Test drive Kia Optima SW Plug-in Hybrid and VW Passat Variant GTE: practical and environmentally friendly
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Test drive Kia Optima SW Plug-in Hybrid and VW Passat Variant GTE: practical and environmentally friendly

Test drive Kia Optima SW Plug-in Hybrid and VW Passat Variant GTE: practical and environmentally friendly

Competition between two comfortable plug-in hybrid family vans

The theme of plug-in hybrids is definitely in vogue, although sales have not yet lived up to high expectations. It's time for a comparison test of two practical mid-size station wagons with this type of drive - the Kia Optima Sportswagon Plug-in Hybrid and the VW Passat Variant GTE collided with each other.

You leave the house early in the morning, take your children to kindergarten or school, go shopping, go to work. Then, in reverse order, you shop for dinner and go home. And all this is only with the help of electricity. On Saturday, you load up four bikes and take the whole family out for a walk in nature or sightseeing. Sounds too good to be true, but it's possible - not with expensive premium brands, but with VW, which has been offering its customers the Passat Variant GTE for just over two years. Yes, the price is not low, but by no means unreasonably high - still, a comparable 2.0 TSI Highline costs not much less. The Kia Optima Sportswagon, released last year, has a slightly higher price tag than the Wolfsburg model, but also has significantly richer standard equipment.

Let's focus on the drive systems of the two plug-in hybrids. At Kia we find a two-liter petrol four-cylinder unit (156 hp) and an electric motor integrated into a six-speed automatic transmission with power

50 kW. The total system power reaches 205 hp.

The 11,3 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery is installed under the boot floor. The high-voltage battery in VW has a maximum capacity of 9,9 kWh and under the front cover we find a good old friend (1.4 TSI) as well as an 85 kW electric motor. The system power here is 218 hp. The transmission is six-speed with two clutches and has an additional clutch that turns off the gasoline engine if necessary. With the help of the plates on the steering wheel, the driver can manually change gears and also activate a kind of "retarder", which, using the braking energy recovery system, stops the car with such force that the brakes are rarely used. If you take full advantage of the potential of this option, you will enjoy the extremely long life of brake discs and pads. We can't help but admire how powerfully and evenly the Passat brakes to a standstill with just the electric brake.

Kia has much weaker recuperation, the interaction of the electric motor, internal combustion engine and braking system is far from harmonious, and the brakes themselves show rather modest test results. Compared to the Passat, which has time to stop exactly 130 meters with heated brakes up to 61 km / h, the Optima needs 5,2 meters more. This naturally costs the Korean model a lot of valuable points.

60 km on electricity only?

Unfortunately no. Both vans allow - as long as the batteries are fully charged and the temperature outside is neither too low nor too high, driving entirely by electricity at speeds up to 130 km / h, since in the test the measured distance for current alone reached 41 (VW), resp. 54 km (Kia). Here Kia has a serious advantage, but it should be borne in mind that it is more sensitive to driver manners and often turns on its noisy engine. For its part, the Passat relies on the solid traction (250 Nm) of its electric motor whenever possible. Even when driving outside the city, you can safely step on the gas a little more seriously, without turning on the internal combustion engine. However, if you decide to take advantage of the maximum current speed of 130 km / h, the battery will drain at an astonishing rate. The Passat manages to maintain a commendable discretion when starting the gasoline engine, and you usually only know about its operation by reading the corresponding indicator on the dashboard. Good idea: as long as you like, you can activate a mode in which the battery is charged more intensively while driving - if you prefer to save the last kilometers of the day on electricity until the end of the trip. Kia doesn't have that option.

Objectively speaking, both station wagons spend most of their lives in classic hybrid mode. In this way, they use the power of their electric motors flexibly, switch their conventional units on and off as needed, and discreetly charge their batteries with recuperation. The fact that driving these cars has a life of its own can be described from certain points of view as an interesting and even exciting experience.

Energetic drive in GTE

If you're looking for a more dynamic driving experience, you'll quickly find that despite the nearly identical power output of the two cars, the Sportswagon can hardly match the lighter 56kg Passat. All you have to do is press the button labeled GTE and VW will mobilize its power in all its glory, managing to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 7,4 seconds. Optima performs this exercise in 9,1 seconds, and the difference in intermediate accelerations is not small. In addition, Optima develops a maximum of 192 km / h, while VW has a maximum speed of more than 200 km / h. At the same time, the gasoline turbo engine of a German station wagon sounds hoarse, but it never comes to the fore with a very rude growl, and an atmospheric automatic under the hood of Kia often buzzing louder than pleasant to the ear.

The energetic Passat was also surprisingly economical given its temperament, with an average power consumption of 22,2 kWh per 100 km in the test, while the Optima's figure is 1,5 kWh lower. On the special standard section for economical driving in hybrid mode, the VW with its 5,6 l / 100 km is even slightly more economical, the average consumption values ​​according to the AMS criteria in the two models are also very close to each other.

The variant allows itself small weaknesses only in terms of ride comfort. Despite the optional adaptive dampers in the test car, the sharp bumps in the road surface are overcome relatively rough, while the Kia behaves perfectly on bad roads. However, with its soft springs, it tends to shake the body harder. The Passat GTE does not show such trends. It stands very firmly on the road and exhibits an almost sporty demeanor in corners. When you press the aforementioned GTE button, the car's clutch starts to look more like a GTI than a GTE. From this point of view, one can only welcome the fact that the seats provide stable lateral support for the body. In the Kia, fast cornering is far from a pleasant and recommended activity, as the comfortable leather seats lack lateral support, and the steering and suspension lack precision in settings.

It is worth noting two other interesting measured values ​​during the test: VW managed to overcome the simulated double lane change at 125 km / h, while in the same exercise the Kia was eight kilometers per hour slower.

But almost complete equality reigns in terms of useful volume and functionality. Both plug-in hybrids provide ample room for four adults to travel comfortably and, despite the large batteries, still have decent trunks (440 and 483 liters). Divided into three remote-fold rear seat backs, they add extra practicality, and if necessary, both cars can pull a fairly serious attached load. The overhead load in the Passat ins can weigh up to 1,6 tons, and the Kia can tow up to 1,5 tons.

Richer equipment in Kia

The Optima definitely deserves admiration for its more logical ergonomic concept. Because the Passat certainly looks exquisite with its digital instrument cluster and glass-covered touchscreen, but getting used to many of the features is time consuming and distracting. Kia uses classic controls, a fairly large screen and traditional buttons, including direct selection of the most important menus - simple and straightforward. And really comfortable ... In addition, the model boasts an extremely rich set of equipment: a navigation system, a Harman-Kardon audio system, LED headlights and a host of auxiliary systems - all this is standard on board. You can't miss the mention of the seven-year warranty. However, despite these undeniable advantages, the best station wagon in this test is called the Passat GTE.

CONCLUSION

1. VW

Such a practical and at the same time spirited station wagon with such a harmonious and economical hybrid drive, which can only be found on VW today. The clear winner in this comparison.

2. LET

More comfortable and nearly as spacious inside, the Optima shows obvious drawbacks in terms of traction and braking performance. The Passat's chances of winning are slim on the offered qualities.

Text: Michael von Meidel

Photo: Arturo Rivas

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