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:

    Vehicle load limit
    Tire and loading information label The label located on the driver's door sill gives the original tire size, cold tire pressures recommended for your vehicle, the number of people that can ...

    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 ...

    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 ...