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:
Using four-wheel drive
Driving on snow- or Ice-covered
roads (“4WD LOCK” for
full-time 4WD operation)
• Use snow tires. See “Tires” in this
section for more information.
• Keep an adequate distance
between ...
THE VERDICT
Just a few years ago, the Kia Optima would have been a genuine competitor to
the American sedans in the family car category. Unfortunately for Kia, companies
like Ford and General Motors have made ...
Automatic transaxle
Checking the automatic transaxle
fluid level
The automatic transaxle fluid level
should be checked regularly.
Keep the vehicle on the level ground with
the parking brake applied and check the
...