Car and Driver Covers 2021 Kia Optima Makeover That “Transforms it to New Heights”

Kia and Hyundai have been on the rise prominently over the past five years, and its made us so excited here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis to witness. A Car and Driver blog post over the past week first praised the Stinger and Telluride SUV for being so over-the-top awesome and then leads into a full-blown closeup of the 2021 Kia Optima, which now heads further upscale with an even more stylish overhaul. This particular magazine staff wasn't impressed with the outgoing models' hood and side surfaces, which they thought were a bit too creased for their liking.

The new model boasts a chrome strip that runs congruent with the sweeping roofline before crossing the rear pillar, tracing the top of the trunk lid, and providing a visual connection for the opposite side of the car. This helps create a fastback profile that sees a finish with provocative taillights that spin the rear end. Once inside, the layout is pleasantly uncomplicated, sporting materials that still have a rich look. The dash boasts a piano-black bezel that is home to a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.3-inch touchscreen.

The review staff here claims that the instrument panel “has beautiful displays”, including a vista-like background and gauges that change with the drive mode. The group's tester included cool ambient interior lighting for the doors and dash, air-purification, heated and ventilated front seats, luxurious leather upholstery, and a wireless charging pad. There are plenty of spots to store small personal items in the center console, and the large trunk also looked capable of holding luggage for all passengers. The back seat provided generous legroom and a larger-than-average fold-down armrest.

There's still a chance that the fifth-generation Optima could be called K5 when it comes to the U.S., and the review staff here from Car and Driver claims that at this point nothing could hurt its appeal. This testing crew drove the turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four that makes 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque and was mated to an 8-speed transmission. The drivers thought this gearbox changed ratios with a “refined consistency” that was the most fun in Sport drive mode, and the ride overall had a pleasantly firm quality that was most noticeable on uneven surfaces.

We hope you come down this winter to check out and drive the car that provided minimal road noise, and no structural vibrations at all during the drive. Relaxed and reactive steering was the key to maneuvering down the tight streets of Seoul, as well as a perfectly soft yet responsive brake pedal. Four passengers will be most comfortable in the Optima, and all of us here at Jim Butler enjoy the interior as its strongest feature: this is a very unique layout in a sea of the bland and all-too-usual!