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:

    First Drive: 2010 Kia Forte
    The Forte is technically the successor to the Spectra, but it is really so much more than that. This time, Kia decided to leave the help of the rocked-out Soul hamsters behind and instead concentr ...

    Lighting
    Battery saver function • The purpose of this feature is to prevent the battery from being discharged. The system automatically turns off the headlights and parking lights when the driver remove ...

    Interior features
    Cigarette lighter (if equipped) For the cigarette lighter to work, the ignition switch must be in the ACC or ON position. To use the cigarette lighter, push it all the way into its socket. When ...