I’m pretty tall at 6’6, which makes my choices for a car pretty limited. I need a vehicle that fits me in the front and still has space in the back for kids and car seats.
I’m starting to look for a new car and I want a hybrid. The 2014 to 2016 Optimas are in my price range of $15K to $18K. How reliable are they? Are there any major problems I should know about? My other option is a Toyota Avalon from the same years, but those are a bit pricier.
I would go with Toyota all the way.
Finley said:
I would go with Toyota all the way.
The Toyotas cost over $4K more but they might be worth it for sure
I just got a 2012 Optima Hybrid and I really like it. It has 140K miles, which makes me a bit nervous, but it’s running well right now.
Darby said:
I just got a 2012 Optima Hybrid and I really like it. It has 140K miles, which makes me a bit nervous, but it’s running well right now.
How has it been running after three years?
@Finian
It’s about 160K miles now. Still doing well with no major problems at all. The driver side mirror motor is acting up, so I just unplugged it for now. Other than that, no issues.
Darby said:
@Finian
It’s about 160K miles now. Still doing well with no major problems at all. The driver side mirror motor is acting up, so I just unplugged it for now. Other than that, no issues.
Glad to hear that. I have a 2014 with 134K miles right now.
@Finian
How is yours doing? I’m happy with mine. It’s spacious, looks good enough, and has a decent boost, so it doesn’t feel slow, even though it’s not super fast. I don’t love the slight delay when you press the pedal until the gas engine kicks in, but I can manage with that.
@Darby
Mine is good so far. The only issue I had in three years was with the HEV Fuse, and Kia reimbursed me for that. I had to replace the front control arms and rear shocks, probably from hitting curbs. Just did the rear brakes today, and I did the front brakes right after I bought it. Everything else has been regular maintenance. Recently, I got a P0458 small evap leak code. I’m a bit worried about the engine overall, and it does sound louder than others my friends have.
@Finian
I don’t think the Hybrid gas engines are likely to fail like the regular Optimas. The hybrids were made in Korea, while the regular versions had their engines made in the USA, where the problems seemed to appear, from what I know.
@Darby
I read that hybrids can have issues too, which is why we got the KSDS update and the extended warranty to 150K miles.
I work as a Kia tech and I can say these hybrids have had engine problems. I have heard they are extending the warranties on some to 15 years or 150K miles.
Freddie said:
I work as a Kia tech and I can say these hybrids have had engine problems. I have heard they are extending the warranties on some to 15 years or 150K miles.
Are these engine problems also showing up in the ones made in Korea?
I own a 2014 Optima Hybrid EX and I love it. The only issue I had was with part of the front driver wheel well protector not being installed right, and it got shredded so I had to take it off. The dealer replaced it for free, and other than that the car has been trouble-free.
@Ashby
How is the car doing these days? 
Darwin said:
@Ashby
How is the car doing these days?
Since that post, the handle on the front passenger side broke and had to be replaced. That’s about it. I’m still happy with my car.
@Ashby
How many miles do you have now and have you had any big repairs?
Finian said:
@Ashby
How many miles do you have now and have you had any big repairs?
I just passed 57K miles. No major repairs at all. I keep up with maintenance and keep it in a garage. I don’t live near the ocean or in a desert, so it has a good life.