Especially in the back quite different
The first car called Kia Optima in Europe was perhaps also the first Kia that was really liked by the general public at the time. In 2014, this successful model received a facelift, in which the back in particular was quite firmly grasped.
The Kia Megentis, which appeared in 2000, was already called Optima elsewhere in the world. In Europe, however, that name was not introduced until two generations later, in 2010. The car that appeared in that year was designed by master designer Peter Schreyer. With its confident front, high shoulder line and distinct roofline and C-pillar, it was a unique and recognizable appearance that was appreciated by many. The car also looks quite modern to this day. That is certainly not self-evident for a design that is 12 years old.
The facelift of this Optima presented itself in 2014. The facelift version is much less known in the Netherlands than the original, which, thanks to its Hybrid powertrain and lower addition, still found some (business) buyers here and there. That hybrid, of course, remained after 2014, but then the attention had apparently faded somewhat. The facelift is quite extensive, although it is not immediately noticeable. For example, the basic layout of the front remains intact in 2014. Thanks to a different front bumper, a larger grille and new headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights, there is some news to report here.
The big news in 2014 is mainly at the back. Kia replaces the tailgate with a copy with a more obvious ‘pinch’ at the top. The part of the rear lights that is in this cover will be a lot bigger. This means that the inner part of each light unit from 2014 is remarkably slightly higher than the outer part, where it was the other way around before the facelift. The bumper loses its ‘crease’ half way through and is therefore slightly smoothed out. The interior is also undergoing a modernization round, including the installation of a new steering wheel.
For those who get lost between all those white Optimas: in the photo gallery you first see the facelift model and then the pre-facelift. The order after that is old-new, old-new, old-new.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl