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 tremendous strides in recent years with cars like the Fusion and Malibu. As a result, the Optima suffers from being too little, too late.
POSITVE
Solid new design
Quiet and comfy ride
Fully-loaded for the price of a base-model competitor
NEGATIVE
Sloppy ride quality
Poor interior design and materials
Less than the sum of its parts
We would, however still consider it an option if your list of potential cars includes the Mitsubishi Gallant, Chrysler Sebring or Pontiac G6. After all, it’s not all bad, remember, power and fuel economy (with the four-cylinder) are on par with the competition.
What may make the Optima attractive to certain buyers is that you can purchase the well-equipped automatic four-cylinder LX model for $18,950 – thousands less than an Accord, Camry or Malibu that has fewer options. In short, it’s a car for someone who wants all the bells and whistles but can’t (or doesn’t want to) afford the same package on another vehicle.
See also:
Automatic transaxle fluid
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
...
Owner maintenance
The following lists are vehicle checks and
inspections that should be performed by
the owner or an authorized KIA dealer at
the frequencies indicated to help ensure
safe, dependable operation of y ...
Trunk
Opening the trunk
With remote trunk lid release
To open the trunk lid without using the
key, pull up the trunk lid release lever.
With the key
To open the trunk lid, insert the key and
turn ...