those miles.
And for that, America had a condition on Korean product that it would only import Korean cars if they extended their powertrain warranty because they had problems with powertrains in the past.
As far as reliability, are you sure? Camry had been proving every year that of its reliability.
The fact that Camry had been America’s #1 selling sedan proves it.
Yeah, I know that Optima had been in J.D. Power’s ranking on reliability, but J.D. Power’s had lost its credibility when relying on customers’ review rather than conducting its in house product testing since long time ago.
K5 is cheaper than Camry, yes, but I would take Camry over K5 any day.
Yes, Kia has not been the greatest when it came down to production and quality control of their own vehicles in Korea (partly to blame Kia-Korea heads for lack of compensation/care of workers). You are basically building a car that you can’t afford in your own country.
While yes you can say the Camry might be on the road longer than the K5 (no argument there) but have you seen the interior of the new Camry? IMO every time I sat into a 2018+ Camry was never impressed by the interior, always reminded me of the older 2017- camry interiors, hoping when the refresh arrives that all goes.
I really like what Toyota did with TRD Camry but would still prefer an SE Nightshade over a TRD any day. Currently, I would definitely rent a K5 over a Camry for a road-trip just simply because of the tech it upholds. (Heard we get a tad bit less tech than Korea) Apparently there’s a new K5 GT and Hyundai Sonata N-Line coming soon interested to see how they will sell compared to the lower-base trims.
Kia/Hyundia still has much work to do however over the last 20+ years of Kia they have had some significant improvements. I remember back in 2005 my father needed a rental while his car was in the shop they gave him a Kia Rio as we opened the door the seal around the door frame came off lol.
Hardly an objective view coming from a Toyota sales person…
Japanese cars are known for reliability and durability. I’d take the Korean cars from a design standpoint all day long. In the past 5 years, I’d say that Hyundai/Kia have made strides to be on par with the Hondas/Toyotas to the point where if I were going to buy Asian, I’d go Korean. I’ve owned an Accord, Civic Si, Prelude, S2K and then an Odyssey. But there is not a single car in the Honda family that gets me excited to the point where I’d own one again, save the NSX.
Yeah, but I am a Korean and I sold both Hyundais and Kias before
You know most of Kias were designed from a German designer, right? The former Audi designer.
I don’t know if I am being biased, but I think I know what I am talking about.
Thanks anyway!
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Significant improvement over 20 years, yes!
But not enough to impress America, I’d say.
I don’t know. The words have been circulating that the 2022 Camry would be re-designed.
While Korean automakers are constantly having to prove themselves, Toyota and Honda doesn’t really have to. I just got called out by my father for supporting Japan over Korea because I am Korean, but oh well. The facts are facts. Reliability and dependability are all in Japanese automakers.
Peter Schreyer is the name you’re looking for. Designed the Audi TT.
Under Peter Schreyer and Albert Biermann, Kia/Hyundai cars have come a long way in design, feel, drivability, and reliability. One of the major manufacturing decisions made in the past 10 years was to focus more initially on fixing the manufacturing quality control process before introducing new and exciting model designs. They wanted to focus on getting the product right before they spent the money on R&D to bring newer types of products to market.
Kia/Hyundai’s achille’s heel is and always will be, the dealership experience and the salesmen.
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Statement acknowledged.
Source?
…
The dealer principal told me that in 2015. But I am sure I can find a source. Standby.
Could you imagine if America has a condition for Alfa Romeo as well? Their cars fail more often than anything else. Warranty isn’t that long either.
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