Well, I'm having a tough time making a decision. I'm 36, recently married and have one in the oven. (due Feb). I started eyeballin different cars because I'm starting to think the X isn't baby conducive. The trunk is tiny, and from what I understand, babies need a lot of baby stuff. Also $240 a month in gas seems a bit excessive, and all I seem to do with it anymore is commute. The occasional on-ramp romp and fanboy "nice car dude" are nice, but are waning value.

I test drove the Optima hybrid and 2.4L n/a (slow and wallowy). The lack of passing power was frustrating; I don't think I could adjust, even with the gas savings.



The 274 hp 2.0 Turbo SX was a different animal though. It spools early (269 ft/lbs @1750-4000 rpm), so lag seemed nearly non existent compared the the X. The SX's sportier suspension and low profile tires give more feedback than the other trims. Body roll was reduced dramatically. The 6 speed tranny keeps the revs nice and low at hwy speeds. 80 feels like 60. Firm, planted, smooth and quiet sum it up. This car seems more Lexus than KIA.

EPA rated 22/34 mpg. Real world is usually 27-29 mpg combined. This should save me $50-$60 a month at $3.50/gal.

The trunk is huge, has vents on rear of console (keeps baby cool in 120 deg days). Both front seats are heated and "cooled". Also, I really dig the dual panoramic sunroof. I don't dig the wheels. FYI.. A former Audi designer now works for KIA.

I forgot to add...This thing is designed to run on 87 octane, and performs at its rated 274 hp. So that's .20 cents a gallon saved, but I'd probably use mid-grade anyway.

Man...I just don't know if I'm gonna regret this.

 

Isn't Kia doing pretty well in owner satisfaction surveys these days?

 

Honestly man, the question is how do YOU feel about it? Ultimately, you are the person who would end up with the car, so is it something that you could live with? Is it a vehicle that will bring you any sort of satisfaction (even though a good part of the reason for a change in vehicles is that you have a baby on the way, it is still important that you are happy driving it, especially if you are a "car guy" which most of us on these forums are)? Would this vehicle accomplish the reaons that you are wanting to make a change for in the first place (more space for a baby/baby accessories, better fuel mileage)? Those kinds of questions are the ones you should consider.

Either way, I have heard good things about these new turbocharged Kias; it seems to make good power from the factory, the price seems more than reasonable, and you can't really beat that warranty!

 

Kia is really improving , I see you're in AZ so you probably dont need AWD. If I were you I would invest on a nice baby hauler SUV, something like the Toyota 4Runner or Audi Q.

 

good options with the 4 runner and audi but he said he is trying to conserve on gas. The kia doesnt look too bad but i know you will regret getting rid of the evo. We all have to make tough decisions sooner or later. Good luck on yours.

 

I'm in a similar situation, wife and I had our first 3 months ago, now I find myself wanting a DD that she can also drive (auto) and has plenty of space while still giving me a carlike feel and some more luxury than the Evo. Problem is I don't want to give up the Evo. I can say with our situation we've never had to put our daughter in my car so the evo hasn't been a problem and I'm sure would work in a pinch. What kind of mileage do you get in your Evo? I've found recently if I lay off the boost and try to keep my speed around 70 instead of 80 I've been getting 25mpg without too much hassle instead of 21-22 effectively saving myself about $50/month in gas without a need to change vehicles.

 

Oh I would recommend reading up on the blog posts from inside line about their long term Kia optima turbo for some opinions/good info on pluses and minuses of the car

 

It looks nice and nice power. Only question I have is it available with awd?

 

I'm getting 21-23 manually computing at the pump. I've tried babying it, and it always seems to be in that range.

Only available in fwd. The Sportage is available in awd turbo though, but it's detuned to 260hp due to revised routing of the intake and exhaust. Looks nice, but the mpg is not much better than the Evo at 21/25.

 

I'm 22 and thinking of going for a sonata turbo or kia optima sx, they look great and have nice power and a company that made a tune for the genesis coupe 2.0t is making a tune for the optima/sonata 2.0t and should be out soon. they are family/kinda sporty sedans but I need to save on gas and such but I know i'll miss the evo since i'm still in the age of wanting a badass car (but I do NOT street race and that bs stuff, but I love driving my evo fun on the streets, safely). So I'm thinking like the op if I'll regret selling my evo, since I'm about to graduate college and may need something better for dd. Another car I might get is the new GLI.

 

Are you planning on buying new? Because if you are the paltry fuel savings are nothing compared to what you will suffer in depreciation on a 30k+ new Kia.

I recommend you just see how it goes with the kid and driving the Evo, most likely you will have more then enough space at least for 5 years until the kid grows up. At that point your Evo will probably still be worth 15-20k and you can pay probably 10k for the Kia if you are still interested in it (which I doubt you would be).

 

Its nice car but too much.
30k is alot for kia.
btw don't even think about korean hybrid.
Its their first hybrid and horrible mpg for hybrid.

Bought 2011 sonata sports for parents last year and we are really happy with it.

 

I think the SX is a good car, but I say keep the Evo and see how it goes.. for a little while at least. If you run across a good deal on something soon, then fine. But the Evo isn't that bad for a baby machine

The biggest pros for the kia are trunk space and gas mileage-which aren't the BIGGEST issues. Getting an extra 5 miles a gallon is nice, but it is not life altering. How big of a hit are you going to take on the Evo?

 

It's a 2008 GSR with 40k. It has a TurboXS catback, coilovers, injen intake with uicp and Rota Torques. I just unmarried the Cobb and replaced the boost restrictor pill this morning (I'm going to offer the Cobb AP (60 hp) for $400. They originally offered $21k, but now it's up to $23,000 with the remaining mods. They want $28k for the Optima. My monthly should reduce by $35-$40 a month.

 

[QUOTE=Sschmuve1;My monthly should reduce by $35-$40 a month.[/QUOTE]

but are you extending your term? It could end up costing you more by switching