Kia Optima K5 facelift teased – launch imminent?

Kia_Optima_K5_facelift

Naza Kia has announced on its official website that the order books have opened for the upcoming Kia Optima K5 facelift. The local distributor has already confirmed earlier that the model will be introduced this month. Put the two and two together, plus the fact that the Chinese New Year is near, and the launch must be real soon. By the end of this week, perhaps?

The refreshed Optima K5 debuted in New York in March 2013, and since then we’ve seen it at IIMS 2013 as well as JPJ Putrajaya. On the outside, the mid-life facelift is subtle yet clearly noticeable. The DRL strips have been moved from the bumper to the top of the headlamps, mirroring those on the latest Cerato and Sorento models.

The foglamps, meanwhile, have been replaced with a grid of four LED clusters on each side. Moving to the rear, the new light units feature thick LED ‘frames’, again bringing the Optima in line with more recent Kia models. The twin five-spoke 18-inch wheels are new too, moving away from the current car’s flat dish design.

Kia_Optima_facelift_IIMS_ 001

Also part of the facelift is the inclusion of Drive Mode Select, which adjusts transmission shift points and steering weight, offering owners a customisable driving experience. Also, seeing that the smaller Cerato has a touchscreen-based multimedia system, expect the refreshed Optima to have it too. The Civic-beater‘s fantastic air ventilated seat will also make its way to the bigger car (on both front seats this time round – a first-in-class feature).

Already standard on the current car are powered front seats, Xenon headlamps, automatic wipers, panoramic glass sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, and Infinity premium sound system, so the new version should have all that and more.

As for the price, a quick look at oto.my reveals an estimated price point of RM149,000, which is more or less the same as a basic Toyota Camry 2.0E. The Kia is anything but basic though, and should come standard with a full suite of electronic safety aids (six airbags, ABS, EBD, TCS, etc.).

Kia Optima K5 facelift spied at JPJ

Kia Optima K5 facelift at IIMS 2013

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Hafriz Shah

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

 

Comments

  • jolly_idiot on Jan 14, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    Kimchi is good but spicy is the price. Sushi is fresh and can go raw. Still sushi wins.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 69
  • Car is already at showrooms for viewing & booking

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 37 Thumb down 13
  • Car is already at showrooms for viewing & booking

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 14
  • Quattroporte rear lights?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 13
  • they need to improve on the fuel consumption with this, possibly the weakest in its class.
    Otherwise i think this car is perfect, probably the best looking and best equipped car in its category.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 38 Thumb down 7
  • SamhowedMeTheHilux on Jan 14, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    Can’t wait. Perfect timing if launched after CNY. If/When we start to take in K5, the price will be much lower if the facelift is launched

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 19
    • youareSalesManOnly on Jan 15, 2014 at 8:13 pm

      Haha…you aree only a junior Toyota sales man. Don’t talk like you are boss la budak

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • Guilt79 on Jan 15, 2014 at 12:13 am

    Nice car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
  • sudonano on Jan 15, 2014 at 12:18 am

    I just hope they dump the existing 2.0l engine and get the 2.0GDi in to replace it. The current 2.0 engine is not strong, only adequate to carry the weight. And it seems since the i40 managed to get the 2.0GDi, i guess Hyundai Kia Motors should have been able to tune it for our fuel quality.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 11
    • HondaLover on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:10 am

      Honda Accord’s Earth Dreams engine is more reliable than this kimchi GDI that is junk and not reliable.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 34
      • Honda = Proton on Jan 15, 2014 at 12:06 pm

        Accord will be copy by Proton in future , so driving a accord on the road is embarrassing

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 8
  • fatchicken on Jan 15, 2014 at 12:18 am

    Is this heavy looking car actually underpowered?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 16
    • ss427 on Jan 15, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      In reality yes. As wonderful Hyundai and Kia products are these days, their entry level engines lineup… meaning the good old 2L Theta II, was never meant to pull such heavy car around. The Sonata/Optima was designed for AT LEAST the 2.4L Theta II (GDI or otherwise).

      This is why there is the 274hp 2L GDI Turbo to keep things interesting.

      But that engine needs premium (at least 97 octane) to work properly. It can run on 95 octane but with reduced power and fuel economy… so it is a big no no

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 3
      • ru driving a k5? i am driving one and so far i am really happy with the car! and i felt its way better than camry 2.0

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • shawal on Jan 15, 2014 at 12:47 am

    Cant they plonk the santa fe 2.2cdri into the k5? That would really make the car go!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 4
  • roxas on Jan 15, 2014 at 1:01 am

    at least kia n hyundai not so problematic like the vw.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 127
    • HondaLover on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:11 am

      Honda is the most reliable car,if u want to know.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 26
    • OhWhatAFeelingToyota on Jan 15, 2014 at 8:03 pm

      Rubbish. VW is more reliable, despite the DSG issues. At least with VW, your can use your car for more than 10 years, without any problem. Try that with a Kimchi! Sure die one!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 53 Thumb down 12
    • Ha…now the vw fans getting angry lor..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Maseratits on Jan 15, 2014 at 1:08 am

    nice car but my fat ass cant fit in the back seat of this shit

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 25
  • Yup. Launching this Thursday. Got a viewing invitation from Kia regarding this on Monday.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
  • Maaajeeedaaa on Jan 15, 2014 at 6:41 am

    If the Optima K5 price is as low as Kangkung price…surely the new Perdana, a ‘local’ product which is not so at Kangkung price will suffer… uh uh… enough with Kangkung already…

    PS: Air KANGKUNG Ais bungkus ikat tepi satu!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 8
    • HondaLover on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:13 am

      Whatever how low as this K5 price,people will still stick to the new Accord,or Camry.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 15
  • ss427 on Jan 15, 2014 at 8:34 am

    Hi guys, the new facelift Kia Optima is already on sale in SG.

    Please find the brochure here.

    http://www.kia.com/sg/wcm/groups/webcontent/@kgn/documents/webvehiclecontent/073116.pdf

    We have the 2.4L Theta II nonGDI version… which is a pity.:( Our local dealer said Kia refused to supply us the 2.4L Theta II GDI as found in the Aussie market due to some strategic reasons.

    The next generation Sonata/Optima will be released in 2015. And there will surely be exciting new engine lineup by then.

    Anyway, goodies such as lane departure warning, 3 mode Flexsteer steering wheel, blind spot detection are new additions to the Optima we have here.. in addition to all the great stuff the original pre facelift model came with

    And Kia has improved the sound insulation even further :) Seriously Toyota and Honda, your products are totally non starter when compared to this Korean beauty :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 10
    • HondaLover on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:15 am

      Kia has improved a lot,but still cannot beat the mighty Accord and Camry in terms of reliability and the most important,the second hand value.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 31
      • ss427 on Jan 15, 2014 at 1:24 pm

        Whoa Sam Loo, please use your original name la..

        Please show statistics that the modern Hyundai/Kia offerings are trouble prone?

        FYI, almost all new taxis in SG are Korean vehicles now. We have the old NF Sonata, the new i40 sedan, Kia Optima (yes Optima but its a base model), Chevy Epica (awful car though but reliable), Renault Latitude (a rebadged Samsung SM5), and get this… the new Elantra too… and its a 1.6L Gamma engine version.

        So you mean SG taxi operators are so dumb to choose ‘unreliable’ Korean cars so that their support and service dept will forever be swarmed with dead taxis for them to fix?

        Rem hor, our gov has mandated that each taxi in SG needs to cover at least 250km per day… you can imagine how high the mileage is per year…

        And the Hyundais and Kia are all running just find here.

        In fact, other than the new Prius, and some leftover Wishes (very bad conditions now), there’s no more Japs cars as taxis these days. The Premium taxis continues to be the new E220 CDI

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 6
        • iskhalifah on Jan 15, 2014 at 3:44 pm

          Lucky Singaporeans. Miss the old Toyota Crown though.

          And Malaysian ‘blue premium taxis’ continues to be dominated by the Innova, old Cefiros, Sonatas & Optimas. Even in Jakarta, they use E-class & Alphard for their black premium taxis.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • Gosh that Fog Lamp looks like Blackberry Logo….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1
  • Blackberry fog light :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
  • Rip umw Camry!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 2
  • Curb weight on Jan 15, 2014 at 9:37 am

    Korean Car (Hyundai or KIA Malaysia)never reveal the spec of curb weight on their website. Go figure. They don’t want people to know that their cars are underpower.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 8
  • Denaihati on Jan 15, 2014 at 10:24 am

    nice look especially front and rear end. built in reverse camera in rear mirror is really cool.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • DrCooper on Jan 15, 2014 at 10:47 am

    still waiting for the Sportage facelift..and please Naza bring us the GDI engine ! Sime Darby already did it with Hyundai why not you ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • Enthu on Jan 15, 2014 at 10:54 am

    If looks are everything in buying a car, this car would blow off the competition. Sadly that is not the case.

    So for those who has a big ego and only wants others to see the car on the outside, this car is perfect for you.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 3
  • Mazda 6 would be CKD next month. That’s what I heard. Then M6 would be around 140-145k region. Wouldn’t that be better value? Let me have your opinions. thanks.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
    • kambinganas on Jan 15, 2014 at 5:07 pm

      Have you actually test driven the 2.0L variant? Memang underpowered. So far, if you beli D-segment, it is best to go for at least 2.4L. 2.0 is ok for a Mazda3 but certainly not the Mazda6. The i40 with 214Nm of torque at 4500rpm also people already complain lembab when it is a smaller car.

      The current 2.0L Mazda6 is at RM159,455. Unlike the 2.5L model, it already has no BOSE speaker and no sunroof. So apa barang are they going to remove the make the price cheaper? Paling mungkin pun, around RM150-155K. I seriously doubt it will be RM20K cheaper.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • nabill on Jan 15, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    curent model can be had for as low as 13x.000…which is a good value

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • DKBOSS on Jan 15, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    You can check the Kia Optima K5 facelift details at nazakia website, they have already uploaded the new details of the car and its add on features …

    http://www.nazakia.com.my/models/optima/

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Archangel on Jan 15, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Wow, ‘Game Changer’.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Performance!!?? The most important is the performance data!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • no name on Jan 15, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Big brother of cerato… At least it gv all the best features n safety… Compared to camry or accord…boooo!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 4
  • NISSpengAN on Jan 15, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    All korean brand car are good to look but not good to eat, guna sekejap sudah kong, quality n fuel comsumption still can’t compete with jap brand car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 5
  • nokangkungplease on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:18 pm

    Haiyaaa,throw stone will always landed on the roof of camry n accord..better get peugeot 407, sure can tackle ladies maa…that oso donno aaa?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • nokangkungplease on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:28 pm

    Chow yuen fatt and jason ‘the transporter’ statham also use peugeot 407..donno aaa?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Fahmi on Jan 15, 2014 at 11:30 pm

    Still better value compared to Toyota Corolla 2.0V (Safety Pack) and Toyota Camry 2.0E, even when compared to sister model Hyundai Sonata…. But I have to say that interior comfort is quite lacking compared to Honda Accord and it is not as good handling and fun-to-drive as a Mazda 6, let alone the Europeans Pug 508 or VW Passat… Hyundai i40 offers similarly good value, though quite a bit smaller with added bonus of a more powerful GDI engine..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • mizuru on Jan 16, 2014 at 4:47 am

    IT CERTAINLY LOOK GOOD.BUT I DOUBT THE PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY ARE NOT MUCH UP FOR THE TASK.IF ONLY THE JAPANESE COULD COME UP WITH THIS KIND OF STYLING, I WOULD BE MARRIED.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • onlyinmlaysia on Jan 16, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    why always thinking about resale value?always very judgemental to korean cars.you know many audi engineers working with kias now.buy to enjoy the drivability not about resaling!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • logen on Jan 22, 2014 at 5:08 pm

    wow i love it to the maximum…it is the best car in its class today……so what r u waiting for….go and get one today…..at your nearest KIA showroom …………..and i got a question does the new optima comes with a blind spot detector and lane departure warning system?…….i hope it comes with both so that it can go against the new accord and mazda 6 ahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahaha…………………………………….KIA ALWAYS THE BEST………………AS THEIR SLOGAN AND MOTO “THE POWER TO SURPRISE”

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • logen on Jan 22, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    and yeah true what have u said….dont be too judgemental and critic korean cars a lot but instead judge and critic about the worthless and useless japanese cars which is so expensive like hell and not best value to buy…….japanese cars are totally outdated but the koreans are so updated no matter what in terms of design,technology and the fuel consumption of their cars………they are much more brilliant and smarter than the japanese…………really hate japanese cars to the maximum…………

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • logen on Jan 22, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    and yeah korean cars are totally good now in terms of second hand values……….so dont judge a book by its cover………….do a proper research first………….and for KIA lovers guys and girls,NAZAKIA plan to launch another 3 new models this year 2014 which will be the ALL-NEW KIA CERATO KOUP, KIA CARENS THE BRAND NEW MPV AND MAYBE THE SOUL OR RIO SEDAN……….AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST MAYBE THE KIA SEDONA WILL BE MAKING ITS WAY TO OUR SHORES TOO

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

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