2003 Kia Optima SE V-6

Though the Optima is destined to play against a host of well-established competitors in one of the most cutthroat market segments, this stylish, well-built four-door offers an attractive roster of standards and a price that significantly undercuts a comparably equipped Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or Ford Taurus.

Roomy, comfortable, and surprisingly serene, the Optima's well-finished interior comes loaded with standard comfort and convenience features.

Kia offers the Optima in LX or SE trims, the former starts at $15,500, the latter at $18,095. For this test, we chose a top-of-the line SE V-6 model, which opens at $19,949. Included in that tariff are items like air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, keyless remote entry, power antenna, cruise control, variable intermittant wipers, foglamps, power moonroof, premium AM/FM/CD/cassette audio system, power driver's seat and a tilt steering column. Our loaded car also had leather upholstery, anti-lock brakes and floormats—literally every option save for pearl white metallic paint ($100). Even so, it still rolled out the door at a modest $22,605, including $540 in destination fees.


Mechanically, the Optima shares all basic platform and most drivetrain hardware with its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Sonata. The similarity ends there, however, as the cars share no common sheetmetal and little in the way of interior appointments. Visually, the Optima breaks no new ground on the styling front. Even so, its tastefully contoured bodywork adroitly complements the rest of the hardware in this package while maintaining a level of sophistication to the overall Kia portfolio.

Although slightly down on displacement, the Optima's 170-hp/2.7-liter DOHC V-6 still does a respectable job of motivating this midsize sedan around town or out on the open road.

Both LX and SE variants offer a choice of either a standard I-4 or optional V-6 engine. The basic 2.4-liter four produces a serviceable 147 horsepower and 138 lb.-ft. of torque, while those figures jump to 170 and 181, respectively, in the upline 2.7-liter V-6. Fours can be paired with a 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic, the six only comes with the autoshifter, a nifty little unit that incorporates Porsche's Tiptronic technology to allow more aggressive drivers to shift for themselves should the urge arise.


Fortified with V-6 power, performance of the Optima skews to the high side of average. Despite some off-the-line bog, acceleration is respectable from a standstill. Once in motion, freeway merging and maneuvers are never a problem. Save for an occasional moment of uncertainty, the transmission works neatly in either mode, so much so that the Tiptronic feature is likely to be little used outside of mountainous terrain. Stopping power is available in fair measure as well. Stepping up to the optional ABS package enhances the basic 4-wheel disc setup with a 4-channel full-disc system that halted our tester from 60 mph in 127 feet.