The Kia Optima: A Family Sedan for the Masses

When it comes to family sedans, cars like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Chevy Malibu often come to mind. However, there's another contender that's worth considering: the Kia Optima. This car has been a staple in the market for years, offering a wealth of features at an affordable price.

We recently had the opportunity to test drive both the V6 and four-cylinder versions of the Kia Optima to see how they stack up against their competitors. As soon as we got behind the wheel, it became clear that this car isn't exactly built for driving enthusiasts. It doesn't feel particularly agile, and the steering can be a bit lacking in terms of engagement. However, when it comes to ride quality, the Kia Optima excels.

The drive is surprisingly smooth, with the car soaking up bumps nicely and remaining quiet whether you're cruising on dry pavement or navigating wet roads. This is likely due to the fact that both the four-cylinder and V6 engines are pretty refined, which is impressive considering they're not exactly powerhouses. In our testing, we found that the zero-to-60 times were nearly identical for both models, with the only notable difference being fuel economy.

The four-cylinder model managed a respectable 25 miles per gallon, while the V6 struggled to reach just 22 miles per gallon. However, it's worth noting that the V6 does offer slightly more power and refinement than its smaller counterpart. Nevertheless, for many drivers, this might not be enough of a compelling reason to choose the V6 over the four-cylinder.

In terms of handling, both models were secure, but the four-cylinder actually performed slightly better on wet roads. The V6 wasn't quite as responsive in these conditions, which might be a concern for some drivers. On the other hand, the braking was fairly good with both powertrains, and stability control worked well to keep everything under control.

One area where the Kia Optima truly shines is its interior. Our test model came equipped with leather seats, electronic climate control, and a range of convenience features like auxiliary input jacks for your iPod or MP3 player. The controls are simple and intuitive, making it easy to navigate the various settings and options. We also appreciated the large displays on the infotainment system, which made it easy to access satellite radio and other features.

Another standout feature is the rear seat, which proved to be surprisingly comfortable and roomy. There's plenty of legroom, good thigh support, and a supportive back – even more so than in the front seats. This makes the Kia Optima an excellent choice for families or road trips with multiple passengers.

However, it's worth noting that some drivers might find the lack of lower back support adjustment on the seats to be a bit uncomfortable. Additionally, while the interior is certainly well-appointed, it's not particularly exciting in terms of design. Nevertheless, this is a minor quibble considering the overall value proposition of the Kia Optima.

Ultimately, whether you choose the V6 or four-cylinder version of the Kia Optima, you can expect a comfortable ride and plenty of features at an affordable price. The four-cylinder model has significantly better fuel economy, while the V6 offers slightly more power and refinement – but for many drivers, this might not be enough to justify the extra cost.

One final thing worth noting is that, in our testing, there wasn't a significant difference between the two models in terms of overall performance. The Kia Optima simply doesn't feel like a driver's car, which can be a bit of a drawback for enthusiasts. However, for those looking for a practical and reliable family sedan with plenty of features at an affordable price, the Kia Optima is definitely worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen you think of family sedans you might think of cars like the toyota camry the honda accord or the chevy malibu and you may not even heard of a car called the kia optima but the kia optima it's always offered a lot of features for a very low price we bought a v6 and a four cylinder to see how it stacks up in this very competitive segment as soon as you get behind the wheel the kia optima you realize it's really not a driver's car not something an enthusiast is going to enjoy because it doesn't feel that agile the steering feel it's not that great you really don't feel what's going on with the wheels though steering weight well it's not bad but again it's just not engaging the drive the ride though is actually pretty good soaks up bumps very nicely and it's pretty quiet whether or not you get the four cylinder or the v6 and actually that's pretty interesting about the v6 normally when you get ev6 you get a lot more power you get a lot more quietness and refinement well here with the kia optima there really isn't that much of a difference in our testing zero to 60 times we're almost exactly the same with the four cylinder and the v6 the only difference really was the fuel economy the four cylinder got 25 miles per gallon versus only 22 with the v6 another difference between the four zone and the v6 is emergency handling the v6 actually wasn't quite as good as the four cylinder but both were ultimately secure and they both have standard stability control braking was fairly good with both powertrains the four cylinder was a little bit better when the track was wet the interior of the kia optima is pretty nice our v6 ex model we had leather interior on that and we also had electronic climate control instead of the standard manual system the seats are fairly comfortable however there's no lower back support adjustment and some of our testers really wanted more and felt uncomfortable the controls are really simple and intuitive one really nice thing is this kia radio the displays are large the tuning knob works well satellite mode works really well because i can see the name of the station before i select it we also liked having the convenient to get to auxiliary ends for your ipod or mp3 player the rear seat is particularly comfortable and it's roomy there's lots of leg room good thigh support and the back is particularly supportive in fact most of us liked it better than the front seat so whether you get the v6 or the four-cylinder version of the kia optima you're going to get a roomy interior and a comfortable ride and while you might be tempted to get the v6 because if it's low price it doesn't really give you any more performance than the four cylinder and the four cylinder has significantly better fuel economy youwhen you think of family sedans you might think of cars like the toyota camry the honda accord or the chevy malibu and you may not even heard of a car called the kia optima but the kia optima it's always offered a lot of features for a very low price we bought a v6 and a four cylinder to see how it stacks up in this very competitive segment as soon as you get behind the wheel the kia optima you realize it's really not a driver's car not something an enthusiast is going to enjoy because it doesn't feel that agile the steering feel it's not that great you really don't feel what's going on with the wheels though steering weight well it's not bad but again it's just not engaging the drive the ride though is actually pretty good soaks up bumps very nicely and it's pretty quiet whether or not you get the four cylinder or the v6 and actually that's pretty interesting about the v6 normally when you get ev6 you get a lot more power you get a lot more quietness and refinement well here with the kia optima there really isn't that much of a difference in our testing zero to 60 times we're almost exactly the same with the four cylinder and the v6 the only difference really was the fuel economy the four cylinder got 25 miles per gallon versus only 22 with the v6 another difference between the four zone and the v6 is emergency handling the v6 actually wasn't quite as good as the four cylinder but both were ultimately secure and they both have standard stability control braking was fairly good with both powertrains the four cylinder was a little bit better when the track was wet the interior of the kia optima is pretty nice our v6 ex model we had leather interior on that and we also had electronic climate control instead of the standard manual system the seats are fairly comfortable however there's no lower back support adjustment and some of our testers really wanted more and felt uncomfortable the controls are really simple and intuitive one really nice thing is this kia radio the displays are large the tuning knob works well satellite mode works really well because i can see the name of the station before i select it we also liked having the convenient to get to auxiliary ends for your ipod or mp3 player the rear seat is particularly comfortable and it's roomy there's lots of leg room good thigh support and the back is particularly supportive in fact most of us liked it better than the front seat so whether you get the v6 or the four-cylinder version of the kia optima you're going to get a roomy interior and a comfortable ride and while you might be tempted to get the v6 because if it's low price it doesn't really give you any more performance than the four cylinder and the four cylinder has significantly better fuel economy you\n"