First look video: 2011 Kia Optima

Aug 18, 2010 12:00 AM

Mechanical sibling to the laudable 2011 Hyundai Sonata, the redesigned 2011 Kia Optima seeks to offer more room, equipment, and power than before, and do so at an aggressive price.

Compared to the 2010 model, the Optima wheelbase is three inches longer, the cabin is wider and more spacious, and the new 2.4-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine provides 200 hp, more than the previous car’s optional V6. The styling is bolder and less bland, and distinctly different from the Sonata. The Optima now looks more coupe-like, with a sloping roof and a wide rear roof pillar. From some angles, especially the rear, it looks like a modern Jaguar. Like the Sonata, the Optima looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.

Instead of a V6, the up-level engine is a turbocharged version of the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, good for 274 hp. A hybrid version of the Optima will come next year.

Anxious to get seat time in this promising new model, we recently borrowed one.

Our first impressions, as you can see in the video, are that this car unsurprisingly drives much like the Sonata. Handling is responsive and the ride is controlled. The base four-cylinder motivates the car well.

The interior is very well-trimmed, with lots of soft-touch and stitched details. Most controls are simple, but the touch-screen navigation radio adds some complication. Driver visibility to the sides and rear is compromised, a trade-off for the coupe-like styling.

We plan to purchase an Optima when it goes on sale this fall.

See our initial 2011 Kia Optima preview video from the New York auto show, and also watch the previous-generation Optima video review.