The demand for these cars in medium-sized configurations is quite large. Pay attention to the parking lots of various ministries, business centers, or just to the dense city traffic. You will see people in it, who rush to work with a driver, and at the same time do not move around in a "carriage", commensurate in price with a good apartment in Moscow. The versions in our test are different. Powerful engines and full set of options are the destiny of personal transports.
It would seem that Camry has long ago won back a huge piece of the pie from the market, but everything is not so simple. For example, the price. A well-equipped version of the Toyota Camry Executive Safety will cost 2,363,000 roubles, whereas the Skoda Suberb with the 220 hp engine is almost 200,000 cheaper. But only until you start ticking off the options list. As a result, the Superb you see in photos, with a complete set Style and with all extras is priced at 2,863,000 рр. But as soon as someone starts speaking seriously about the price, there will be a Kia Optima GT which will put an end to all arguments for 1,949,900 р.
Visually, all three cars are dark colors. There are admirers for all of them. The new Toyota Camry has strikingly changed with change of generation. The effective Japanese car is fresh and pleasant from the most different angles. Skoda Superb has a successful design of the front part with uniform headlights and eye-catching rear optics. A little bit more to add the status of the first generations, and it would be absolutely wonderful. Kia deliberately brazenly informs about its powerful essence and rich kitting with red calipers of brake system. But in the rest it is the constrained and strict sedan that like an obedient pupil adopts experience of its teachers and does it rather successfully. Don't believe? Look around on the roads: the Optima is already a frequent guest there.
Kia Optima GT
As different as the cars outside, so different are their interiors. The Superba has a strange mix of style and quality with pretensions to premium, for example, the rear-view mirror without a thick frame. But at the same time one can see simple plastic buttons of yellow interior's illumination switch in a cloth ceiling. It feels like a mix of the Rapid model and the Volkswagen Touareg. Thumb paddles, by the way, are more likely greetings from Audi: pleasant, convenient and well lie under your fingers.
Skoda Suberb 2.0 TSI
On the dashboard, perfectly made, the front console, similar to a truncated rhombus stands out. It looks expensive and pleasant. The screen displays a clear and articulate picture from the rear view camera, which will help to park with accuracy literally to the millimeter. Fully electronic dashboard looks quite good. The cabin is spacious and comfortable for both front and rear passengers. Given the overall status, the car would be nice to add acoustic comfort: you can hear the noise from the wheels and from passing cars.
Kia Optima GT seems quieter at first. The first feeling when you get into the cabin is the large volume of interior space. Plenty of air, both between the driver and front passenger, and on the second row.
Toyota Camry 3.5.
Overly sporty, but still spacious.
Like the execution of the upper part of the cabin, but there are questions to the bottom. The dark material of the upholstery of the pillars and ceiling is beautiful, not like in the Skoda. It looks like velour, it creates real cosiness, and dark keys of illumination fix the effect. Thus, the design of a steering wheel and its execution together with a gear lever are also good; a steering wheel is convenient in hands, red stitching is in place. But the strange texture of plastic of the front panel and the texture of plastic in the interior in general causes questions, as well as screaming red inserts in the interior. Everything is somehow simpler, than in the "Superba" with less respect to the driver and passengers.
There are no questions about ergonomics and design; the execution is disappointing. For example, Optima GT has the Harmann Kardon stereo system, but a small screen of multimedia looks like it was taken over here from some budget car. The plastic of the front panel with inarticulate imitation stitching. Purely logically, many things are convenient, mechanisms of mirrors and control of seats memory, but realization is often very simple.
It is necessary to switch to the top part of the salon, and again a joyful smile appears on your face. And sun rays penetrate into the interior through a panoramic roof. By the way, it is completely closed by a full-fledged dense curtain.
The Toyota Camry has the most unusual interior of all three cars. Classy and effective design of the central console, convenient arrangement of cup holders and armrest. Pleasant to the touch and grip steering wheel. Effective realization of the dashboard in two wells. Herewith quite mediocre image quality of multimedia monitors and rear view camera. The company has not yet overcome this scourge.
It is maximum official and comfortable.
Besides, Camry lacks pedigree of doors closing. The Japanese still have to grow up to family "vag" ironness, thoroughness and accuracy. As well as before the elaboration of tactile sensations from the majority of keys. However, as a whole, the passenger feels comfortably in Camry, the interior is cosy, there are no frank failures in furnish. Everything is democratic enough, qualitative and convenient.
Anyway, I can't stop wondering: what is so special about Optima, that it forced the manufacturer to literally scream about the sportiness of the GT version with different bright inserts? In fact, 220 hp Superb, 249 hp Camry and 245 hp Optima GT go the same way in motion. All of these "horses" are front-wheel drive, and in many ways the cars compete on weight, the modernity of the transmission, and the quickness of the stabilization systems. The Camry is the smoothest. It will leave its passengers in enveloping and fluffy acceleration. Skoda will show lightness of reactions and a little bit not corresponding to a class liveliness, more likely peculiar to Golf GTi. As for Optima GT, it will stay in the middle, with overly nervous accelerator pedal at the very beginning, but it is counterbalanced during further acceleration.
If to disassemble nuances, Superb has family DSG-like framing of work of a robotized box, easy rollbacks at take-off, very transparent and a little bit nervous brakes which react to each light pressing. The box is quick, quick-fire and, as always, in tune with the motor. The question of reliability - they swear they have solved. The car feels very light and has good dynamics, but still, given the status of the model, I would have liked a little heavier feel.
It is democratic, somewhat simple, but cozy.
Camry is smooth, measured and tries not to touch neither the driver, nor passengers unnecessarily. Even with the maximum power among all three it would be desirable to drive quietly. But if one wishes, one can have time for important meeting or drive with a breeze.
It is in motion that Optima GT pleasantly surprised. It pays attention to what the driver does with a steering wheel and a gas pedal, at some moments it will recklessly work off the next turn and thus try not to shake up passengers too much. But was it really necessary to add considerable sizes of scarlet inserts into the interior, to paint calipers in red color and to mark many details with letters GT, shouting about its sportsmanship, if competitors with similar power are quite available to order and thus behave much more modestly? This question remains open.
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