The same cannot be said for the interior. While the swooping design of the dash is nice, it’s really only visible on the passenger side. As for the temperature controls, they appear out of place – protruding from the dash as they do. Worst of all, however, is the radio that looks like an aftermarket unit from the mid-‘90s.

Combined with the less-than-pleasing material used for the seats in our four-cylinder tester, the car already felt as though it was a few years old.

The material on the seats got me thinking that this Optima was a pretty basic vehicle and so I was surprised when I couldn’t find my manual seat adjustment. The “adjuster” is located on the side of the seat and is actually an eight-way power unit.

Then it hit me… this is actually a well-appointed car, with an a six-speaker audio system with an iPod hookup and steering wheel-mounted controls, cruise control, air conditioning, power windows with a one-push up and down for the driver, a sunroof and heated seats.

Safety is up to par with six airbags, including dual front, side and curtain air bags. The car also has ABS, EDB, traction control and stability control (TC and ESC begin standard on US models but optional on the Magentis in Canada).