Green Driving: Kia Optima Hybrid

The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty.
The activist is the man who cleans up the river.

-Ross Perot

Although I love to tout all the little things we can do to make our planet a little cleaner, a little better, a little safer, there comes a point where we need to start considering the big ways that we can cumulatively make a difference.

Now, with cars I’m going on record as saying it’s best to stay with what you have for as long as you can (unless you’re driving a seriously polluting gas-guzzler from the late 70s or something). BUT, when it comes time for a new ride, a hybrid or electric is the smart, responsible, and eco-friendly way to go.

As much as I would love to go electric and sexy with the Tesla Roadster or Fisker Karma, I don’t have the $90K or so to make that feasible, and I’m guessing that’s true of most of my readers too.  So, hybrids are a more sensible choice and that’s what I’m going to concentrate on here.

My husband, helpfully playing devil’s advocate, points out that the mpg on a hybrid isn’t always mind-blowing compared to an efficient vehicle of the same size, and that’s true enough. What you have to consider is the conservation of x gallons a week and multiply that by the life of the car. That’s how you need to consider the savings to your bank account.

But then multiply THAT by the number of cars on the road.

Approximately 250 million registered vehicles in the U.S. and as of 2007, 136 million of those were cars.

See what I mean? This is where a major difference can be made.

And the cold hard fact is, if we want more hybrid cars available at a lower cost point in the future, we need to start shifting our money to that technology NOW. Like any other corporation, the car companies are paying attention to where the money goes.

Kia’s taking affordable eco-crusading one step closer to reality, by entering into the hybrid field with a solid contender at a price that’s much more accessible to the average frugal-minded conscious consumer. Practical but still pretty sexy, the Kia Optima Hybrid hits showrooms in June with up to 35 miles per gallon in city driving, 40 miles per gallon on the highway, and a starting price of $26,500.

The 2011 Optima Hybrid uses a full parallel hybrid system and can be driven in zero emission, full-electric drive mode at speeds up to 62 miles per hour or in blended gas-electric mode at any speed. When the car comes to a stop and the electrical load is low, the engine shuts off to completely eliminate idle fuel consumption and emissions.

Features include:

• eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat
• dual zone automatic temperature control with rear vents
• push-button start with smart key
• Supervision meter cluster with LCD display
• fixed rear seats with ski pass-through
• Virtual Engine Sound System (standard on the Optima Hybrid) plays a pre-recorded engine sound during electric-only operation to help notify people outside the vehicle that it’s a-comin’
• UVO, an easy-to-use hands-free solution that allows drivers and passengers to answer and place phone calls, receive and respond to SMS text messages, access music from a variety of media sources and create custom music experiences.

Want to learn more?

Even if you’re not in the market for a new car right now this is pretty interesting stuff to know.

• Video series about the Optima Hybrid’s design, technology, value and battery.
• Check out the Kia Optima Facebook page and play with the Urban Myth Busters app.
• And, since you know I love me some infographics, an infographic about how hybrid cars work.

Your thoughts? Is a hybrid in your future?

This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thoughts are my own.