Impressive Warranty
Hyundai is Kia's corporate parent, so the Optima gets Hyundai's impressive warranty; it includes 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain protection and 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance.
Kia is putting more marketing muscle behind the new Optima. Its predecessor received little marketing support, and most folks wanting a Kia sedan brushed past it in showrooms and headed for the automaker's Spectra model.
The front-wheel-drive Optima has quick steering and a decent ride, but the softness of an older Buick and thus just average handling. The brake pedal has a linear action to help provide smooth stops.
See also:
Trunk
Opening the trunk
With remote trunk lid release
To open the trunk lid without using the
key, pull up the trunk lid release lever.
With the key
To open the trunk lid, insert the key and
turn ...
Hood
Opening the hood:
1. Pull the release lever on the lower
left side of the instrument panel to
unlatch the hood. The hood should
pop open slightly.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle, raise
th ...
Additional Horsepower
The 2.4-liter 161-horsepower 4-cylinder engine has gained 23 horsepower from
the early-2006 model and provides good acceleration below 60 mph—but average
performance above that speed. The 2.7-li ...