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:
Manual Transaxle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized
in all forward gears so shifting to e ...
Large Trunk
The large trunk has a low, wide opening and a lid that raises easily on gas
struts. Rear seatbacks can be flipped forward for more cargo space, but they
don't sit entirely flat. The pass-through a ...
If you have a flat tire
Jack and tools
The jack, jack handle, wheel lug nut
wrench are stored in the luggage
compartment. Pull up the luggage
box cover to reach this equipment.
(1) Jack handle
(2) Jack
(3) Wheel lug ...


