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
The Kia is available with 2.0-litre or 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines, but we
prefer the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. There's a fair amount of diesel clatter at
idle, but once on the move it delivers power ...
If the engine overheats
If your temperature gauge indicates overheating,
you experience a loss of power,
or hear loud pinging or knocking, the
engine will probably be too hot. If this
happens, you should:
1. Pull off th ...
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 ...