Earlier this month, my friend Bill from The Drive Shop came by to give me a 2016 KIA Optima to test drive for a week! I always enjoy getting a new car to drive! Bill was very nice and explained the main features to me before he left. He had no problem giving he keys to a dog which I find so refreshing! I think the boys from Chicago secretly enjoy getting to visit me a few times a year!
I had a KIA Sorento last November which was fabulous, and I expected the Optima to also be a wonderful ride! Of course, it had to start raining right before the car arrived, but I think the KIA Optima looks great, even in the rain! The color of my car was moss gray/beige. I felt it was a bit of a chameleon, as depending on the lighting, it sometimes was gray, sometimes a deep green, really always a slightly different looking color.
The best thing to do when you review a car is to get in and head out onto the open road which is what I did. I loved the paw friendly push to start feature. As long as I had the key with me somewhere, the car would start with the push of my paw.
If a girl has a new car, where does she go? A new home development, of course! The Optima and I did some nice cruising through the new construction areas around town!
For a dog with short legs like I have, it was great having so many controls right there on the steering wheel. I could run the cruise control, phone, radio, and phone all from the wheel.
If that wasn’t enough convenience the 2016 Optima is equipped with UVO Services. This is a subscription free information system for your Kia vehicle. With UVO eServices advanced voice-recognition technology, you can use your voice to help make hands-free calls and manage your music library. With UVO eServices, infotainment is coupled with an enhanced telematics suite enabled by an exclusive free smartphone app available for Android and IPhones. The app provides an innovative in-vehicle connectivity experience including navigation, diagnostics capabilities, and added convenience features like Rear-Camera Display, Emergency Assistance, Parking Minder and My Car Zone. Pretty cool stuff!
The dashboard of the 2016 KIA Optima is a real beauty too! It is simple, yet elegant, and easy to use! Everything you need is well within reach.
I love the touch paw screen for the radio, navigation, and other programs too! We used the navigation a lot. It was super easy to figure out and the maps were very detailed. Mom and I did a lot of driving around the cities this time. Since we don’t go into the cities often, the navigation was really important to keep us from getting lost.
How about the backseat? I put my little sister back there and it was plenty spacious! It is made for three, has the fold down armrest with cup holder if you need it, and has the hook ups for car seats too. With three in the back, and two up front, I count ample seating for five!
How does the 2106 KIA Optima look on the outside on a nice day? I think snazzy is a good description, don’t you?
It is definitely an eye catching sedan! Don’t be fooled by looks! Behind the beauty, this car has safety in mind! Some of the features we loved were the backup camera with warning system, as well as a cross traffic alert, blind spot detection, front collision warning system, and lane departure warning system. It’s no wonder the 2015 KIA Optima was named Top Safety Pick by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety! The 2016 is just as safe if not safer!
How is the storage, meaning the trunk, if you are traveling or hauling larger items? I love the smart trunk, it will open if you are standing behind the vehicle – you don’t need the key! The back seats are also a 60/40 split if you have more cargo than what fits into the 15.9 cubic feet of space. Bailie was thrilled to model the fold down feature!
What is my overall feeling about the 2016 KIA Optima? I like it, it was fun to drive, nice looking, and the back seat has plenty of space for your dog. We received a model that was pretty much the base model this time. The car got around 33 mpg driving mostly in the city which was is pretty nice. Mom and I both really missed the sun roof, and we prefer leather seats, along with heated seats in the winter, all of which are available as extras or on other models. The KIA Optima is a real nice car for the money – starting at about $24,000.
Overall, we are impressed with KIA and their vehicles. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, we recommend you give KIA a test drive. I think you will be as impressed as I have been.
Disclaimer: My GBGV Life was given a 2016 Kia Optima to drive for a week and review. The opinions in this review are of My GBGV Life and not influenced by any outsider. My GBGV Life will receive no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.
Emma that’s a very noble car… I love the cockpit, now you can really feel like a pilot behind the wheel… and I love the “nose” of this car, it is special and it “smiles” somehow, so it sure will be a good idea to buy a KIA (although the name sounds promising lol)
Maybe I should have had a shot of my nose next to the nose of the car. Two great noses!
We drive a 2015 Buick Encore which is dark gray. it has lots of very nice features along with heated leather seats (that is the first thing the mom requested…here in Florida) and a moon roof. The tailgate does not open with my paw 🙁 and the control panel is not a touch screen, but it has everything else! The mom loves it. I think she is going to leave the keys here with me tomorrow when she leaves for 10 days in Alaska. We doggies have a house sitter staying with us. Take good care of Katie and Bailie while I am away from the computer, Emma. The mom worries about leaving Hollee. The mom will be shutting down her computer so I will not be online until June 9th. I love ya’ll! XOXO Sparkle
Hope your mom has a great trip! My mom used to do Alaska trips in June when she was a flight attendant, way before I was born. She said it was so odd being light all day and all night. She did do a glacier cruise tour and enjoyed it. You behave if you can and have fun even though your mom will be gone.
Very cool ride, Emma! “paw friendly push to start feature” – cracked me up!
Car manufacturers are making it so much easier for us dogs to drive these days!
Wish it came with awd. Don’t want an suv but need awd
We really like an SUV for all the dog things we do and having more than one dog. I honestly don’t know if regular sedans even come in 4 WD or not since we haven’t shopped for one. We love the feature on our SUV here in MN in the winter.
Looks lovely! Hope you go on another great adventure! Have wonderful holiday weekend!
Hopefully I will get another car this summer as we have an idea for a road trip, but this time we simply didn’t have enough time to go very far.
Our friend likes her Kia
Snorts,
Lily & Edward
We are pretty impressed with how nice KIA vehicles really are. We had no idea what to expect, but they are really great.
That is another very nice car. You need to cruise down to the Bayou and visit me. ♥
Your Basset, Bentley
If I had more miles to use, I sure would!
That looks like a pretty sweet drive, Emma! How fun! Safe travels!
It was fun to cruise around in.
We love a dog friendly car salesman! That looks like a very nice car with a lot of handy features, and lots of space too. I can’t believe all the stuff on the steering wheel.
We’re like your Mom – have to have leather heated seats!
The guys at the Drive Shop are always so very nice and helpful!
That ride looks so nice and really comfy too!
Except for cats, since cats usually don’t like any cars!
What a cool ride, Emma!! We are sure you had a wonderful adventure!!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
It was fun for a week of cruising!
Looks like a fun car.
We had some fun little trips around here with it.
Crikey …… I wish someone would give me one of those to drive around in for a week. I could go to the beach all by myself. Especially with that push of the paw feature. Now that’s REAL cool!!
I’ve noticed cars are getting more dog friendly all the time which I love!
My assistant has short paws, too, so this might be a good car for her, too!
It is great for us shorties! I think real tall humans and maybe dogs would feel a bit crunched.
Head on over to New York! We would love to have you visit!! Absolutely LOVE this post!! You are one truly awesome car reviewer!! 🙂
If they let me have unlimited miles, I would be doing a lot of travel, but they can’t let us put on too many miles, so we don’t go too far from our state.
Nice wheels Emma.
Thank you. It was another fun car to try out for a week.
Nice looking ride.
It was a fun car to test out.
Wonderful review! I love all the trunk space and that the back seat comes down!!! 🙂
You can make a nice doggy cave with the seats down! Lots of room in there!
Looks like a nice ride
I had a good time with it for the week.
That’s a really nice looking car, Emma and I think it suits you well. The push to start and steering wheel controls really are perfect for you. I also love the blind spot detection.
Tell me the truth, does Bailie always pester you with “are we there yet’s?
Bailie never seems to rest when we are riding. Even on a 16 hour drive, she doesn’t sleep and just keeps watching the road, wondering how much longer! Blind spot detection is the best feature according to mom and me!