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:

    Driving your vehicle
    Ignition switch Starting the engine Manual transaxle Automatic transaxle Four wheel drive (4WD) Brake system Steering wheel Cruise control system Electronic stability control Instrument clust ...

    Lighting
    Battery saver function • The purpose of this feature is to prevent the battery from being discharged. The system automatically turns off the exterior lights when the driver removes the ignition ...

    Door locks
    Operating door locks from outside the vehicle • Turn the key clockwise to unlock and counterclockwise to lock. • If you lock the driver’s door with a key, all vehicle doors will lock auto ...