Essential Motoring 101

It was quite a grand affair at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center for the launch of KIA’s latest offering - the Spectra5 hatchback and the Optima sedan. I thought I had entered the wrong banquet but the brightly-lit stage depicting large displays of the interiors of a car got me convinced that I was in the right venue. There were about hundreds of tables that resembles a wedding dinner, full of grandeur and style. I headed on to my seat nearest to the stage, trying to spot anyone whom has a familiar face as soon as I sat myself at the table.

From left: The Spectra5, Dato Seri Rafidah, Tan Sri Nasimuddin and Moon at the launch.

The launch ceremony was initiated by our beloved minister at MITI, Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz. The founder of NAZA Group of Companies, Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin S.M. Amin and his Korean counterpart, KIA Motors Corporation Regional Office for Asia & Pacific managing director J.H. Moon were present to launch the new cars.

The Spectra5 in its ‘flight’ stance - Ready to serve the Malaysian roads.

The new Spectra5 sports a whole new look and feel compared to the previous Spectra. There will not be a sedan version on this one though. The Spectra5 comes in only with a 1.6L powertrain with 16-valve Gamma DOHC CVVT offering 121PS at 6,200rpm and 153Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. It boasts a four-speed automatic gearbox with Sports Mode. Priced at RM73,000, the Spectra5 would be the direct hit from Naza to compete with the Toyota Vios and the Honda City.

The dash in the Spectra 5: Fulfills all your basic driving needs.

The sign that tells a Spectracular story

Spectra5 Sport version seen here with a rear spoiler. Note the fiery rear lamps too.

The Optima is a face-lifted version with lots of goodies to pull in the younger segment of the market. Sporting a 2.0L Theta DOHC CVVT powerplant, the new Optima offers 4-speed auto transmission that is able to churn out 145PS.

The Optima looks more luxurious this time…

…the butt is no loser with the right curves, too.

 

Black themed with silver trimmings offering quite an eye candy.

The eye candy when the sun sets completely.

Loaded with a standard Infinity sound system only in the Premium and Special version, the Optima comes with electric seat adjustment, powered steering tilting, dual airbags and full climate control with air quality monitoring system. Of course, the industry-standard in braking, equipped with ABS with EBD too. The Optima is retailed from RM110,000 to the public.

The indifferent, camera-shy engine department in today’s cars.

Aren’t we all just too spoiled? Even adjusting the seats uses electricity.

Haven’t tested the cars yet though. But, my opinion says that both cars would be able to pull in KIA loyalists as well as new buyers. Nothing to shout about in terms of features but Naza was still able to maintain all the standard safety features on its cars. Just hope that the powerplants for both models would stand the test of Malaysian weather and roads.

As long as it is fuel economical to the man on the street, I believe these Korean machines would be able to survive another facelift in the future… do you think so?