I recently took a business trip in a company car. I wasn’t happy when my boss informed me I wouldn’t be driving my own car, but he’s the boss. He assured me it was a nice car and I’d probably like it once I drove it a few miles.
I own a 2013 Dodge Charger RT. It has a big engine and smooth ride. I’m comfortable in my car. I know where everything is located and how it works. I have no desire to drive anything else.
Our company car is a 2019 Kia Optima. I had no previous experience with the Kia make at all. I pictured a tiny roller skate of a car that would be bumpy and uncomfortable. I was wrong. My boss was right.
The first thing I had to do was figure out how to start the thing. The fob looked like mine, and my car is key-less. I push a button on the dash, it recognizes my fob, and it starts. This car didn’t have a button. I looked around and found the ignition, which required a key. I studied the fob, which had no key attached. Then I noticed the little button at the top. I pressed the button, and the key came flying out of the fob like a switchblade.
I picked the car up from the main office in the pouring rain, so the second thing I had to do was find the wiper controls. I found them, but I wasn’t happy with the wiper speed. It seemed weak. I mentioned that to my boss while I was transferring my luggage from my car to that one. He offered to take a look. It turns out I wasn’t using it correctly. It’s a two-step control.
Once the car was loaded and I’d figured out the important things like lights and wipers, I got underway. The cruise control was easy to use. The car accelerated and decelerated well. The ride was smooth and quiet. The backup camera worked well, but beeped at me every time someone got too close in a parking lot.
One thing that was a complete surprise was the car telling me to take a break. Every so often it flashed a cup of coffee on the screen and said, “Consider Taking A Break.” The first time it did this, I about died laughing. Big brother, anyone? It was flashing the coffee quite often by the time I parked it after driving straight through to my office from Little Rock.
Overall, I liked the Kia Optima. Would I trade my Charger for one? Heck no. However, as far company cars go, this one was the nicest I’ve ever driven. I won’t complain if it’s assigned to me again.
I drove the company car not expecting to like it at all. I prefer Dodge and Chevy to just about everything else. I always try to keep an open mind, but I don’t always succeed. I’m only human, after all.
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