Optiq First Impressions

Finally able to stop by the local dealer and check out the first Optiq in Cincinnati.

Let me start by saying I’m a tough critic. Overall I would give this car a solid 8/10. The exterior is nice, but the smaller car doesn’t give it the same sportier look the Lyriq has. The same can be said about the interior for the dash components. However the interior is quite nice.

The Pros: the seats are very comfortable and the massage chairs were nice. The camera rear view mirror is great. The panoramic screens are fantastic (probably my favorite part of the interior). I loved the brown leather, but it’s odd they kept the dash parts gray, it clashes with the brown. The sound system as great. Didn’t test the atmos but even radio/sirius sounded great. Loved the front end and the light show start up sequence (will post a video shortly). The trunk has decent space (not huge) and there’s plenty of room in the 2nd row. The panoramic roof was also very nice.

Driving was smooth. Plenty of power when you step on it and it comes on quick. Driving was pretty smooth. Didn’t go on the highway so. It sure about road noise. I put regen braking off and instead used regen braking on the steering wheel, which was super intuitive and I really enjoyed that single pedal driving. Didn’t test super cruise, but I have on the Lyriq and I’m sure it’s just as good.

The cons: wish it was a little more sporty like the Lyriq, though that’s personal preference. The Heads up display was just ok, the HUD on my ‘25 Santa Fe is better. The blind spot warning I thought wasn’t audible/visible enough, though maybe some settings could fix that. My Santa Fe has the blind spot monitor where it turns on the side cameras when you use the turn signal, I immediately missed that feature. The inside has some quite large areas of dash. Not sure why it’s like that, but they switch from leather or leatherette to straight up plastic and feels a little cheap. There is not start/stop - I think I will actually like this eventually. You get in and press the brake to start. Not sure how to turn it off, but eventually found a button on the display. Ambient lighting wasn’t noticeable (not sure that’s a big deal).

I went a test drove an Acura ZDF Type S right after. Optiq is $60k MSRP, the ZDX Type S is $75k. The Acura interior was depressing compared to the Optiq though the exterior had the more sporty look I would like. The Optiq for me drove better than the ZDX and had a smoother ride.

Overall I think this is a very good car. We will probably go ahead with the purchase once the one we are waiting on comes with our color combo comes in. For $65k for a Sport 2 with Onyx package it feels a bit pricey. Hope we can get the $7500 credit before that goes away and hope the tariff doesn’t apply to this car if it happens. If we can get this car down to $55k before TTF I think it’s a good deal and worth it.