Due to Thanksgiving travel, we had limited time with the KIA Optima Hybrid. Oddly enough, that doesn’t really impact a review. Though this will not be a nuanced and detailed account, it’s easy to sum up the Optima Hybrid after only a couple of drives along an empty PCH and a few quick freeway interchanges, plus around-town shuttling.

First, the bad news. The Hyundai/KIA hybrid system is no equal for either the Toyota or Ford Fusion systems, proving considerably less refined. Toyota Camry Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid would not be our first choices, either, as we’d go for a Prii of one sort or another. Hard to deny the leaders.

Driving the Optima Hybrid, there’s a clear step between regenerative braking and conventional mechanical braking, as on the first-gen Prius of 2001. Toyota fixed that problem, and so can KIA. It’s a matter of refinement, and focused engineering work.

Under medium throttle, the engine fires up gruffly. Under the lightest possible throttle, attempting to stay in EV puttering along at parking lot speeds, the engine fluttered in quietly and smoothly. Clearly, KIA and Hyundai are on the right path, but they have not yet mastered the concept. Probably quite a lot of software coding left to script to smooth the interplay of electric motors and gas engine. For us to delve in any deeper than this is pointless. It’s better than the now-aborted Nissan Hybrid system, but it’s no equal for the two best passenger car systems

Now, the good news, which is pretty much everything else about the Optima Hybrid, and you can figure it out for yourself walking around one in a parking lot, or taking a short drive. With its great-looking alloys and lower body kit, Optima Hybrid’s exterior design is a triumph. Interior design, interior packaging, and for the most part interior materials garner similar praise. We end up wondering just how nice a top-line KIA Optima with the standard gasoline engine must be. That’s likely the Optima to buy.

Optima Hybrid is handsome, very handsome, as in Alfa Romeo handsome. A bit more refinement of the lines, uprated detailing (better head- and taillights, more substantial door handles, richer detailing of grilles and grille inserts, etc) and it could pass for a compact Jaguar at ten paces. It certainly has finer proportions than a Jaguar XJ, a car that completely loses the thread at the rear end, turning into a member of the Narwhal species.

Yet Optima Hybrid is not overly pretty and feminine, like the Mazda6. The Optima Hybrid has sculpted, handsome and substantial forms, very masculine. Hard not to like it.

Approaching the Optima in a parking lot, I had a moment of unreality, of vertigo. I thought, “Really? That’s a KIA?” Photos tell the tale, but the car is well drawn, with excellent detailing for a mid-size mainstream family sedan. I once interviewed at the original KIA agency, in San Francisco. Because the cars were so dowdy, so homely, and so poorly built, I suggested they use a Godzilla monster and humor to launch the brand. Oddly enough, they did. But the 2012 Optima Hybrid is several light years removed from the KIA Sephia and the original Sportage, both of which were engineering and design abominations beyond mention. That was 20 years ago.

Ten years ago, I attended the launch of the original KIA Optima, on a run from the Sonoma Mission Inn to Bodega Bay and back. At that time, KIA worked a lot with both Lotus Engineering and Porsche Engineering, so the car had a slick Tiptronic system, and a very well-sorted chassis. The then-CEO of KIA’s US operations asked me to push the car a bit on the curves near Bodega, and we were both surprised at its poise and capability, in part due to its multi-link rear suspension. I had no end of fun sliding the Optima around corners near Bodega. Sure, it was losing speed sliding, but it was very controllable. That was just over ten years ago. In the past five years, KIA has gone ballistic, quality and design on a steep upward path

Inside? Materials quality and more importantly assembly quality is several notches above what we found in the KIA Soul, and more like what we found in the KIA Sportage that began to change opinions around here of the capabilities of Korean companies. Panels come together smoothly, with neat, tight seams.

Thanks to the long wheelbase that Hyundai specced in an attempt to position the Sonata/Optima slightly above Camry and Accord, Optima has a rear seat that’s roomy and comfortable. My big feet and long legs were no trouble at all—could have taken a nap without trouble. For perspective, we looked up rear legroom on Mercedes C- and E-class sedans: Optima has about an inch more than a C-class and about an inch less than an E-class. Toyota Camry has 38.9 inches of rear legroom, or 4.25 inches more than Optima, which provides perspective.  Though not the leader, Optima has a generous and comfortable rear seat.

And then there’s dynamics, the act of driving. Unlike the Hyundai Sonata we drove some time ago, which we damned with almost no praise, deservedly so, Optima handled and rode well. The electric power steering had that gumminess we seem to find in every KIA, but there was none of the listless, drunken wandering we found so horrendous in the Hyundai Sonata that is the Optima’s fraternal twin. KIA works with European engineering companies to help tune its vehicles, and it shows. This is, in effect, a Euro-spec chassis set-up. Optima Hybrid proved a pretty good car to drive, and only nitpickers like myself would find much fault. It’s not a Mazda6, or perhaps even a Camry, but there’s a sense of competency one rarely found in pats Korean vehicles. As a friend said, the KIA will age well, the Sonata will not. Optima tracks and corners and rides fairly well.

We would not recommend the current iteration of Hyundai/KIA hybrid drive. But based on everything else we found in the Optima Hybrid, we’d certainly recommend looking at the conventional gas-engined Optima when shopping family sedans. So long as the Optima has the aggressive lower body kit of the Hybrid model, the exterior design is strong, sculpted, and masculine. The interior is properly assembled, the ride and handling are very good, and only the steering is the slightest bit off, as we’ve found in virtually every KIA. We would recommend shopping the Optima if you’re also looking at Altima, Camry and Accord. We suspect that unless the KIA dealer offers a smoking deal, the Japanese will prove superior, but the gap is closing.

C. Van Tune is a former Editor-in-Chief of Motor Trend.

I received an email today that I thought you’d be interested in. It came from the PR department of the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, proudly noting how many “green cars” would be on display. No other vehicles were noted, just a long list of save-the-planet people movers: Seventy-one in all.

Ugh.

Times are rapidly changing for the worse in the car business if you’re a lover of gasoline-ignited horsepower. The days are numbered for today’s traditional performance cars, regardless of nameplate. The sobering slap across our faces is that all car companies (including even Ferrari and Porsche) are working on hybrid, fuel cell, and/or full-electric versions in order to meet the upcoming more stringent government mpg and emissions requirements. And regardless of the feel-good spin put on such cars by their giddy purveyors, the cold, hard truth is that driving as we know it will forever change.

Like Ewing has experienced, I’ve driven several full-electric “performance” cars. But while they can accelerate quickly, they simply have no soul. No muscular sounds of the engine revving, no rumbling exhaust note, no burnouts, no power-shifting of gears. Just a limp-wristed whirring of the electric motor(s) as the car is propelled. Sure, it may go 0-60 mph in five seconds, but the experience isn’t anything like you’re accustomed. I’m guessing it’s like the difference between sex with a blow-up doll versus the real thing. Only it’s worse than that. It’s more like the government has outlawed sex with real women and said you can only do it with a gov’t-approved blow-up doll from now on. They’ve decided it’s better for the planet that way. And, no, your opinion doesn’t matter.

Factoring in all of the above, I believe that 2012 (or possibly 2013) will become the lasting high-water mark for the worldwide roster of great performance cars. Sort of like 1970 was the pinnacle of the original muscle car era. But I’m also concerned that the game-changing impact of what’s happening today won’t be recognized by the public until it’s too late.

My advice: If you want to own a brand-new gasoline-powered performance vehicle, buy it now. I believe that the values of many of today’s most powerful cars will climb after they’re gone from production. Those machines will truly be the last of their lineages, as subsequent new models will become morphed into alternate-fuel-powered, amorphous, androgynous drones. To modify the old gun-owners’ maxim: The government will take my Ferrari 458 Italia when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers. Yes, even if gasoline has been outlawed and I can’t drive it. Hell, if that’s the case, then bury me in it.

Just a couple of years ago, the highlight of any auto show would’ve been performance cars, luxury vehicles and big, powerful trucks and their SUV cousins. For 2012, it’s the following list of High Mileage and Green-Tech Vehicles.

This is our future, like it or not. And it will only get worse for devotees of dinosaur-fueled performance cars like you and me.

40-plus MPG
Audi A3 TDI (clean diesel)
Chevrolet Cruze Eco
Chevrolet Sonic
Ford Focus SFE
Ford Fiesta SFE
Honda Civic GX
Honda Civic HF
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Rio (2012)
Mazda3 SKYACTIV (2012)
Smart ForTwo
Volkswagen Jetta TDI (clean diesel)
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon TDI (clean diesel)
Volkswagen Passat TDI (clean diesel)
Volkswagen Golf TDI (clean diesel)

Hybrids and Plug-in hybrids
BMW i8 Concept
BMW ActiveHybrid 7
BMW ActiveHybrid X6
Buick LaCrosse eAssist
Buick Regal eAssist
Cadillac Ciel concept
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Chevrolet Malibu Eco
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Chevrolet Volt
Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Fisker Karma
Fisker Surf
GMC Yukon Hybrid
GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid
Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Coupe
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda Insight
Honda Plug-in Hybrid concept
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Infiniti M35 Hybrid
KIA Optima Hybrid
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Lexus CT 200h
Lexus GS 450h

Lexus LS 600h L
Lexus RX 450h
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius v
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

Clean Diesel Vehicles
Audi A3 TDI
Audi Q7 TDI
BMW 335d Sedan
Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC
Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
Volkswagen Passat TDI
Volkswagen Golf TDI

Electric Vehicles
BMW i3 Concept
CODA Sedan
Ford Focus BEV prototype
Fiat 500 EV
Mitsubishi i
Nissan LEAF
Smart ForTwo
Toyota RAV4
DOK-ING XD

Hydrogen/Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Honda FCX Clarity

Clean Diesels like the 2009 VW Jetta TDI are a high-mileage alternative to gasoline-electric hybrids, and the Jetta TDI is the most affordable Clean Diesel in the US. In spite of strong opposition from Greenies to their widespread sale, including strident opposition from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Clean Diesels deliver exceptional fuel efficiency combined with excellent performance, the technology is proven and 50-state legal, there are no issues about manufacturing or eventually disposing of large battery packs, and they’re quiet, reliable and fit into existing vehicles. Diesel comprises approximately 24 percent of the first stage of the crude oil cracking process. It makes sense for 20-24 percent of the US fleet to be powered by Clean Diesels. A Clean Diesel turbo six-cylinder would provide the torque needed for a full-size American SUV, but deliver dramatically higher fuel mileage. Remember, WE DO NOT need to drive Obamamobiles.

Prime Numbers

• Engine:  2.0-liter, DOHC four-cylinder turbo clean Diesel with common rail injection
• Horsepower: 140 @ 4,000 rpm
• Torque: 236 @ 1,750-2,500 rpm
• Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive with available 6-speed DSG automatic
• Suspension F/R: MacPherson struts; Coil springs, independent multi-link, anti-roll bar
• Length: 179.3 in.
• Width: 70.1 in.
• Height: 57.4 in.
• Wheelbase: 101.5 in.
• Weight: 3,285 lbs. (w/automatic)

Who’s The Buyer?
The Jetta TDI Diesel is for you if:

1. You are an early adopter of advanced technologies, and understand Clean Diesel even if your neighbors don’t.
2. You need a practical sedan, but rarely have passengers in the rear seat.
3. Your personal image simply won’t accept the larger, roomier but more anodyne Japanese alternatives: Camry, Accord, Maxima.

The Jetta TDI isn’t for you if:

1. You’re a devout Eco-pagan and will only drive a Hybrid or Tesla, even if all those batteries pose a greater long-term environmental problem than anything coming out of a Clean Diesel’s exhaust.
2. You need a large rear seat for carrying adults on a regular basis, in which case go for a Camry Hybrid to combine Eco with a big back seat—Jetta’s rear seat is for children.
3. You think VW is too funky and prefer the safe image of Japanese or perhaps American family sedans.

Alternatives To Consider

• Honda Civic CNG: CNG is ideal for buses, UPS trucks and other vehicles that are not commonly parked in covered garages (the gas can collect against the ceiling, according to a fire chief we know). CNG can serve in some applications, extending our useful domestic energy supplies.
• Toyota Prius: Still the greatest Eco symbol, and the new car is just that much better than the previous one. If you want a hybrid, this is the one.
• Toyota Camry Hybrid: Hybrid feel-good with a big back seat, excellent passing power. Go easy on the throttle and Camry Hybrid delivers great in-city mileage.
• Nissan Altima Hybrid: An also-ran, but worth a look.
• Fusion Hybrid: Another also-ran, the new Fusion has a dramatically better suspension, and hopefully meets current higher standards for Ford quality.

MODERN DIESELS, like the one in the 2009 VW Jetta TDI I drove a short while back, are not what you think they are. A good friend in England, who manufactures the McRae Dakar buggy, replaced his BMW M3 CSL with a current 5-series Diesel. Did he regret the move? Not at all. He frequently brags about the day a French policeman pulled him over, having clocked the 5-series at 110+ mph. My friend, flat-footing it to his place in Switzerland for a week of skiing, always says the BMW Diesel is absolutely delightful to drive at these high cruising speeds. Of course, when the policemen saw the two sons in the backseat with their English rugby shirts, he let my friend off with a warning. The French do love their rugby.

Our friends at ALMS will be disappointed if we don’t mention the supremacy of the Audi R10 and R12 Diesel-powered LMP1 cars, which have swept the boards at Le Mans—and the basic bits and pieces of the Audi Diesel racing engine are production-derived.

VW wants to push Clean Diesel into the American mainstream. With our desire to be “energy independent,” Diesels seem an obvious component in a cohesive national strategy, if ever we develop one.

Engine, Transmission, Drivetrain
Diesel technology has matured, and the German manufacturers want to convince Americans it’s the way ahead, rather than hybrids and electric cars. They’ll have a stiff fight against the Eco-pagans that infest the Obama administration, even if the Germans are at least partially right.

To cut to the chase, the story here is a Clean Diesel four-cylinder engine paired with a dual-clutch 6-speed transmission, a combination that delivers phenomenal fuel mileage: 29 in the city, and 40 on the highway. Compare that with an Accord four-cylinder: 21/24 mpg. Or if you feel generous, with a 140 hp Civic sedan: 25/29 mpg. Perhaps even with a Honda Fit: 28/31. Admittedly, the Jetta TDI costs about the same as a nicely turned out Accord four-cylinder, but leave off a few options and the TDI is under $25K.

Let that sink in. The Jetta is bigger than a Civic, yet compared to the Lilliputian Honda Fit, Jetta TDI racks up another nine miles for every gallon on the highway. Hmmmm. The only downside is that low-sulfur Diesel fuel costs about the same as Premium gas, and fueling can still be a nasty experience in the US, as Diesel dribbling on the gas station’s forecourt can leave quite a slippery mess.

The combination of all that torque and the optional DSG dual-clutch transmission is truly impressive, and makes for an engaging family car, ideal for commuting and long-distance trips. The torque wells up at 1,750 rpm, really moving the car along, and shifts are as precise as anything you’d get in an F1 Ferrari. The first time the car clicks off 2-3 and 3-4 shifts under heavy throttle, you’ll be stunned by the immediacy and precision of the shifts. Ford, among others, is exploring the use of these dual-clutch gearboxes in their entire product range, as their tremendous efficiency more than makes up for the added expense of two clutches and what amounts to 1.5 gearboxes worth of machined steel bits. To better understand the advantage of these gearboxes, bear in mind that with the addition of direct injection and Porsche PDK dual-clutch transmission, the ’09 Boxster S and Cayman S get better than 30 mpg on the highway—yet they both have more than 300 hp.  The gearbox is a big part of that, as dual-clutch boxes are highly efficient.  When driving the Jetta TDI, use the standard cruise control on the highway to ensure even throttle application and the Jetta TDI delivers as advertised: 40 mpg.

Once you get into the rhythm of Clean Diesel power, the Jetta becomes a wonderful road car—so long as you’re in the roomy, orthopedic front seats. Thanks to the torque, the Jetta TDI can simply blast by slower cars—no effort, no sweat, your overtaking pass has been executed. My thought after only a short drive in the car? Why not apply this engine technology to large American SUVs, with a turbo six-cylinder Diesel? You’d have ample torque, enough to rival a gasoline V8, and double the highway mileage of a gas-powered Tahoe or Expedition. A Diesel Touareg might answer the question. Then again, such product planning can only take place if we have sane energy policies coming out of DC, and we won’t see that anytime soon.

The VW Jetta TDI engine is surprisingly quiet and smooth—killing any lingering images of smoke-belching, rattling Mercedes and GM Diesels from the Seventies and Eighties. Yes, the VW TDI’s popcorn machine sound at idle lets you know this is not a gasoline four-cylinder, but the VW TDI motor impresses on all levels. This combination of Clean Diesel and dual-clutch transmission is truly a way forward.

Jetta TDI also has standard stability control (which means standard ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, and traction control, of course), key safety features one should always expect on a family sedan.

Interior, Ergonomics
Interior materials are fairly high quality with a soft touch, though I’d choose one of the darker interior colors to help mask seams and show off the limited bright trim. My test car had the tan dash and leather, and I found it less than successful because the color brought unwanted attention to the many seams and joints on the dash.

Details are well-finished, from the chunky steering wheel to the integration of the navigation unit into the center stack. The Jetta TDI has a clean, efficient, and tightly finished driving environment.

Driving position is typically German: you place the man in the proper upright driving position, then design the car around him. I’m six three and was comfortable behind the wheel. The steplessly adjustable tilt and telescope steering column—which feels a bit like the helm of a U-boat when you’re adjusting it—combined with an 8-way adjustable seat ensures virtually anyone will find a comfortable driving position. As a friend said recently, only a German car feels like a German car—and the Jetta has all those wonderful traits. As one expects from Germans, so obsessed with posture and orthopedic shoes, the chairs are well constructed and supportive.

Gauges are clean dials: black face, red markers, blue lighting. Gone is the effective if perhaps too affected iris and red gauge lighting of the Nineties. I admit that when VW first introduced the iris-and-red gauges, I thought they were a wild signature item, and they certainly worked well at night. But the iris element was a bit too West Hollywood fashion forward and grew tedious over time. I’m glad they’ve returned to a more classically inspired design.

Where does the Jetta fall down? The rear seats are adequate for adults on cross-town drives, but no taller-than-average male will ever accept a long stint in the back seat. Compared to Camry, Accord, and the new Mazda6 (a very pretty Camry clone in many respects), the Jetta rear seat simply doesn’t have generous leg, foot and head room. The Japanese decision to engineer bodies specifically for the US market pays off in a bigger back seat and corresponding bigger sales; the Jetta has dimensions better suited to Europe. If you’re single, the Jetta is a perfect four-door. If you have a starter-kit family with a baby or two still in safety chairs, the Jetta will deliver. But if your kids are teenagers, forget it, unless you’re a family of circus midgets.

One point of note: with the available navi system, the audio controls include a digital representation of an old-fashioned radio along the bottom of the LCD screen. You spin the right knob to change stations, and a red line scrolls across the radio spectrum for you, as if you’re in a 1968 VW Beetle. A clever approach, and a bit of German humor, giving a comforting analog representation to a digital device. The 10-speaker audio system delivers crisp reproduction, and the CD player reads MP3 files. VW should look to addition of a USB port to connect and charge iPhones and iPods while also ensuring sharper transmission of digital audio files—and WMA and AAC are increasingly popular formats. Currently there’s only an AUX port.  The steering wheel includes audio controls.

Jetta TDI is the top of the Jetta range, so it comes with remarkably high feature content, including leather seating and shifter, the previously mentioned chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a sunroof. Jetta TDI is a very nice place to spend time.

Exterior Design, Body Construction
Unlike the Bangle and Von Hooydonk BMWs, and some of the Mercedes that are simply overwrought with their bulging fender lips and gargoyle faces, VW has remained true to Bauhaus. VW has NOT given in to fashion and stands apart for it. Jetta has timeless, clean proportions that will age well. Body panels are well formed with fairly tight panel gaps, though this is one area where Honda and Toyota are the unrivaled masters and VW must raise its game. Still, the average person won’t notice the difference.

Because every wooded copse in Germany seemingly hides a family-run wheel manufacturing plant, German cars typically offer a wide range of cast or forged wheels, and the Jetta is no different. The price is a bargain: $450. Factory alloy wheels often will cost twice that. So my recommendation is to indulge yourself with the 17’s if you drive mostly on well-maintained roads where the bigger wheel won’t impact ride quality.

Steering, Suspension, Brakes
For a vehicle with a multi-link rear suspension, the Jetta has a surprisingly harsh ride over many road surfaces. On fresh asphalt, fine. But over the types of roughly maintained highway one finds in Southern California where I drove the car, the rear suspension can kick up a racket. I found this disappointing.

Also, the Jetta shares the same failing as its GTI cousin: the rear suspension has what one might call a kinematic hiccup—or at least that’s what a suspension engineer we know calls it. When pressed in a corner, the rear suspension has a kink in its action. But, to keep this car in context, it’s the rare owner who will ever push the Jetta TDI that far. We still think VW ought to iron out the problem. Our recommendation would be a rethink of the damping and bushing, and perhaps application of foam inserts to deaden the sound drumming in the trunk and into the rear seats. As to the source of the “hiccup,” we’ll leave that to Germans in lab coats.

Dynamics are acceptable if not inspiring. My normal road test includes a run up and down one of the best canyons in Southern California, another on a low-speed and very tight canyon road, and various freeway on- and off-ramps. Jetta’s electro-mechanical steering is far too quick when coming off center and one must mentally adjust to avoid several corrections throughout a sweeping corner. Also, one must accept it’s a family sedan and not a sports car, so you can’t simply throw it into turns. The steering has little feel and gives very little information. VW can do better. Again, to keep things in context, my daily driver is a premier sports car, so every car feels uncoordinated on my first drive.

EXCEPTING a few flaws, the VW Jetta TDI is well-suited to a single person or starter-kit family; it’s an exceptionally good sedan. The fuel mileage is astounding, as placed in perspective above. Why would you want a Honda Fit or Civic when you could get a Jetta TDI with its vastly superior mileage, more soulful character, and greater room? The dual-clutch transmission remains a modern marvel, and a big reason for the excellent fuel mileage. Plus, the transmission is so quick and precise, it’s a joy to use. Order the interior in a dark color, don’t shove tall people into the rear seat, and you’re going to love it.

Price As Tested
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: $22,270

• 6-speed DSG automatic transmission: $1,100
• DVD navigation: $1,990
• Lip spoiler: $329
• 17-inch alloys: $450
• Power sunroof: $1,000
• Floor mats: $199
• Freight and Handling: $700

Total: $28,038