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:

    2011 Kia Optima Review
    The previous generation Kia Optima was a vehicle struggling to keep up with the times, having emerged on the scene as a lackluster model masquerading as a value proposition, when in reality it was ...

    Door locks
    Operating door locks from outside the vehicle • Turn the key toward rear of vehicle to unlock and toward front of vehicle to lock. • If you lock the driver’s door with a key, all vehicle ...

    Climate control air filter
    Filter inspection If the vehicle is operated in severely airpolluted cities or on dusty rough roads for a long period, it should be inspected more frequently and replaced earlier. When you replac ...