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confused

6K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  kcwrxfan 
#1 ·
similarly priced.. i been going nuts between the kia optima sx and the wrx premium... please help.... what would be the better choice..

25 yr old no kids just a gf, and want a sport sedan but do like features... hell its a new car lol

thanks for your opinions.. also if driven easy whats the mpg like on 2011 wrx??
 
#3 ·
Okay I took a closer look at the Kia, not as bad as I thought. Still a no brainer in my book, but it looks to be maybe the most quality car Kia has put out to date. I'd give them a couple more years of turning cars like this out and see how they fair tho. You say you have no kids, if you wanna keep it that way go for the Kia because the subie will get you more tail then you know what to do with..lol
 
#4 ·
I will give Kia props for their new Optima. It does look nice, and actually has a few more ponies than the WRX does. I still believe the WRX to be WAY better and it is AWD. Go for the WRX!
 
#7 ·
keep the psst sounds down and get decent mileage. I cant seem to do that.... Get the Subaru, but ask the same question on a Kia forum and I bet they say to get the Kia.
 
#9 ·
I have a 2011 and I get about 300miles out of the tank and its mostly highway miles. I have owned a 2 kia's they're good cars never 1 issue with them. but the WRX is far bette rin terms on maintenance etc. the optima is slightly bigger. so i'm getting 17-19 city roughly or less if i drive hard and 23 roughly on highway.

FYI my last kia claimed 40mpg highway and i got about 32 so dont read the sticker too much on the optima for fuel it will be less. but wrx's do take premium only
 
#10 ·
Another thing to think about, is the Subaru will probably hold it's value far better. I am guessing if you drove them ,the KIA would actually feel a bit better finish wise inside, performance wise the Subaru would feel more sport oriented, guessing as I haven't drove the KIA. AWD is hard to beat, parts for the Subaru are everywhere, support for the Subaru is everywhere.
Plus you can do the cool Subaru wave every time you pass someone! (In my city it's about every 5th car)
-Carl
 
#11 ·
yeah i hear you all.. i like the suby, i guess my prob is mainly i have not driven one yet.. around here in central fla. where i live, i have seen one wrx and it was the 07 model since i moved here 4 yrs ago.. so its pretty rare here.. but dealerships are hard to find, and stock is little to none.. so a test drive has not happened yet.... well.. needless to say once i drive one i will be hooked... but i am glad there is alot of after market parts for this car both in and out.. would fit me better during my 1/4 life crisis haha

one question.. in the brochure it mentioned premium fuel (91 octane for wrx) 93 recommended for sti... 91 is mid grade for us here and on avg 10 cents more a gal.. do u all still only run 93 octane?
 
#12 ·
If you can run 93 in your car, please run it. I love going back to the east coast and getting 93 in my car. Even tho I was tuned on 92 and have tunes for 91, the power difference and the way the car runs is nite and day. If you really want the car, want it to last and always give you a smile from ear to ear, treat it the best you can.
 
#14 ·
That's because you run E85, it burns up a lot faster then pump so it doesn't really apply to the op's question. You say It's terrible but you know as well as I do you'll never go back to pump if you don't have to. Corn ftw!Thumbs Up
 
#19 ·
wow, is this a real conversation?!?! You buy a Kia because you dont have any interest in cars, it's just transpotation to you. You buy a WRX because you are into cars, performance, and tuning. If you are serious about this Kia, you should be comparing it to a honda accord, nissan altima or toyota camry, not a WRX. Two completly different types of vehicles.
 
#21 ·
^ it is A 275HP turbo 4 cylinder, so it is kinda comparable. Still not in the same class in my opinion, but it is a very nice kia ill say that. Like I said give them a few years of making cars like this and see how they hold up. Maybe ten years from now Kia's will be the next ”IT” tuner/import.
 
#22 ·
hahaha yeah, its been decided, now all i gotta decide is weather to order one through easy street motors or build up myself (spoke to ali, he said he could prob get one less then cost and for 8 g do everything to a wrx not sti and bring it around 400 hp then ship it to my delear.. regardless.. an AP nameless exhaust and Prova d wheel are going to be some of the first mods on the wrx if i build it... :) CANNOT wait!!
 
#23 ·
reguardless it has 275 HP, a V6 Camaro has 305 and the WRX will spank it daily (with a studded leather belt mind you). This Kia is in no way a competitor to the WRX, its a family sedan with a turbo. It's performance numbers are horrible for what it is/has, 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 15. The V6 Altima and Accord both pull better numbers than that (and both have less HP)......If anything, compare a standard Impreza (non turbo) to the Kia..........ok sorry, im finally done venting.
 
#26 ·
The new Optima (called the K5 here in Korea) is an appealing car in my opinion. Kia Optimas, Hyundai Sonatas, and the equivalent of the Nissan Altima are all used as taxis in Korea. Every time I ride in a new Optima, I am really impressed with the ride and comfort of the interior (remember, I am speaking as a passenger).

You have already made your decision, but here is my take on Korean cars (for those who are interested):

Korea is a small country (half the size of California) of interstate-like highways that connect cities with not much in-between except byways. The speed on highways and byways are controlled not by patrol cars, but by camera systems placed on specific sections of the road (limit is usually 100km/hr for byways and 120km/hr for highways). In cities, it is either boulevard type streets or very narrow streets (by US standards) that cars have to crawl through. There are very few seldom used mountain/canyon roads (like there are in many parts of the USA).

Because of this approach to road design and urban planning, cars (re: sedans) made in Korea really shine at cruising speeds. In my opinion, there is not a domestic motivator for Korean car companies to build true sports cars. However, they are starting to dip their toes in the water and make their coupes more sporty (sedans too I suppose, but just adding a turbo does not equate to "sporty" in my opinion).

Finally, unleaded gas is approximately $1.80 (US) per liter, or let's say about $7.00-$7.50 per gallon. Diesel fuel is usually about $0.20 cents less per liter. LPG is around $1.00 per liter. When I go to the States on vacation, it is interesting to see the difference in Korean cars' engines from those in Korea. In Korea (like Europe maybe?), there are many cars (including small cars and SUVs) that have diesel or LPG engines (for obvious reasons). In the States, all I see are Korean cars with gasoline engines that could use just a bit more torque in my opinion.

Personally, I think the more popular Korean car manufacturers' products become in the USA, the more they will be able to devote resources to making their cars more "sporty." And by "sporty" I mean a car where everything (suspension, engine, body, etc.) is integrally designed with "sporting intentions" in mind.

!Thumbs Up
 
#27 ·
Sleep I agree, Before I picked my WRX up I owned a forte Koupe, I needed a car that was good on gas and cheap and I got one loaded to the max for 19k and discounted to 17.3k my payment was great.

I got 30-35miles per gallon. It was 2 door kinda sporty compared to the other cars in its class. Had for 2 years and only did my oil changes and tire rotations to the car. no rattles or anything. Kia is comming a long way in maybe in the future they will get the sports car thing down. I just people see KIA and don;t think it's a good car. they are getting better marks in safety and reliability than the US car makers which is sad.
 
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