- sedan 128,348
- 2,900 high price
- Eugene, OR
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 128,348 green automatic
2002 kia optima review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Kia's mid-size car gets more power. introductionthe kia optima is a remarkably good car, especially for the price. Kia would like customers to think value rather than cheap, and we'd be inclined to concur. But the optima shares no body panels with the sonata and is distinctive in design and features. A rebadged sonata it isn't. for 2002, the optima's optional v6 increased to 2. 7 liters. And prices have dropped. lineupkia optima comes in two trim levels, the lx and se. That price, incidentally, is more than $1,000 less than last year. Adding antilock brakes, offered only with the v6 costs $795, and the leather package, an se-only option, is $995. Floor mats, for any models, cost an extra $80, and the destination charge is $495. kia's 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty and 5-year/60,000 mile basic warranty are included, as is a 5-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance plan. walkaroundthe kia optima breaks no new styling ground. Not a head turner by any means, it is handsomely done and presents itself well, with distinctively sculpted panels and balanced forms. the chrome egg crate grille is reminiscent of a cadillac theme, and the composite headlamps lend a bit of high-tech to the optima's appearance. The alloy wheels and chrome bodyside inserts on the se v6 we drove are well done and made the car look richer as well. The front bucket seats are comfortable and well suited for the kind of driving expected for the optima, with enough fore-and-aft travel to accommodate the longest of legs. the back seat is a little more snug, and putting three adults in back is requesting a bit more intimacy than most are accustomed to. A useful feature, however, is the 60/40 folding rear seatback, which increases the versatility of the optima. trunk size is adequate, with 13. 6 cubic feet of cargo space compared with the honda accord's 14. 1 cubic feet. The interior also had genuine wood trim, though it was so over finished that it and the imitation wood trim also used were difficult to differentiate, which one could suppose is a point in favor of the artificial stuff. one surprise is the double-path console-mounted shifter: alongside the standard quadrant's drive, or 'd,' position is a lateral slot to a position marked with a '+' and a '-' sign. One can either leave the transmission in 'd' and drive normally, or move the lever to the '+' and '-' slot and control the shifting manually. This particular system is built by kia, but was designed by porsche. driving impressionhow smooth and quiet is the optima's v6 engine? It's really that polished, and the impression doesn't fade with the optima underway. The engine quietly goes about its business, at least until it's given full throttle. The extra horsepower the v6 gained this year this might be hard to detect by seat of the pants, but it's more than worthwhile when merging into speeding traffic. The larger v6s in the camry and accord make more horsepower (at 200 bhp and 192 bhp respectively), but again, for more money. the automatic transmission is a good match for the engine, shifting imperceptibly in normal driving or at full throttle, when left to its own devices or shifted using the tiptronic. Tiptronic technology seems superfluous on this car, however. Still, it's useful and entertaining on winding roads and in heavy traffic. kia tuned the suspension for comfort, not handling. That doesn't mean a floaty, imprecise ride. Indeed, hustling down some california backroads between sonoma and bodega bay, the optima displayed remarkable poise over bumps and lumps in mid-corner, its track not diverted by bump steer. There's considerable understeer, however, which should keep the expected driver of the optima safe and secure. Pushing the optima, however, is a lot of work and although the michelins never complain, even sports-minded drivers will dial back a notch to let the optima operate in its comfort zone, which is what the optima does best. kia engineers have managed to filter out most road and tire noise, but there's a ruffle of wind noise from the top of the windshield. At highway speeds, conversations between front and back seat were easy at normal speaking volume. summarykia optima excels at providing surprisingly good transportation at a reasonable cost, several hundred dollars less on each model this year than less, in fact. Bucket Seats✔ Power Windows✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ AM/FM✔ Cruise Control✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Air Conditioning✔ Alloy Wheels
2,900 Eugene, OREugene, OR at autoshopper.com