mmarshall

I was back at the D.C. Auto Show again today (it runs until Sunday evening), and GM and Kia both had test-drive circuits set up outside the show. GM had about 8 or 9 number of its newer products on hand for sampling; and Kia had a couple of versions of its all-new Optima sedan. Since I had not previously sampled the new Optima, Buick Regal, or Chevy Cruze, I chose these for the test-drives.

Basically, with GM, you participated by showing your drivers' license, signing a form, taking a puff or two on a Breathalyzer to show you weren't drunk, getting an OK arm-band, and then just waiting in line till the car you asked for was available (it wasn't a long wait for either one). With Kia, it was even simpler......(just the license, and no wait at all) and Kia gave out some nice little gifts afterward.

The course, with a GM or Kia rep riding with you, was fairly simple....a jaunt around the inner-city streets of downtown D.C., with stoplights and D.C.'s typical torn-up roads and poor pavement, for a couple of miles around the Convention Center and back. This, of course, is hardly enough of a test-drive for an adequate write up (and certainly not enough for an MM review), but it does give you somewhat of a basic feel for the car, and it shows how well the suspension and chassis soaks up bumps. There was one or two quick places where I was able to try the acceleration/handling/brakes, but, again, not enough, IMO, for an MM review. I was, though, able to get a good basic feel and impression of each car...that can often be done in just a few blocks.

I now have a digital camera, BTW (something I've never had before)......and I had it at the show today, taking some shots. I was able to figure out how load the shots on my laptop, but I'm still figuring out (with the instructions)how to transfer them to the Internet (and that will help with future car reviews, of course, as I won't have to depend on Google images like I've been doing). But, for this thread, I went ahead and still used the Google shots. I'll also be doing a D.C. show write-up after it is over....I may be going back on Sunday afernoon, the show's last day.


Kia Optima





A nice, well-done mid-size sedan, done on the same platform as the new Hyundai Sonata but slightly shorter. I drove the turbo-4 version with the standard, non-Sport suspension......it gave a reasonably smooth ride over D.C.'s bumps, but allowed some body roll. One thing I like about the Optima (and rare among automakers) is that they will give you the more powerful turbo version with a softer suspension, without making you pound over bumps with the stiffer tires and chassis like many turbo models do....the Sport Suspension, even on the turbo, is optional. Marginal rear-seat room for adults. Fit/finish was quite good for the money, and a lot of features inside came standard. The turbo-4 had some good spunk, and would shove you back in the seat....but of course, I couldn't give it that much gas in the city streets.

Buick Regal





An Opel-based sedan; slightly smaller than the LaCrosse, and a slightly plainer interior (but I liked the Regal's gauges more). Good fit/finish, a responsive turbo engine, sharp handling, but the ride is the stiffest I have ever encounted on a Buick-labelled product...stiffer then the LaCrosse, and much stiffer then the Lucerne. This is clearly a sport sedan...you could tell that in just a few short blocks, even without an extended review. Marginal rear seat room for large adults. At the risk of using automotive cliche, this is not your grandfather's Buick.

Chevrolet Cruze





An excellent paint job, superb fit/finish, and an astoundingly nice interior for a compact car in this price class......a much nicer interior than that of the new rival 2012 Ford Focus (Chevy in general, lately, IMO, has been outdoing Ford in the quality of their interiors). Ride quality about as expected...borderline firm, but not stiff. Decent but not overly-sporty handling. Steering response fairly good, but the gummy/artificial feeling and stickiness in the steering system was a little annoying. Like the other two cars, marginal room in the rear seat for large adults.

mmarshall

Next planned reviews: 2011 Dodge Ram 1500, 2012 Ford Focus, 2011 Hyundai Equus. They will be full-reviews, not just short test-drives.

LexBob2

From a subjective stanpoint, I like the styling of all three of these cars.

IMO the Optima looks better than the Sonata.

A couple of weeks ago while shopping for a new daily driver, I was in a Kia dealership and sat in the Optima and thought it was very nice, especially for the price.

mmarshall

Definitely. The whole front end of the new Sonata is silly-looking, and the roofline curves down excessively low in back, impacting rear headroom. The Optima is more muted on both counts.

Agreed. And I especially like the fact that you can get the turbo drivetrain without the optional, harsher Sport suspension. Few cars allow you to do that....more should, IMO.

LexBob2

It's smart on Kia's part to offer the turbo engine in both EX and SX trim. Since they don't have a V6 engine, buyers looking for better performance can get it in either model.

IS-SV

The mini drives are popular at SJ show, I did a couple at show a few years ago.

mmarshall

You can probably thank Hyundai (Kia's owner) for the fact that the Optima doesn't offer a V6, but a turbo-4 instead. That was the marketing strategy for the Optima's sister car....the Hyundai Sonata. One downside, though, to the turbo, is that, like most turbos, it needs premium gas. Many standard V6s can run on regular.

mmarshall

Yes, they are helpful in getting a basic feel for the car, but I think you will agree with me that those mini-drives are generally not long enough (or variable enough) for a full review/write-up.....nor are they intended to be.

This is the first time I can remember seeing them at the D.C. show, though a few years ago, Jeep had an interesting indoor course set up here (inside the show itself) where you rode in the right seat with a Jeep representative over an imitation off-road course.....with big logs, a creek bed, water trough, and a very steep hump-shaped hill. You might (?) have seen that at the SJ show.
All of the Trail-Rated Jeep models, of course (not all Jeep products today are Trail-Rated), did the course with no problem, but the Jeep Representatives especially liked to show off how easy the Wrangler Rubicon can make short work of it.

LexBob2

I believe both Kia and Sonata turbos run on regular gas. A nice advantage for them.

mmarshall

The Kia rep said the Optima turbo (which, presumably, is the same one in the Sonata) needed Premium (I asked about that when I drove it), but you may be right.....those show reps, despite their smooth-talk, aren't always walking encyclopedias for their products.

Turbos usually do require premium because of the added engine heat and because of the fact that the strong/dense air-fuel compression in the turbo significantly increases the effective compression-ratio in the cylinders. Heat and compression both increase the tendency of the engine to spark-knock, requiring higher-octane fuel. On those few turbos which can run on regular, the computer retards the spark-timing to compensate for the lower-octane fuel, and power can be significantly reduced.

IS-SV

I agree which is why I do very few (too short, speeds too slow downtown, lame salespeople, etc.)

LexBob2

The new Chevy Cruze turbo also runs on regular. I think it's a 1.4 liter or something like that. With improvments in the electronics etc. we'll no doubt be seeing more turbos running on regular.

IS-SV

Adding DI can help to accomplish running on regular too (cooler running for a given CR)

LexBob2

Good point...