A new Optima Sportswagon estate model will join the Kia range in the UK on 15 September 2016. Prices for the all-diesel line-up start at £22,295. Kia’s first ever D-segment estate car comes to the UK at the same time as a plug-in hybrid version of the Optima. The company says that in Europe, two-thirds of D-segment sales and 75 per cent of fleet sales in the class are taken by estate cars.

The Optima Sportswagon was designed in Europe and will be sold only in Europe. Its exterior closely follows that of the SPORTSPACE concept revealed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The new car has a minimum of 552 litres of cargo space, including two underfloor trays, and 1,686 litres with the rear seats folded. Integrated roof rails are standard.

The Optima Sportswagon shares its length (4,855mm) and width (1,860mm) with the Optima saloon, but the Sportswagon is 5mm taller at 1,470mm because of the roof rails.

Like the Optima saloon, it is sold exclusively with a 1.7-litre turbodiesel engine. And it is available with a full suite of advanced connectivity and active driver assistance technologies, including Android Auto, Apple CarPlay (available later in the production run), Kia Connected Services powered by TomTom, a harman/kardon eight-speaker audio system, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Smart Cruise Control and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

There are three trim lines for the new Optima Sportswagon in the UK ­– 2, 3 and GT-Line S – echoing those available for the Optima saloon. A sporty high-performance GT version will be added early in 2017.

Standard equipment also matches what is available on the corresponding saloon but certain additions are exclusive to the estate. Roof rails are standard with all three trim lines, along with a luggage area DC power socket, a handle for one-touch folding of the rear seats, a luggage side partition and towing connection preparation. Level 3 adds a luggage rail system, boot lip trim and privacy glass in the rear doors, rear quarterlights and tailgate. GT-Line S is further distinguished by a Smart Powered Tailgate.

The entry-level 2 grade comes as standard with a 7.0-inch satellite navigation system with European mapping and a reversing camera, steering wheel-mounted controls, front and rear USB ports, dual automatic air conditioning with ioniser, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearshifter, cruise control with a speed limiter, electrically heated folding mirrors, a six-speaker DAB radio with MP3 compatibility and Bluetooth with music streaming. It has 17-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, dual projection headlights with static cornering lights and LED daytime running lights, powered two-way driver’s seat lumbar adjustment and remote central locking with a fold-away key, while the safety provisions include Electronic Stability Control and Vehicle Stability Management, Hill-start Assist Control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring and an Electronic Parking Brake.

Grade 3 upgrades the navigation screen to 8.0 inches, has an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s memory seat with four-way electronic lumbar adjustment, heated front seats and dual projection headlights. The exterior is distinguished by 18-inch alloy wheels, chrome and body colour exterior door handles, LED front foglights and rear combination lamps and chrome-coloured side sill mouldings. The black cloth seats have faux leather sections and there are satin chrome highlights on the touch-screen bezel. Rear electric windows with an auto up/down function and an anti-trap safety feature are also found on grade 3 along with a premium vision instrument cluster, satin chrome interior door handles and gloss black window switch panels. A harman/kardon Premium Sound system is also standard, while if the optional 7DCT automatic transmission is chosen there are paddle shifters for manual control and a Drive Mode Select function. Additional driver aids on grade 3 include Lane Keep Assist and a Speed Limit Warning.

GT-Line S supplements all this with different design 18-inch alloy wheels, a wireless mobile phone charger, 360-degree Around View Monitor, a Smart Park Assist System, Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Smart Cruise Control, High Beam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and a Smart Powered Tailgate. It has a tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof, LED headlights with automatic levelling, dynamic cornering lights, black leather upholstery with ventilated front seats and heated outer rear seats, alloy pedals, stainless steel door scuff plates, a smart key with illuminated start/stop button, LED front map lights and rear reading lights and ambient interior lighting.

The GT-Line S is distinguished by GT-Line bumpers and side sills, bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels, full LED front lamps with automatic levelling, dynamic cornering lights, LED rear combination lamps, a dual chrome-tipped exhaust system built into a rear diffuser, satin chrome and body-coloured exterior door handles and silver metallic-trimmed side sill mouldings.

The Optima Sportswagon comes with a full suite of connectivity features, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Android Auto connects the car to the user’s smartphone and, via pre-downloaded apps, gives access to Google Maps navigation, Google Play music, hands-free calls and texts and voice recognition. Apple CarPlay, available later in the production run, will enable full Siri voice control of the phone’s apps and functions while linking the car to Apple Maps, calls and text dictation, music streaming and audiobooks.

At the heart of it all is the latest Kia audio-visual navigation (AVN) system, operated via either a 7.0- or 8.0-inch touch-screen and featuring Bluetooth hands-free mobile phone connectivity with audio streaming. The navigation screen is linked to a rear parking camera. The AVN system offers the full Kia Connected Services package powered by TomTom. This provides live traffic updates, speed camera alerts and local point-of-interest and weather reports. It is provided free for seven years.

The Optima Sportswagon is powered exclusively by Kia’s 1.7- CRDi turbodiesel engine, which develops 139bhp and 251 lb ft of torque. The engine was engineered at Kia’s European research and development centre in Germany and features high-pressure common-rail fuel injection for maximum efficiency and a variable geometry turbocharger to enhance low-speed driveability while ensuring strong top-end power.

With Kia’s Idle Stop & Go (ISG) engine stop/start system as standard, CO₂ emissions of manual models are 113g/km, only 3g/km more than the saloon, while fuel economy is 64.2mpg. With the 7DCT dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which is available in grades 3 (optional) and GT-Line S (standard), emissions are 120g/km, while fuel economy is 61.4mpg.

The manual has a 0-60mph acceleration time of 9.8 seconds, while with the 7DCT 0-60mph takes 10.7 seconds. With either transmission the top speed is 124mph.

The Optima Sportswagon has the same fully independent suspension at all four corners as the saloon but the spring and damper rates and alignment settings have been fine-tuned to take into account the Sportswagon’s slightly more rear-biased weight distribution, and the fact that it is likely to be carrying heavier loads.

The Optima Sportswagon comes with the company’s seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty. For retail customers the Optima Sportswagon is available with Kia’s Care-3 and Care-3 Plus servicing packages, which are transferable.