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 ...

    Automatic transaxle
    Automatic transaxle operation The automatic transaxle has 6 forward speeds and one reverse speed. The individual speeds are selected automatically, depending on the position of the shift lever. ...

    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 ...