Kia Optima

The body is the cleanest difference and it counts. Kia developed the Optima Sportswagon specifically for European taste — a handsome, practical estate with 552 litres that sold well on the continent. It was never sold in America, and our numbers confirm it without exception: everything we hold is a saloon. An Optima estate in Bulgaria is a European car, not an import.

The engines diverge completely. The European hit is the diesel — the 1.7 CRDi with 141 hp, later the 1.6 CRDi with 136 — at around 5.5 litres on a long run. In our stock the diesel count is zero. What comes from America is petrol: the 2.4 GDI naturally aspirated with 185 hp is the base and by far the most numerous here, the 1.6 Turbo GDI gives 178, and the 2.0 Turbo GDI with 245 is the top, trim SX. In Europe the 2.0 turbo was offered only on the GT.

The gearbox is where the American car wins, and that does not happen often. The American petrols run a conventional six-speed torque-converter automatic — an extremely durable unit for city driving. The European diesel is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch that wants care and a proven service history on the used market. The trade-off runs the other way too: the American engines use direct injection, which makes an LPG conversion dearer.

The trims are named differently and mean different things. In America the range is LX, S, EX and SX, with the lower ones on plain cloth and smaller screens, while SX adds a sports front bumper, red brake calipers and gloss black detailing. In Europe GT-Line is a visual package over the economical diesel, while the real GT is the only one with the 2.0 turbo, adaptive sports suspension and larger brakes.

The years end by themselves. The Optima era finished around 2019 and 2020: in America the model was renamed and replaced by the K5, and in Europe it was discontinued outright with no successor, because the D-segment moved to SUVs. Our years stop at 2020, and from there the same car is called K5.