The much-anticipated Kia Optima K5 has been launched – the D-segment offering was introduced earlier today at Naza Kia Malaysia’s new flagship Kia Red Cube outlet in Petaling Jaya. The car arrives in a single engine variant form, this being a 2.0 litre Theta II MPI mill offering 165 PS at 6,200 rpm and 198 Nm at 4,600 rpm, with a six-speed automatic transmission in attendance.

It’s pretty spot on the dot as to what we speculated earlier in our leaked brochure story, as far as specifications and features go. Pretty much the entire list of items that was bandied are on, and it’s a comprehensively-filled bag.

For starters, there are auto-leveling HID xenon headlamps and LED-daytime running lights, front fog lamps, LED rear combination lamps, machine-finished 18-inch, 10-spoke flush-faced alloy wheels, rear lip spoiler and gull-wing folding side mirrors. The car comes with a single tailpipe, as opposed to the twin units in the 2.4 GDI version we
drove earlier in the year in Australia.

Inside, the K5 features a leather interior, a supervision cluster and a multifunction four-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters and controls for audio, ECO-driving, auto cruise-control. There’s also a six-CD changer audio system with an eight-speaker (not seven, as speculated) Infinity speaker system, replete with Aux, iPod and USB connectivity.

Other items include dual-zone auto air-conditioning, full-width three-piece panoramic glass sunroof, push-button start/stop, illuminated door scuff plates and USB connectivity, as well as a tailgate-mounted reversing safety camera with interior mirror LCD display monitor.

The driver gets an 8-way electronically-controlled seat with an integrated memory seat function, which retains settings for two drivers based on their seating position. In terms of safety, the car comes equipped with six airbags (dual front, front side and full length-curtain) and an electronic stability programme incorporating ABS, EBD, TCS, brake assist and hill-start assist control.

There are also large brake discs for improved braking performance, front active headrests, child seat fixtures at the rear and speed-sensing auto door locks.

It also wears HPD (high performance dampers) as part of its suspension setup, though the units in the local K5 aren’t the Sachs dampers with the Australian-defined tune, but rather a slightly softer tune to accommodate our diverse road surface conditions; we’re told that it offers enhanced handling without sacrificing ride comfort.

Three external shades are available, these being Snow White Pearl, Bright Silver and Platinum Graphite, and the Optima K5 goes for RM143,888, on-the-road.

Elsewhere, a bit on the Kia Red Cube, which is the second such Kia outlet in the ASEAN region. The 3S (sales, service and spare parts) centre features the company’s new modern space identity, and will serve as NKM’s flagship ‘store’ in the country. Another Kia Red Cube is due in 2012, either in the northern or southern region.

More on the soon to be launched Kia Optima K5, which will be officially introduced on December 27 – some leaked pages of the product manual or brochure for the Malaysian-spec’d 2.0 litre model have come about, courtesy of reader Billy, and while they don’t really tell us that much more about the car that we already don’t know, there are still some tidbits to be had.

The most interesting is the mention of HPD (high performance dampers) as part of the car’s suspension setup. The configuration is similar to the Sachs high performance dampers – with floating pistons – found on the Australian 2.4 GDI variant we drove earlier in the year, and that particular suspension tune was quite the standout, so there’s a lot of handling promise being hinted here with the inclusion of HPD in the Malaysian version.

As mentioned in our earlier story, the D-segment K5 will be available here in a single engine variant form, this being the Theta II 2.0 litre MPI mill with 165 PS and 198 Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed transmission.

We do already know that the handsome, muscular Optima – styled by Peter Schreyer and his team at Kia’s studios in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California – destined for Malaysia will come with the same machine-finished 18-inch, 10-spoke flush-faced alloy wheel as that of the Aussie car, and it’ll also feature leather seats.

Externally, with the exception of the dual tailpipes of the 2.4 GDI (the car here features a single tailpipe), the list of external cues looks pretty much identical too – same black chrome two-tone front mesh Tiger Nose grille, rear lip type spoiler, LED daytime running lights (located above the fog lamps, and set into the front bumper) and LED rear combination lamps. The K5 here will also feature auto-levelling HID xenon headlamps.

The scan of the interior features shows the same four-spoke leather steering wheel, replete with paddle shifters and function controls, and items include a foot parking brake and an Active ECO function. This optimally adjusts the ECU, TCU and air-conditioner compressor for the best fuel efficiency performance – Kia says it can result in up to 9.1% in fuel savings.

Other items on the known features list are dual-zone auto air-conditioning, full-width three-piece panoramic glass sunroof, cruise control, six airbags (dual front, front side and full length-curtain) and USB/Bluetooth connectivity.

Given the way it shapes up, I’d hazard a guess that the list for the local K5 should contain pretty much the whole shebang found in the Oz car, which should mean that push-button engine start/stop, LED side repeaters, a tailgate-mounted reversing safety camera with interior mirror LCD display monitor as well as illuminated door scuff plates and Supervision cluster – with a 3.5-inch TFT-colour LCD screen – are in.

Another bit on the list should be the six-CD changer, seven-speaker Infinity Premium Sound System, incorporating a centre speaker, subwoofer and an external amplifier. And safety-wise, ABS, EBD, TCS, brake assist, hill-start assist control and ESP should be part of the parcel. All in all, this should be a very comprehensively-equipped vehicle. No indicative pricing as of yet, but we’ll know come December 27.