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:

    Automatic transaxle
    Automatic transaxle operation All normal forward driving is done with the shift lever in the D (Drive) position. To move the shift lever from the P (Park) position, the brake pedal must be depr ...

    Windshield defrosting and defogging
    Manual climate control system To defog inside windshield 1. Select any fan speed. 2. Select desired temperature. 3. Select the or position. 4. The outside (fresh) air and air conditioning will ...

    Key positions
    Illuminated ignition switch (if equipped) Whenever a front door is opened, the ignition switch will illuminate for your convenience, provided the ignition switch is not in the ON position. The ...