TCC: 2006.5 Kia Optima Review

The interior is hardly stunning but I quite liked it in tan. Panal fits were better than a new Camry I sat in and the armrests were padded. The cloth on the seats was better than the Malibu and G6 and on par with Toyota Camry Honda Accord and interior room was quite generous. It would make a current Impala owner envious of it's rear legroom. I drove many 2003-2005 Sonotas and Optimas with the old 170 hp 2.7 and they had decent get up and go and would squeal the front tires foot to the floor off the line. 15 more hp should improve that but this car won't be up to the Camry, Accord, Sonota, Fusion V6 or even the Malibu LT or SS with it's 3900! I like the Optimas styling better than the Camry, less than the Fusion/G6 and about the same as the current Malibu/Sonata/Accord. In my area these cars are usually discounted pretty heavily. You can buy a 2006 leftover Optima L4 automatic for a little over 13K. Resale however is likely to be in the toilet for this new version, just like the old model!