Quote:
Originally Posted by krhodes1
Agree 100%. It's a nice car, and certainly a premium car, but a luxury car? Uh, not so much. Too small, and there is not much on even a loaded 3-series that you can't get on a KIA Optima these days.
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This is true, as BT, sat nav, and other luxury features that were not found in the more mainstream models are all available, even standard. BUT, compare the quality side by side. The feel of the buttons and knobs, the smoothness of the operation, the feedback, etc. These human elements are what luxury car companies lose hair and sleep over to get right, and there are significant differences. Like anything else, with a car, you get what you pay for.
Does the Optima have power/heated/leather seats? Absolutely. But feel the leather. Listen to the motor noise when you move the seat, and feel the feedback of the button when you press that button down. Is it a feedback force that is just right, or is it simply an on/off switch that feels like cheap $.20 trigger you get at Radio Shack? I'm anal about stuff like this, and since I work in an industry where we take a lot of time in the lab to perfect little niggling shit like this, I can appreciate the effort and time that higher-end car makers put into "sensory perfection." It's also why you pay twice as much for a BMW that is smaller than a car like the Optima, sometimes with less features.
Would you prefer regular Jose Cuervo, or a bottle of freezer-chilled Sauza Tres Generaciones?