#1 Mid-Size Sedan | 2018 Kia Optima SXL Turbo Full Tour & Review

[@arcani100]

Awesome review. It's good to see every relevant comment was addressed with a thoughtful response. Keep up the good work!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Much appreciated! I try my best to reply to everyone, at least the constructive comments.

[@ZakElbas]

Kia has been producing good cars in the last few years.

[@PRNTestDrive]

That's definitely true, they've certainly worked hard to improve the quality of their vehicles. We were very impressed with this Optima, and we did have the chance to drive one of it's direct competitors to see how it faired. So far, we preferred it over one of the most popular mid-size sedans on the market! We'll have our Showdown on it in a few weeks.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

The Optima in the SXL is basically a luxury car.

[@PRNTestDrive]

In terms of features, it definitely rivals a lot of the premium and luxury brands, however the plastic interior is what kills it's chances for truly competing with the luxuries. We always look at cars like this to see if there's a Showdown opportunity with something in a different price class, however we ended up with the Toyota Camry as they have similar features, price, and trim.

[@Jh-xs1og]

@@PRNTestDrivewhat do you know this is far better then a c300 for example or Cadillac deville

[@Kivencito]

Thanks for this vid. I actually decided to buy an Optima SXL because of it :)

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad to hear it! Hope you enjoy it, the Kia Optima is definitely a solid car, we're very impressed with it!

[@solking10]

I just got a 2018 optima sxl and am loving it. My question is if it's supposed have wireless charging built in. All the videos I've seen of that car say it does but mine doesn't.

[@PRNTestDrive]

It should, however it might depend on your market. We've found, especially with the Korean brands, that the features offered up here in Canada are different on the same trim when they're sold in the US.

[@esvaviewer757]

@@PRNTestDrive Mine doesn't have wireless charging either. How are your led lights strobe like that?

[@ianchambers881]

Love the reviews. I trust what u say more then the other youtubers

[@PRNTestDrive]

We certainly appreciate that, thanks! We do our best to show all sides of these vehicles, the good and bad, and try to keep everything as unbiased as possible.

[@shopwithaaron]

We bought a 2011 LX in 2013 and liked it so much we added an 2013 EX Premium in 2015! Both have the 2.4 so next we'll get a more powerful choice....Maybe the Genesis G80!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Very nice! We really liked this car a lot, and our Showdown coming later this month will be a good one, comparing the Optima with one of the most popular mid-size family sedans on the market. We're also hearing amazing things about the Genesis brand, we're hoping to get the chance to start featuring some of their models.

[@miltonbernal7344]

Which car would you recommended 2018 Kia optima SXL or 2018 Honda accord 2.0t Touring? i am on the market for one but i can't decide !! Help!!!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Kia Optima! Even after featuring the 2018 Mazda6 Signature, the Kia Optima SXL Turbo still has a lot going for it, plenty of features, and a good design overall. It's not flashy, nor does it try to be a premium car, which I think is good. It's great at being a consumer mid-size sedan, and that's one of the main reasons it sits at the top of our mid-size sedan list right now.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

6:10 the led button is for on/off wireless charging right? yes, the infotaiment is very good, very rational, i tell you that some weeks ago, the kia/hyundai infotaiment is the best between asian manufacturers, but unluckly i never see this car on the road, kia sells much more cars like hatchback and crossover, and the optima is available with 1.7 turbodiesel or 2.0 naturaly aspirated plug in hybrid and the msrp for the last one is the equivalent of 68k CAD ... but why there's no front plate on the car? is not mandatory? the parking brake pedal is very odd but even others more recent kia/hyundai cars use it... i dont know why ther dont use a more traditional hand parking brake or a modern electric parking brake

[@PRNTestDrive]

Yes the amber light just above the Qi pad indicates if the charger is working, which is great! We’ve had a few GM vehicles that have a compartment where the phone sits and it’s impossible to tell if it’s charging or not, so the light really helps. They do sell a lot of the smaller cars here, we’re waiting at their head office right now for the Rio 5 to try out. A diesel option would be great out here for the Optima, it might help with sales, but we did see plenty of them on the road during our week, most were this generation (2016+). The lack of a front plate was strange for me too, the vehicle seems to be registered at Kia Canada’s head office in Mississauga Ontario, so it had plates from there. I suppose they decided not to drill holes into the front since the vehicle will be used out here. We didn’t get pulled over for it, but you’re right it is a requirement. Seems like most manufacturers are going with the electronic brakes now. We drove the 2018 Toyota Camry XSE V6 this week also, not only was the brake electronic but also automatic when you parked the car.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

i ask if the wireless charging is always on, the button is for turn on/off? because the idea of a relatively powerful electromagnetic field 20 cm away from my body in the car bother me...

[@PRNTestDrive]

That's a good question actually, I think that would be based on the Qi standard. I haven't looked fully into it, but I would imagine it isn't actively on unless it detects something compatible to charge. With any of the vehicles we've tested, including the Ikea lamp we have which also has wireless Qi charging, it usually takes 1-3 seconds before the device will start charging, which makes me think there's something to tell the charger to activate, so theoretically it shouldn't be actively on all the time.

[@GENTILJEN]

Great video!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Thanks!

[@duckdodgers2647]

I just bought an 2018 Optima SXL but mine doesn't have the wireless charger. Don't know why. Plus my Galaxy Note 8 doesn't fit in that bin either. Are there 2 different SXL models?

[@PRNTestDrive]

Very strange! At least here in Canada the Qi wireless charging comes with the EX Tech and higher trims. We’re also using a Note8 and find a lot of the chargers are too small to fit it, which is a real bummer.

[@duckdodgers2647]

Perpetual Radio Networks Yep. I was a little disappointed when my car finally came in but didn't have the wireless charger that I have seen in other videos. I guess it's a USA thing :-( Still a fantastic car and not a deal breaker.

[@PRNTestDrive]

We’ve found there to be subtle changes with the different options configured for different markets. Perhaps it was part of a package or extra option. Here Kia doesn’t have any extra packages or options, everything is built into the trim level.

[@oldgoldtopgoldtop6039]

Same on my 2019 SXL but it was on a lower trim I considered. A non issue for me due to the credit card pocket on my phone case that prevents a wireless charger from working. But Amazon sells small wireless chargers for $10 to $15 that can plug into a usb port. Thats what I had done on some previous cars prior to getting the card pocket.

[@NileshR12]

I dorm at a college in NY & I live in NJ. Idk if I should get a car with FWD or AWD because of the snow & the weather here. The cars I was considering are the Sonata Limited or Limited 2.0T, this Kia Optima SXL Turbo, the Accord Touring/ Touring 2.0T, the Tucson Limited 1.6T AWD with the Ultimate Package, or a lightly used 2015-2016 Genesis 3.8L HTRAC AWD with the Ultimate Package. Lmk what you think I should get

[@PRNTestDrive]

Lots of options there! We're getting the Accord Touring in a couple weeks so we'll get an idea of how that is. I know you guys get about as much snow as we used to in Niagara, so I do think AWD might be a big plus. We had the Tucson last year and really liked it too, it's a solid all-round crossover.

[@metaforce]

Hello Nile, I love your videos. They're a welcome change from the OTT (over the top) car reviews that are being put out by throngs of less mature KZbin personalities. However, I live near Chicago and I doubt I'm your only fan in the US. Is there any way you could provide imperial measurements in addition to metric measurements in your reviews going forward? Keep up the excellent work!

[@PRNTestDrive]

We'll see if there's some way we can incorporate both moving forward! We're always looking for feedback, so I'll do my best to make it happen starting with our next episode!

[@Tonyx.yt.]

just learn metric units, like the other civilized countries...

[@uterus_gh8266]

What's your the kia Optima slx 2018 or honda accord 1.5t touring

[@PRNTestDrive]

Accord probably held up better.

[@lefthanded5473]

Kia's here in the usa depreciate fast, so that white sxl will be like 15k in 4-5 years.

[@PRNTestDrive]

I imagine these will as well, there are really only a few brands that can hold their value well past the 5 year mark.

[@lefthanded5473]

Perpetual Radio Networks yeah, Toyota’s for example holds there value well.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Really can't beat them, Honda I think also has a good resale value, aside from that I can't think of any other manufacturers that have good depreciation numbers.

[@angelfigueroa6538]

Car Fan- But if you are planning to keep the car for more than 5 years or more, it does not really matter. If you only want it a few years then you should lease the vehicle.

[@lefthanded5473]

Angel Figueroa true

[@loycjoe9491]

Am starting to really think the dual exhaust or at least that right one is a dummy exhaust lol on the other optima video you said you backed into to snow but here it's clear that its not closed up and its been running for a while so any snow build up would have melted ages ago :)

[@PRNTestDrive]

You can see with some of our exterior shots that only the driver's side exhaust has exhaust coming out. The same thing happened with the opposite exhaust pipe with the Showdown we did with the Optima and Toyota Camry.

[@NileshR12]

That can't be true. The dashboard is leatherette if I'm not mistaken

[@PRNTestDrive]

It's like a faux leatherette design, they've added fake stitching along the front to make the texture look more premium than it really is, but so far all the interiors we've driven from Kia have had the same type of plastic material throughout.

[@cat5krazy443]

Is 100k miles too much in this car?

[@PRNTestDrive]

Not necessarily, depends on maintenance and overall condition.

[@PLATINUM2U]

The optima is so beautiful in the SXL trim. But the only downfall for me is the TURBO CHARGER mess under the hood..ugh

[@PRNTestDrive]

We were surprised to find that about half the manufacturers now offer smaller turbo engines. Chrysler and Ford have V6/V8s still, and the Passat still comes as a V6, but the rest are now using much smaller turbo engines to produce similar power outputs.

[@gabrielsirialevario3505]

Muy buen diseno, y muy buen auto

[@PRNTestDrive]

We think so too!

[@Masicka123]

2014-2015 models are better. 2014 EX fully loaded is the best bang for buck and styling is much nicer with dual exhaust.

[@PRNTestDrive]

We haven't had the chance to drive the older one, but we do see lots of them on the road! Very popular model here in Québec.

[@xo7dood]

guess the wheels are the exact same since you NEVER talk about those. but spend 5 more minutes on "devices". smdh

[@PRNTestDrive]

Wheels.. or tires? Who cares about the tires that come on a car, most of the time they're average. You need winter tires in a climate like this, we recommend Pirelli Sottozero or Toyo Observe GSi-5.

[@xo7dood]

@@PRNTestDrive pretty sure i said wheels

[@timschofield6867]

I phones are garbage lol.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Ok

[@BoukieMcbridger]

12 views

[@PRNTestDrive]

Every video has to start somewhere!

[@uterus_gh8266]

What's your the kia Optima slx 2018 or honda accord 1.5t touring

[@uterus_gh8266]

What's your pick??

[@PRNTestDrive]

If it were my money I'd take the Kia Optima, the Honda is nice but I feel they don't innovate as much as Kia does. I prefer the way the Optima looks too!