Back in the summer of 2002 I rented a Kia Optima and found it a roomy, smooth-riding car with a rough engine and soggy handling. In other words, perfectly good for a rental, but nothing I'd want to own.

Kia recently introduced a totally redesigned Optima. Unlike the previous car and many other Kias, the 2006.5 sedan doesn't appear to share much with its Hyundai equivalent, the Sonata. In their latest iterations, the Sonata is a bit larger with a much more powerful available V6. The power deficit will no doubt put the Kia at a disadvantage for many people, but I personally tend to focus more on handling, and Kias tend to handle better than Hyundais. So when the new Optima hit dealer lots, I didn't waste much time before taking a new V6 for a spin.

Styling

The styling of the latest Sonata is handsome, with some very nicely executed details, but not very distinctive. I suspect that the average person doesn't much notice the car. Unfortunately, the new Optima is even more forgettable, as it lacks even the Sonata's subtle curves. Instead, it looks like a generic Japanese car from a decade ago. There's some Altima in the lines, but without the raked bodysides that give the Nissan a dramatic stance. (And, no, I also don't think it's a coincidence that "Optima" is similar to "Altima.") The 17-inch rims included in the Appearance Package do improve the look of the car, but aren't enough to make others take notice.

The Optima, at 186 inches in length, is on the small side for a midsize sedan, and looks even smaller than it is because of a moderately tall roof. Many people, if they notice it at all, will likely think it a compact.

The Rio5 has a fair amount of European flair; a shame this hasn't spread to the rest of the line.

Inside the Optima fares better, even much better with the black leather of the EX Appearance Package. I'm a sucker for black leather interiors, and the Optima has a nice one. The perforated upholstery on the seats and door panels looks sharp, the "supervision" white-blue instruments pop, and the instrument panel's styling has enough going on to not look empty and boring. The doors flow cleanly into the dash, and most everything has a quality look and feel. The Appearance Package's aluminum trim (finished to resemble carbon fiber) offsets the black nicely. Most surfaces are soft to the touch, including the critical armrests and door panels. In general, the black interior looks and feels like it belongs to a more expensive car. The interior of the Ford Fusion or Mazda6 should look this good.

One issue: as on many Korean cars, the leather wrapped around the steering wheel is very slippery. I have no idea why, since other cars don't have this problem.

Accommodations

The driving position is moderately high, as in the typical Asian sedan, so visibility is good. The attractive seats feel good, but like those in most sedans don't provide much lateral support.

For those into audio, the EX trim includes a standard 360-watt Infinity audio system. It sounded good to me, but then so do most half-decent systems.

Partly because the car looks so small from the outside, the rear seats roominess comes as a surprise. Legroom is especially plentiful. There's even a touch more here than in the Sonata, despite the tighter exterior. The seat is even high enough off the floor to provide good thigh support, something that should be more common than it is in this segment.

The trunk is a cube and a half smaller than the Hyundai's, and thus a bit below the midsize sedan average, but is still usefully large. THe rear seat not only folds to expand the trunk, but the resulting passthrough is larger than most in this age of ever stronger body structures.

On the Road

The 2.7-liter V6 now makes 185 horsepower. Though 15 more than last year, and easily adequate for nearly all driving, this is still much less than the larger V6s available in the Sonata, Accord, Camry, and Altima. The 2.7 feels eager when you first dip into the throttle, but if brisk acceleration is important to you, you can forget about the Kia.

Since the four-cylinder now makes 161 horsepower, it might be nearly as quick as the V6. What it won't do is sound as upscale and refined as the V6. The V6 is only an extra grand, so I'd personally spring for it. But most Optimas will be sold with the four.

The four might be tempting when paired with a five-speed manual, but this combo is only available on the base car, with floormats the only option.

The five-speed automatic can be manually shifted. I found that it generally selected the right gear on its own, though.

In turns, the new Optima leans less and feels more balanced than the current Sonata or previous Optima. It's almost a sport sedan in this regard, roughly on par with a Ford Fusion or Mazda6 at the head of the mainstream midsize sedan class in terms of handling. The fact of the matter is, nothing in this class feels all that sporty to me. All that you can really ask for is nicely weighted, moderately communicative steering and a composed, responsive chassis, and the new Optima--unlike the overly soft old one--delivers on these attributes. I found it more entertaining to drive than I expected it to be.

The new Optima rides more firmly than the old one, but is never harsh, and the vastly improved body control over dips and bumps is welcome. The new car doesn't float and wallow. Noise levels are generally low, if not quite the lowest in the class.

In general, I noted little about the new Optima's performance that is not class competitive, with the exception of the full-throttle acceleration furnished by the relatively small V6. For most people, I don't think even this will matter in typical driving.

Kia Optima Price Comparisons and Pricing

The problem for the Optima is that Hyundai has been giving Sonata V6s away with rebates of $2,500 or more. The Optima launched with a $1,000 rebate. As a result, the much more powerful, more sophisticated-looking Sonata sells for about $500 less.

Opting for the Leather Package rather than the Appearance Package renders the Kia the less expensive car by about $300, as it trades off the AP's larger wheels and aluminum/black interior for a power passenger seat, heated front seats, and a rear sunshade--all for $200 less. It's the smarter buy for most people.

Compared to any midsize sedan other than the Sonata, the Kia fares very well. Looking at four-cylinder cars, which are much more comparable in performance, a Kia Optima EX with Appearance Package runs over $4,500 less than a 2007 Camry SE with JBL audio. Toyota dealers enjoy fatter margins, but even at invoice the gap is nearly $3,000. Comparing luxury trims, the Optima with Leather Package runs over $5,000 less than a Camry XLE.

Stability control is a $300 option. You want it. Like other Hyundais and Kias, the basic warranty is 5/60 and the powertrain warranty, which does not transfer to a second owner, is 10/100.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Optima:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Optima.php

Last Words

Some aspects of the Kia truly impressed me, most notably the upscale ambiance and roominess of the black leather interior. It's also fairly fun to drive, at a very reasonable price. On the other hand, the V6's power isn't class competitive, and the exterior looks like that of a smaller, cheaper car. So whether it's the right car for you will depend very much on your priorities.

One thing is clear: the Optima isn't just for rental fleets anymore.

A note on Kia Optima Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Optima rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Kia Optima reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Optima--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:Kia Optima review (2002)
Chevrolet Malibu review
Ford Fusion review
Hyundai Sonata review
Mazda6 review
Nissan Altima review
Toyota Camry review