Kia Optima 2006 and earlier

optima1978 · August 2001

When I accelerate the car after a complete stop, the transmissions shifts hard when accelerating to 30 mph. I believe it would have shifted to the 3rd gear. This happens when I accelerate slowly. If I accelerate a little faster, it goes away. Do you think I should get checked? By the way, my car is the LX V6 with the TIPTRONIC tranmission, but it is in automatic mode.

harryalb2 · August 2001

Tried to pay more attention to the shifting, and I haven't noticed any hard shifting slow or fast driving. Might get that checked out. Mine has the V6.

hung0820 · August 2001

I am currently the owner of the Hyundai Santa Fe V6....Since some of you might not know that the Santa Fe, Sonata, and Optima are all having the same Tiptronic, Shiftronic, Sportronic but just call differently....Well the Sonata and Optima is running a 2.5 while the Santa Fe is running 2.7 engine...Perhaps the 2002 model will all running under the same 2.7 (I mean the Sonata and Optima might go for 2.7 instead of 2.5)...Well 2.7 is stronger but waste more gas than 2.5....The Optima is nicer than the Sonata but more expensive...So to speak; the Optima should win the Miss Pageant while the Sonata while the Best Price in it owns category....My sister is look forward to buy the 2002 Optima and wish that they have 2.7 engine....

csandste · August 2001

but why does the Optima have 70 series 14 inch tires if it costs more than the Sonata? Know the 2000 Sonata also had these as standard in 2000 but upgraded in 2001.

har1bush · August 2001

wow dreams do come true don't they... whudduya know... the Sonata and the Optima WILL get the 2.7L V6 from the Santa Fe! Plus, according to Edmunds, the 2.7L in the Sonata gets better mileage than the strained 2.5L! And if that's not enough, the Sonata gets a new look for '02 and to me it looks better than the current Sonata and about on par with the Optima (that's my opinion however).

hung0820 · August 2001

Definitely a good news! They are going to get 2.7 plus Sonata have new look similar to a Lexus while the Optima look similar to the BMW...Both cars have it owns taste.....2.5 waste more gas than 2.7 too...So to speak...good news for the fuel economy coming...I can't wait to see my sister driving the 2002 Optima SE....very nice car...I was hoping the Santa Fe take over the XG300 engine and platform too...XG300 used the 5 speed Shiftronic...But the XG300 will upgrade to the Hyundai Terracan engine (3.5)....

sedanman2 · August 2001

hello all , i own an optima 700 miles on it , 2.5 v6 loaded-leath abs black and gas mileage has been bad , maybe 12-16 mpg, does anyone know if this is due to break in period?also moonroof wasnt working(needs motor), and dome light wouldnt shut off, was repaired.........@#$%^&*

serpentki · August 2001

I bought my base LX 5-spd early in March and am just turning 9000 miles. I still love the car.

My driving mostly consists of my weekly commute from the California high-desert to the coast, about 150 miles each direction. The Optima is comfortable and handles well along the curvy Sierra Highway - still a joy to drive. I am typically getting 29 mpg at the pump with my driving being primarily highway miles - and I am talking about maintaining fairly quick speeds and using a lot of the upper end of the tach for passing.

It is fair to say the Optima drives more like an Italian than a Japanese car. That is to say, the power curve is way up high on the tach. It is typical that at around 55-60 mph as I am getting ready to pass I drop to 3rd gear while awaiting the opportunity. But around town at lower revs it is quite sluggish accelerating without down-shifting - not a lot of pop from 1500 to 2500 RPMs.

The Pearblossom Highway, about an hour leg of my commute, is a two-lane desert road with a fair amount of traffic. One must be quick to pass safely, and the Optima 4-cyl accelerates very quickly in the upper range. In third gear I may be doing well over 80 as I slip back into my own lane after passing - and this still leaves a few RPM's to go before redline. As you can imagine, I drive my Optima hard, though not brutal, and it will still deliver just over 30 MPG for the highway portion of the drive.

In all, my KIA likes to be driven. It is cushy and tame when ferrying passengers about and gets a number of compliments for its roominess and comfort. It also has its wild-side, accelerating like a banshee and cornering like it is glued to the road (my other car is a Nissan 300ZX Turbo).

The Optima may not be the car for everybody, though I don't see why not. After 9K miles I am still quite satisfied with my choice. SK

iluvmysephia1 · August 2001

Good to hear from you and that you're still digging your Optima. Your review keeps Optima in my short list of next cars to get. I don't see what's not to like and I still love the looks of Optima. Better than the new Sonata, too. The Optima looks smart, fun and stylish. I still maintain that if I were to get one I would get the I-4 cylinder 5-speed model with just the basic options included in the Optima's initial $15,299 price. Sounds like she's got plenty of pep for passing or quick high-rpm accelerating on the highway. That is cool. My '99 Sephia's at 70,500 miles and running top-drawer as usual. Yes, Kia and Hyundai do rule the automotive world. Glad we all agree!

rhard49 · August 2001

I have been test driving the optima and am surprised no one has mentioned the automatic trans. I test drove several of the SE V6's and the tranns always seems to want to drop all the way to first with the slightest nudge of the gas. This is far from smooth to drop at 30 miles an hour to 1st gear and the top of the rev range. I like the looks of the car and the it seems like a great value. I have been offered 4k off any model and 5k off the fully loaded SEV6 leather & ABS 17.3 not a bad price, but the shifting thing blows. BTW I just drove the 2002 Sonata with the 2.7, that put my purchase on hold, the 2.7 is a major improvement! It should get interesting the 2002 Sonata shares so many components with the kia. That same strategy killed several GM products and killed the one thing they don't have brand loyalty.

sedanman2 · August 2001

you should jump at the offer. the optima does down shift to low gear,but you only notice it when you are cruising slowly. i paid 20900 with1.9 financing loaded all options.your deal has to be cash price- because there are no incentives at this time, or with DEALER financing which is anywhere from 9- 15percent (very expensive in long run) good luck

hung0820 · August 2001

If you like the 2002 Hyundai Sonata 2.7 then the 2002 Kia Optima should have the 2.7 too; which will work similar to the Sonata....

rhard49 · September 2001

Actually from 7/4 through 9/4 there was a program in the new york area
giving them rebates on units sold during the period 1-4 500 5-9 1000
10-14 1500 16 plus 2000 plus 1000 from factory.

sedanman2 · September 2001

that may be true , but i just dont see anyone in the nyc area getting the maximum cash back becausethe dealers ive seen have none in stock or maybe 1 if your lucky.also if you order 1 you will have to wait a very long time 2-3 months, not weeks like dealers always say.how is a dealer supposed to sell alot of optimas when people go there and there is absolutely no selection,and without test drives,also if you notice the commercials for optima are not on anymore(plenty of sonata though) rows and rows of sonata available huge savings and overstocked.i think hyundai controls all this and is not pushing optima at all, they want to get rid of sonatas first, and will wait for new 2.7 to promote optimas again.

rhard49 · September 2001

There's plenty of them on long Island KIa hempstead has probably 15 Sun in Wantagh has 15 there are over 50 on the local locator list from basic to fully loaded

dreamwind · September 2001

Okies.. so I heard that the next Tiburon will have a 2.7l 214 horsepower V6.. why doesn't the next Hyundai Sonata and Optima have the same horsepower ratings, even though they have the same displacement?

And if the XG 300 gets a 3.5l next year, can't they give the Sonata, Optima, and the Santa Fe the 3.0l 192 horsepower V6?

The 2.7l 181 horsepower is enough power for the Sonata and Optima, but the Santa Fe definitely needs a bigger engine, because the Santa Fe is very heavy..

bluewinds · September 2001

Will Tuscani have 2.7 214 horses?

Well that's pretty interesting, because I heard that Tuscani's new engine will churn 170~180 horses with 6 speed ZF tranny.

dreamwind · September 2001

Ahn-young-ha-sea-yo!!!

Actually, I've heard from an organization that is directly involved with Hyundai USA that the Tiburon/Tuscani will indeed have a 2.7l 214 horsepower rating. The 2.7l is supposed to be supercharged.

Bluewind, can you recall the Hyundai-roadster that was introduced in the, urm, 1999 Detriot Autoshow? Well, that roadster, according to EdmundsCOM, has 214 horsepower.. and I possibly heard that the Tiburon will have the same horsepower.

If I am mistaken about the Tiburon, I will be very disapointed.

bluewinds · September 2001

How are you doing?

Today in Korea, there was a launching event of Tuscani. According to catalog, it puts out 175 horses. The 2.7 engine doesn't have supercharger.

However, it may be possible that U.S version Tuscani will get a supercharged engine, because Hyundai always put upsize engines on U.S version Sonatas and Elantras.

Thanks...

Tuscani website

http://www.hyundai-motor.com/cybermall/showroom/passenger/tuscani/index.html

dreamwind · September 2001

Ha, let me say this:

I admire you.. I have been looking at these message boards a long time, and I really like how you can speak both Korean and English affectively.

Thank you for giving us tips and etc. to these message boards about Korean cars!

iluvmysephia1 · September 2001

A perfect example of his value to these boards is the Kia Sephia site on Edmunds. Bluewinds just cleared up months of confusion by posting links from Korea about Kia Spectra sedan=Kia Sephia II and Kia SpectraWing=Kia Shuma II. These will be 2002 Spectra models in the U.S. and Kia's Sephia goes away for 2002. Go to his last post with the links if you want more info.on this. My point is that Bluewinds cleared it up for us! We were basically just stating our opinions and spinning our wheels. Bluewinds...you're invaluable to Edmunds and I want to thank you so much!!!

dreamwind · September 2001

More thank yous to bluewind!

fangio2 · September 2001

(oops sorry pat)I mean shrewd semantitician(?) as well.Without bluewind's on the spot feedback, us Korean car lovers would be at the mercy of the several homegrown automotive automatrons,who invade our topics and bash our cars.

bluewinds · September 2001

I'm sure that you people here have much more knowledge and passion about car than I have. Whenever I visit these boards, I get a lot of useful information from your postings about car purchasing and maintenance in the States.

It is great that we can share what we know and what we think through the World by internet.

Thanks...

Bluewinds.

dreamwind · September 2001

This is an Optima forum, right?!!

Okies, well, let's talk about the Optima! Optima!

iluvmysephia1 · September 2001

future purchases! I'll probably trade next for the Kia Spectra sedan, which bluewinds so kindly pointed out and cleared up once and for all to us is the Sephia II on the Global Korean website. Sorry if you've read that too many times now I'm just still so glad I know the truth and I'm typing it a few extra times for good measure. Bluewinds, you're right, that's how this Internet can be useful. Car enthusiasts can get together from all over the world and share information. I don't know about you guys, but isn't it easy to tell when someone's spreading lies about Kia cars? They're really great cars(no I didn't say good)and I can spot jealous minds from 5,000 miles away. Anyway, Optimize me! That Optima looks great in black, I must say!

netranger4 · September 2001

A great big thank you for your confirming information on so many Kia products.

bluewinds · September 2001

This is an Optima TV commercial.(Korean version)

If you are accessing to fast internet service, you may watch commercial. (3.2 Megabyte...)

The man who drive an Optima on the commercial is Mr. Lee - CEO of Daum Communication which owns World's 4th largest portal site.

http://www.kia.co.kr/entertainment/ad/movie/images/optima-lee.mpg

aniryu · September 2001

this is dreamwind, but i am using my new name, aniryu.. anyways.

damn, i wish i had dsl. cant see the commercial!!

oh well.. and thank you, bluewind and fellow koreans, for the obvious support you have given us americans because of the tragedy on tuesday.

on the news, they showed korean kids praying and crying for americans, which is very touchy. *sobs*..

linux007 · September 2001

Just passin by. Right click and "save Target As." You may not have a cable or something (what I used), but with 33.6 you could atleast dwnld it and play it back:)
-Chris
(98 GS300)
P.S.
I think the KIA is a very nice car for the money. I thought it looked at first like a Cadilac Catera (Opel)

schaeffz · September 2001

My Optima LX has problems with both speedo/odometer and fuel gauges. The fuel gauge only registers 3/4's full when the filler pipe is filled to the top. At 1/4, it really has about 1/3 of a tank. Also, the speedo/odometer both register 8% to 10% high. It says I'm doing 70 when the mile markers and trailing friends say I'm doing 64 or so. Also the odometer records say 10 miles for every 8 mile markers or so. I think this is a safety issue, since I don't know exactly how fast I'm going and how much gas I've got. Also, my warrenty will run out when my odo says 100,000 miles, when I've actually only gone 90,000 or so. So far the dealer says the speedo is allowed to be 6 to 8 mph off. He had no answer for the odometer and gas gauge and seems reluctant to look at it. I'll see if he does anything about it and I'll contact Kia directly to find out tolerances, etc. Anyone else see a similiar problem? Of course this also means my gas mileage has been artificially lower than I expected.

matsumoto · September 2001

goto http://bimmer.org and you will find out that exact complaint is brought up by owners of NEW BMW 540i and 530i's.

I wouldn't be surprised if all car makes are affected to a certain extent

Sit back and enjoy the car

You've got a car better than most

sedanman2 · September 2001

hello all,have 2001 optima se v6 black loaded.some time in early august moonroof wouldnt work and dome light wouldnt shut off.so had to make appt ,and week later dealer fixed dome light and said they had to order parts for roof,motor and relay,week and half later parts arrive,have to make appt!2 weeks later bring car in to install parts for roof , and it still doesnt work,they say they cant figure it out, and need to get kia tech,and to make appt!10 days later bring in car again they worked with tech and all new parts and moonroof still doesnt work, they are very apologetic and i am getting numb over this car.they say they will have a kia rep at dealer to fix the problem with the roof and it will be fixed next time,( i am starting to realize that dealerships are not prepared to fix these kia cars. they dont have any parts for the optima!had to wait 2 weeks for a fog lamp!i think it is going to be a very long 10 years! only have 1100 miles on this car, and am wondering if i should trade for something else!!

fxashun · September 2001

I dare ya. Better bring heart medication. And a home equity line of credit. That resale bug on short term Kia/Hyundai trades is like a radioactive brown recluse on crack.

fangio2 · September 2001

I think trading any car that soon is bad news.I;m sure the dealer will get it fixed.While it's a pain in the butt,it's not a major problem like a transmission or engine problem.Hang in there the roof will be closed before the first snow.

fangio2 · October 2001

Why is it so quiet in here?I really like the looks of the car and am interested in hearing owners experiences.

schaeffz · October 2001

They fixed the gas gauge problem with a new sender unit.
They put the car on a treadmill, ran it a mile with the computer hooked up and told me that the odometer and speedometer measures right on. I subsequently went out on the road and checked it again against mile markers and I still get 10% difference. My new Hyundai Accent and Dodge Caravan matches the mile markers. Guess I'll try to take it to another dealer.
Otherwise, I love the Optima. I went Korean-crazy and bought the Accent and I really like it as a commuter car (120+ miles per day).

chaimest · October 2001

The problem with your odometer recording more miles then you are actually driving can be an even bigger problem if you are leasing and are limited in the number of miles you can drive.

lngtonge18 · October 2001

I sort of wonder how many odometers are trully accurate. My 97.5 Nissan Altima reads about 1.2 miles at a mile marker. I doubt few people have ever paid attention to it so I wonder if its a more common problem than you thought. Anyway, just thought I would let you know you arent the only person who has a car and has noticed this.

claywaterfill · October 2001

Has anyone heard anything about the 2002 Optima? All I see on kia.com is 2001 stuff. I'm interested to see if there were any changes since they changed the 2002 Sonata. New engines maybe? I'm looking to replace my 1995 Sephia this spring and I was going to go with the new Sonata. If Kia is doing anything exciting to the Optima, I may go that way. I have really had a good experience with my Sephia and would have no problem getting a new Kia--if they could lure me away from Sonata.

crackerjack_17 · October 2001

I was reading an article in Car and Driver the other day about the Optima. After reading the Optima article, I flipped ahead to a comparison test of $55,000 dollar sedans. There I noticed that the Mercedes E430 actually is louder on the highway than the Optima. The Optima's decibel rating was something like 66, while the E430s was 69. Just an interesting tidbit.

P.S.-Drove a 2002 Sonata with 2.7 V6, believe me, a huge improvement!

lngtonge18 · October 2001

The 02 Optima looks the same but gains the 2.7 liter V-6 that is shared with the 02 Sonata.

fxashun · October 2001

17" high performance tires and a sport suspension. Of course it would be louder than the Optima.

Sprottn · November 2001

While I feel the DEALERSHIP ripped me off on a few items, I LOVE the car!

We bought the 2001 4 cyl automatic (nice silver). Steers well and rides much smoother than our 98 Sephia. The car shifts well in traffic and the little 4 cyl automatic engine has more power than I expected. The fuel mileage isnt much different from my Sephia but I like having a bigger gas tank.

I don't know why KIA has gotten such a bad rap, we had no problems with our Sephia other than it having cheap interior materials that were hard to clean. But the price of the car made up for it.

Everyone likes to make jokes about us buying KIA but I get the last laugh when I show them my payment book! Before we bought KIA we had a Bonneville and the new Optima really isn't that far away from our old Pontiac as far as handling or ride goes.

claywaterfill · November 2001

Glad to hear you love your new car. There is no reason to believe the Optima wouldn't be good considering it is based on Sonata. What did you give for it where you live? I know that Mall of Georgia Kia hear in metro Atlanta advertises the 2001 Optima LX for $13,990--which I don't think is too shabby! I have driven a 4 cylinder Optima and it does have surprisingly good pep. I drove one with the manual and it was very responsive, I thought. Happy motoring!

sedanman2 · November 2001

does anyone know anything about stuff for the optima, moonroof wind deflector, mud guards.by the way finally got my moonroof repaired-4th time-wheww almost lemon law in ny! car is great now.still looks best in black.i like the looks of new sonata- (looks exactly like optima from side-for much less money),my optima se v6 black with beige is excellent on highways with great gas mileage (city driving mileage is horrendous!)leather seats are the best i ever sat in,and cd player has near bose quality.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2001

in black with the tan leather interior. My wife and I test drove one the day we bought our Sportage 4x4. Talk about smooth and quiet! This one had the moonroof and seV6 and leather. We love our Sportage and we'll probably be Sportageing for a long time but the Optima has not been crossed off of my "someday possibly" list, that's for sure. Black does the Kia Optima good-really good.

Sprottn · November 2001

As I said, the dealership ripped us off on a few things so we probably overpaid at $15,600 in Fort Myers, Florida, but if nothing else, I learned a few things for the next new purchase.

claywaterfill · November 2001

Hey Optima owners--you should go to the comparison section of the sedan board. There is a good thread that just started on Sonata, Camry, Accord, Passat, and Altima. Being the mechanical twin of the Sonata, you owners might be able to bring something else to the table.

mikeyjohn · November 2001

Just came fom my Kia dealer and took out a 01 Magentis (Optima in US) for a test drive and was very impressed with the vehicle going head to head with the Hyundai Sonata. The dealer here has ordered a full loaded 02 car with ABS leather, and my pet peave side airbags which is not available on the Sonata in Canada. I am not ready for this car until the first of the year but he was willing to have the car brought to this dealership and they would hold it until I was ready to take delivery and would NOT use it as a demo. Again comparing the 2 Korean cars with brochures there appears to be very little difference, and I do like the price that was negotiated.We do not have the great 10 year warranty here in Canada, but they do offer a full 5 yr. warranty bumper to bumper. The Sonata here is only 3 yr bumper to bumper and 5 yr. powertrain, so it is a saving for me. Has anyone else purchased a new 02 Optima? and if so what are your feelings?

Kia Optima 2006 and earlier

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