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:

    Cargo
    The Kia Rio only offers 11.9 cubic feet of cargo space, which is unimpressive for the class. However, if you opt for the upper trims, you’ll get 60/40 split-folding rear seats, which increase ca ...

    Safety
    The 2010 Kia Sportage comes equipped with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, side curtain airbags and side-impact airbags for front seat passengers. Active front head restraints ...

    Overview
    Kia introduced the all-new 2010 Kia Forte (pronounced for-tay) compact sedan at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. Forte blends Kia's exciting new design direction under the tutelage of Peter Schreyer, K ...