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:

    Maintenance schedule
    Chart symbols: I- Inspect these items and their related parts. If necessary, correct, clean, refill, adjust or replace. R- Replace or change L- Lubricate. (1) Refer to the lubricant and co ...

    Manual Transaxle
    Manual transaxle operation The manual transaxle has 6 forward gears. This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized in all forward gears so shifting to e ...

    Instrument cluster
    1. Tachometer 2. Turn signal indicators 3. Speedometer 4.Warning and indicator lights 5. Shift position indicator (Automatic transaxle only) 6. Odometer 7. Tripmeter/Trip computer (if equippe ...