Rear seat legroom is up by fully an inch and a half over the previous Optima, and better by an inch or so than the Accord and Fusion but shy of the Malibu and 2007 Camry by a half-inch or more. In headroom, front and rear, the new Optima tops all but the Accord and loses to the Honda by only half an inch. In front seat hiproom, and despite losing almost half an inch in overall width, the new Optima still betters the Fusion and the Malibu, the latter by more than an inch and a half, but comes up a tenth of an inch short of the Accord and Camry. But in rear seat hiproom, the Optima reigns supreme, by at least an inch. Finally, while the new Optima offers 1.2 cubic feet more trunk space than its predecessor, it betters only the Accord's 14 cubic feet, giving up a fraction of a cubic foot to the Malibu and Camry and a full cubic foot to the Fusion. Articulated, gas-strut hinges leave the trunk opening clear and free of grocery bag-crushing goosenecks.

Other storage is respectable, with a glove box easily large enough to accommodate gloves plus the owner's manual, a cell phone and a radar detector; magazine pouches on the back sides of the front seatbacks; four cup holders, two in front and two in the fold-down rear center armrest, all with spring-loaded clips to brace a variety of sizes and shapes; a covered slot in the center stack good for garage door remotes and such; a smallish bin forward of the shift lever that'll likely collect as much dust and detritus as any truly necessary tidbits; fixed, hard-plastic map pockets in the front doors; and a deep center console with auxiliary power point and a groove to accommodate a cord with the top latched. On the EX, this console bin is capped with a bi-level lid, thoughtfully fitted with a pass-through between the levels for power cords. One feature that looks promising but falls short is the little fold-out clip on the front passenger's side of the center stack. About knee level, it's not high enough off the floor for either those ubiquitous plastic grocery bags or a handbag with anything more than a wrist strap.

Driving Impressions

With a few reservations and qualifications, a day behind the wheel of the new Kia Optima is a pleasant way to cover some miles.

The LX with the four-cylinder engine and manual transmission can actually be fun to drive, if not necessarily exhilarating. The engine is surprisingly peppy, thanks to the best-in-segment torque. Brake pedal feel on the car we drove at the press introduction was solid and firm, with equally comforting response from the four-wheel discs. The clutch and gearbox were more family-sedan grade than sporty. The steering felt a little light, almost too responsive, which tended to give the car a top-heavy feel; once recognized, though, it was easily managed. Engine and exhaust sounds were throatier, more robust, and therefore more pleasant, than we're used to from four-cylinder powerplants.

The EX with V6 and automatic is the cruiser of the Optima line. Although its power trails other V6s in the segment (as does the size of the engine, so no real surprise here), it does a decent job of getting the car started and keeping it moving. The car's modest curb weight, a hundred pounds or so below the segment's average, helps somewhat, but we still wouldn't race for pinks with any comparably equipped competitor. And only against the Fusion and the Accord would we wager our gas bills. But for getting from here to there, be it to work or to the lake for the weekend, calmly and comfortably, this is the one.

The package Kia expects to be the best seller is the EX with four cylinder and automatic, and this is the model with which we spent the most time and on which we racked up several hundred miles of normal, everyday use. It doesn't seem as quick in terms of acceleration as with the manual, but gear ratios are matched to make the most of the engine's power. Left alone, the automatic's shifts are smooth, if not invisible, and while downshifts for quick passes could be more prompt, we never scared ourselves, or our passengers. The Sportmatic feature allowed more control over gear selection and timing of shifts, but with the dedicated, sequential slot on the passenger side of the shift gate, using it wasn't as intuitive as it should be. The shift pattern feels natural, however, with higher gears selected by pushing up, lower gears by pulling down.

Ride quality varied between the cars we drove, with the LX wearing the Kumho tires on 16-inch wheels the less compliant, although by no means rough or bumpy. This surprised us, as generally the taller a tire's sidewall, the more give and the better the ride, and on the Optima, the 17-inch wheels wear the lower-profile Michelin tires with shorter sidewalls. On the other hand, and probably because of the sidewall height, the EX delivered the crisper, more responsive handling. This isn't to imply the EX is a sports sedan, given its forward-weight bias and comfort-oriented suspension settings, but merely that it's the more enjoyable of the two models.