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.

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    Interior features
    Cigarette lighter To use the cigarette lighter, pull the assembly cover out. To operate the cigarette lighter, press it in and release it. When it is heated, it automatically pops out ready for ...

    Wiper blades
    Wiper blade maintenance Commercial hot waxes applied by automatic car washes have been known to make the windshield difficult to clean. Contamination of either the windshield or the wiper blades ...

    Fuel requirements
    Your new vehicle is designed to use only unleaded fuel having a pump octane number ((R+M)/2) of 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher. Your new vehicle is designed to obtain maximum performanc ...