Page 22 - Motor Trend (April 2020)

NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP
REAR VIEW

From the MotorTrend
Intake Archive ...

2021 Kia Optima/K5

50 Pantera. We joined

a Ford engineer,
he fifth generation of the Kia Optima note that turns up the volume notice- stylist, and product
APRIL 1970 planner in Italy at
is such a big leap forward in looks ably. The upgrade from the old six-speed
PRICE: $0.50 the Ghia design
Tand tech that the automaker is provided seamless shifting, and the car has April 1970’s cover studio to look
considering changing the name to K5, used a new rotary dial electronic gear shift. was dedicated to at the progress
in all markets outside the U.S. The GT, which the U.S. will get later in auto show coverage, being made on
The 2021 K5 is an inch wider, 2.0 inches 2020, will have the high-performance but to the modern the Ford-powered
longer, and 0.8 inch lower than its prede- 2.5-liter Smartstream turbocharged eye there were far Italian supercar.
more interesting The Pantera would
cessor. This and its 112.2-inch wheelbase engine mated to Kia’s new eight-speed wet
stories inside. Our go into production
allow for ample room in both the front and dual-clutch automatic. Kia says the GT will pick? Our first look at the following year,
rear seats. The new platform provides a go from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.6 seconds. what would become with 7,000 built
stiffer body and chassis in a vehicle that Much care was taken with the interior. the De Tomaso from 1971 to 1992.
has dropped some weight. It also now The cabin is quiet, with little road noise
offers all-wheel drive. filtering in. Material choices include very
On our drive of early-build Korean- nice wood for the price class. The 12.3-inch
market cars, the chassis was extremely instrument cluster has mood themes that
forgiving, as evidenced by the car’s ability vary with the weather. (It’s not known
to handle the country’s myriad speed whether the U.S. will get this feature.)
bumps. The expectation is the suspension The wide infotainment screen is bright
will be tightened up for the U.S., though and intuitive, and it covers functions
heavy traffic and highway driving limited from navigation and stereo to heating and
our handling evaluations. cooling controls. An even larger 10.3-
We drove units with the standard inch screen is optional, as is an optional 10
1.6-liter paired with the new eight-speed 8.0-inch head-up display. Kia strategically 30
automatic, a first for Kia. It proved to be placed USB and power outlets near the
APRIL 1990 APRIL 2010
a powerful little combo. Acceleration was wireless charging pad up front, and there
PRICE: $2.95 PRICE: $4.99
swift and smooth. Changing drive modes are more outlets for the rear passengers.
If you love perfor- “Buick is back!” we
did not produce vastly different experi- On the K5, a smartphone and app can act mance cars, we declared rather
ences with the exception of Sport, which as a digital key to start the engine, unlock bet you’d have prematurely in April
brings an artificially enhanced exhaust and open the vehicle, and even autono- liked this issue. Our 2010. In our defense,
mously pull the car out of a tight parking feature story for the with new product in
month was a review the form of the Lexus-
spot. Alisa Priddle
of every variant of fighting LaCrosse
the 1990 Corvette. and both the Regal
SPECS Base Price $25,000 (est) Vehicle Unsurprisingly, Turbo and the Regal
Layout Front-engine, FWD/AWD, 5-pass,
our favorite was GS, it sure seemed
4-door sedan Engine 1.6L/177-hp/195-
the 375-horse- like Buick was on the
lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4;
2.5L/290-hp/310-lb-ft turbocharged power Corvette right track. Unfor-
ZR-1, which was tunately, a decade
DOHC 16-valve I-4 Transmission 8-speed
auto; 8-speed twin-clutch auto Curb described to us by later, with the recent
Weight 3,300 lb (mfr) Wheelbase 112.2 in L x its chief engineer, discontinuation of
W x H 192.9 x 74.2 x 56.7 in 0-60 MPH 6.6-8.2 Dave McLellan, as the Regal line, it
sec (MT est) EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ “a Corvette, only seems like we’re back
Not yet rated On Sale in U.S. Fall 2020 more so.” where we started.

22 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020