Kia Optima Sportswagon long-term test

• The car Kia Optima Sportswagon 1.7 CRDi ‘3’ 7-speed DCT auto ISG
• Run by Will Williams, photographer
• Why it’s here As one of the newer estates out there, we want to see if it makes more sense than the ubiquitous SUV.
• Needs to Sip fuel, have a flexible and commodious load area and be comfortable on long journeys.

Price £26,055 Price as tested £26,600 Options Temptation Red paint (premium) £545 Official combined MPG 64.2mpg True MPG na Test economy 41.6mpg Tank 70 litres Contract hire £225.67 CO2 120g/km Miles covered 3665 Insurance group 20A Typical Insurance quote £595 0-62mph 10.7sec Top speed 124mph

31 August 2017 – enjoying commuting life

For high-mileage drivers like me, there are few things more irritating than running a fuel-guzzling car that requires frequent stops at the pump. So, I’ve been relieved to find that the Kia Optima Sportswagon requires only one brimming per week.

This means that one tank is good for 700 miles. This impressive figure is in part thanks to a big 70-litre fuel tank (a personal record is squeezing in 75 litres of diesel – achieved after a journey that required a lot of faith in the fuel gauge).

Compare that with a 62-litre Mazda 6 Tourer, 66-litre Skoda Superb Estate and 60-litre Ford Mondeo Estate and, although it may only seem like a slight increase, Optima owners will still be at the pumps less often.

Fuel economy has been on the rise since I’ve been driving it. The first few hundred miles returned 41.6mpg in the real world but has now gone up to around 44mpg and continues to rise, so I’m looking forward to seeing how high it will go.

Living with it everyday, there is one irritation that gets to me. If you leave the wipers in automatic and turn the car off, both the front and the rear will give an unwanted welcome wipe when you turn the car on again. So I have to remember to turn them off after each journey – it would be simpler to be able to keep the wipers in auto all the time.

However, although that’s a bit annoying, the Optima redeems itself in some part by offering space under the boot floor to store the parcel shelf. This is really useful and something that is frustratingly lacking in many other cars.

Things have been going so well that, the more time I spend with the car, the more I think that, if you aren’t fussed about a premium badge on the bonnet, the Kia Optima Sportswagon could suit many people’s needs. It's certainly suiting mine at the moment.

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