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:
Defroster
The defroster heats the window to
remove frost, fog and thin ice from
the interior and exterior of the rear
window, while engine is running.
NOTICE
• To prevent damage to the conductors
bo ...
Overloading
CAUTION - Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your
vehicle are on the manufacturer's
label attached to the driver's
door. Exceeding ...
Acceleration and Power
All Rio and Rio5 models have a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 110
horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the Rio sedan, and a
four-speed automatic is available for ...


