The Kia Optima is among the very best in its class. It's better than the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat. It's reasonably quick, totally comfortable and it's even a bit of a looker. Let's start there. While VW seems to be following Toyota and Honda deep into the land of the bland, Kia and parent Hyundai have brought sharp, innovative design to the masses. The Optima's bodywork is unique but conservative. If you're thinking that it looks OK in pictures, but it will look cheap in person, you're wrong.
Now, of course our Optima is a press-fleet special, meaning that few option-sheet boxes were left unchecked. But even at $35,275, the interior is very well designed and even better executed. It exudes quality like a high-spec Volkswagen without the Teutonic minimalism. Fit and finish is world-class and the majority of the materials would not be out of place in a car costing far more. 2013 Kia Optima Interior.
I didn't have the opportunity to wring the Kia out much, but here's what I can tell you about its performance: The 2.0-liter turbo engine is quiet, refined and at 274 hp, it's more than capable of getting up and sprinting. The brakes were more than adequate and the steering feel was incredibly pleasing. I commuted in the Optima and our long-term Passat TDI back-to-back, and in places where the Passat bounced and wallowed, the Optima was smooth and planted. Incredible. 2013 Kia Optima Engine View.
Overall, I'm impressed with this car. The sticker price makes me “lol” as the kids say, but it's a solid entry in the ultra-competitive midsize wars, and arguably the best looking one of the bunch. I like 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder. I think it strikes the right balance between performance and economy. For many cars, a 2.0-liter turbo is just right. This is one of them. This is a nice powertrain with good power, little to no lag and is smooth enough. The handling is tight and the steering responsive entertaining for the most part.
The Optima corners well with some understeer of course. I'm impressed with the interior really impressed. Build quality is way better than I thought it would be with soft-touch materials and nice assembly. Seats are good, though one thing that drove me batty was that the easy-exit front seat was turned on, and I couldn't figure out how to turn it off. And I did look in the owner's manual and everything. A small gripe, but there you go.
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