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:

    Safety belts
    Pre-tensioner seat belt (if equipped) Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and front passenger's pre-tensioner safety belts. The purpose of the pre-tensioner is to make sure that excess slack ...

    Defroster
    The defroster heats the window to remove frost, fog and thin ice from the interior and exterior of the rear window, while engine is running. NOTICE • To prevent damage to the conductors bond ...

    Stop and Go available for two engines
    By the end of 2010, Kia will be offering its fuel-stretching ISG (Intelligent Stop and Go) system as an option on both the 1.7 diesel and 1.6 GDI engine. ISG automatically switches the engine off ...