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 For the cigarette lighter to work, the ignition switch must be in the ACC position or the ON position. To open the cover, press the cover and it will slowly open. To use the ...

    Safety-Minded
    As with the rest of the Kia line-up, the 2009 Kia Optima is equipped with many safety features as standard equipment. This includes six airbags (dual advanced front and front-seat mounted side as ...

    Economical operation
    Your vehicle's fuel economy depends mainly on your style of driving, where you drive and when you drive. Each of these factors affects how many miles (kilometers) you can get from a gallon (liter ...