Welcome KIA to the world of HYBRID. The 2011 KIA Optima Hybrid couples a 2.4 liter four cylinder gas engine wiht a 40 horse power electric motor fed by a state of the art lithium polymer batter pack.
The divergence from a standard gas-electric hybrid is that they have gone away from the normal torque converter in favor of an electronically controlled clutch pack. This enables the engine to be coupled or de-coupled easily.
KIA has done something a little different than most Hybrids in that it starts out in electric and runs in puer EV mode until gas is needed or when more power is needed and then it kicks in the gas engine. As with most hybrid cars the EV mode is nearly silent. It appears that from test that switching from EV to gas isn’t as smooth as some hybrids on the market but this is KIA’s first EV car.
It’s also been reported that the throttle is a bit sluggish when you mash on the gas petal, but let’s be fair here and say that most Hybrid car owners won’t be lead foots.
The estimated MPG is 35 city and 40 highway which isn’t to bad for a full size sedan.
Over All a Respectable car.