New Kia Optima goes on sale – price from £21,495

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The 2016 Kia Optima – revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show – has now gone on sale in the UK with a revised 1.7 litre CRDi diesel. Costs from £21,495.

After a reveal in UK and European spec at the Frankfurt Motor Show a couple of months ago, the new Kia Optima goes on sale in the UK with a single engine choice and an improved specification, with prices from £21,495 for the 1.7 CRDi 6-speed manual ISG 2, rising to £28,895 for the 1.7 CRDi 7-speed DCT ISG 4.

The new Optima grows in size – it’s a bit longer, a bit wider and a bit taller – and the wheelbase has been stretched a bit for extra room for passengers and luggage, and although the styling has been updated it’s still very much an Optima – just looking fresh.

The only engine of offer is Kia’s 1.7 litre CRDi diesel, but it’s been tweaked and fettled to deliver more power – 139bhp – and alos has 251lb/ft of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or the new – much better – seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The improvements to the engine and the 7-speed option for the auto ‘box have conspired to improve economy and emissions, with the manual car seeing emissions at 110g/km and 67.3mpg, and a big improvement for the 7DCT-equipped car which now delivers 116g/km and 64.2mpg which means much lower VED and BIK rates.

2016 Kia Optima Trim Levels

The new Optima comes initially with three trim levels – imaginatively called 2,3 and 4 – with GT-Line and GT versions due to arrive later in 2016, with trim 2 available only with the manual gearbox, trim 3 with either manual or the new 7DCT and trim 4 with 7DCT only.

The entry-level trim 2 (the entry-level used to be trim 1, but Kia are reserving that in case there’s future demand for a low-spec Optima) gets a 7″ Sat Nav, reversing camera, auto Air Con, Cruise, DAB, Bluetooth, 17″ alloys, LED running lights as well as Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill Start Assist and Tyre Pressure Monitoring.

Trim 3 adds stuff like 18″ alloys, power driver seat, heated front seat, Xenon headlights, LED fogs, chrome highlights, bits of fake leather on the seats, upgraded instrument cluster, Harmon Kardon sound and flappy paddles if you opt for the DCT ‘box.

Topping out the range, for now, is the trim 4, which gets 360-degree cameras, Smart Park Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keep Assist, auti high beam, sliding panoramic roof, dynamic bending bi-xenon headlights, gloss black door frames, black leather, heated and ventilated seats, Smart Cruise and rear blinds.