Safety features on all models include the mandated front airbags and child safety seat anchors (LATCH), plus front seat-mounted side airbags, to protect the upper body in side crashes, and front-and-rear coverage side curtain airbags, to protect an occupant's head in a side impact or rollover. Antilock brakes are optional ($300) but not available on the LX with the four-cylinder engine. Also offered only on the LX V6 and the EX is the Electronic Stability Package ($300) with electronic stability control, to assist the driver in controlling the car in emergency maneuvers and bad weather; traction control, to limit tire slippage under hard acceleration or on slick roads; and brake assist, which boosts and extends brake application when the system senses an emergency stop. Although priced separately, ABS and ESP cannot be ordered individually, to which we can't object, as we'd want both

Walkaround

The new Kia Optima doesn't stretch any styling envelope or add to automotive design vocabulary. It does, however, slip smoothly and unobtrusively into the mainstream of the mid-size, mid-price sedan segment.

What the design community would call the Optima's face could be that of any number of Asian-branded cars. A cleanly separated, geometrically proportioned grille fills the space between nicely sized headlights tucked into the upper corners of the fenders. A deeply shadowed air intake with space at each end for the optional fog lamps runs the width of the car beneath the bumper molded into the one-piece fascia. Creases defining a gentle hood bulge draw the eye from the grille to the A-pillars at the sides of the windshield. Stance is solid, with tires pushed to the corners to yield almost an inch wider track (distance between the tires side to side) than the previous Optima and equal to or better than the primary competitors, save the 2007 Camry, which it trails by a mere half-inch.

In side view, save for a hint of Audi in the hindmost quarter, the newest Optima could pass for, well, pick a middle-of-the-road, midsize car. And not only in looks, but by the tape measure, as well, with a wheelbase (the distance between the wheels front to rear) that essentially splits the differences between the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion, although shorter by more than two inches than the '07 Camry. In overall length (bumper to bumper), however, the Optima leans toward the tauter end of the scale, giving up from three to five inches to the others, although a comparatively deep rear side door tends to mask this brevity.

Oddly enough, in terms of taillight shapes and overall perspective, the Optima's rear aspect strongly reminds us of a larger iteration of a Toyota Corolla of a decade or so ago. It's a balanced look, with clean and reasonably tight gaps and a fully integrated, molded-in bumper. Rear track is wider, too, more than an inch from the previous year and now within tenths of an inch of most of the competition, adding to the newest Optima's more planted look. Dual exhaust tips give of touch of visual pizzazz to the V6 Optimas.

Interior Features

While there's nothing especially striking about the new Kia Optima's exterior, the inside shows the occasional, if muted, spark.

Instruments are basic but well presented, mixing a large, round speedometer and matching tachometer with horizontal, bar graph-like, LED fuel and engine coolant monitors. The Appearance Package brings a blue-tinted, faux electroluminescent speedo and tach that, while not quite Lexus grade, are nevertheless eye-pleasing upgrades.

Hard plastic trim sweeps smoothly across from door handle to door handle, with good-sized vent registers at each end of the dash and bracketing the center control panel. The climate control panel is a paragon of finger- and glove-friendly knobs and buttons and easy-to-read digital display. The stereo head is up top, where it belongs, but other than the volume and tuning knobs, the buttons and rocker switches fall short of the ease-of-use standard set by the panel below; station presets, for example, are ganged, two to a rocker, requiring extra care to press the proper half for the desired station. A curious, almost retro, but somehow welcome feature on the EX's audio system is a cassette tape player, popular for books on tape. The uplevel aluminum trim should prove better at resisting the scratches so common on coated plastic panels. There aren't a lot of pieces to the dash, either, and what seams there are mostly run horizontally. This should suppress tendencies for the pieces to loosen over time, which bodes well for keeping buzzes, squeaks and rattles minimized.

The driver's seat is more supportive than the front passenger's seat, with a deeper seat bottom, although both are comfortable, with good upper side bolsters and modestly cupped bottom cushions. The rear seat is contoured more than many in the segment, which is fine for the two sitting closest to the doors, but not so fine for the occasional third person buckled into the center position. Cloth upholstery feels durable, the not-quite-glove-soft leather equally so. Lights for the vanity mirrors are recessed in the headliner, instead of looking you straight in the eye from the visor.