Optima

LAS VEGAS--As the meme goes, "Yo dawg, I heard you like sports, so we put sports in your car so you can play while you drive."

Kia seems to have taken a page out of late '90s TV show "Pimp My Ride's" book when it commissioned the six custom models unveiled today at the 2011 SEMA Show. This selection of Optima Hybrids, Rios, and a Soul feature designs and accessories that are based on the golf, basketball, surfing, hockey, and, of course, motorsports.

The first model unveiled was a the Hole In One Soul built … Read more

It's been raining Optimas this year, as Kia releases version after version of its midsize sedan, all with different engines. Earlier, we reviewed the naturally aspirated Optima EX and the Optima Hybrid. Now we have the SX, the most powerful Optima of the bunch.

With a turbocharged direct-injection 2-liter engine, this Optima follows the Volkswagen/Audi strategy, wringing a lot of efficiency and power out of four cylinders. On paper, the Optima SX gets very similar fuel economy to its EX sibling, but with a lot more horsepower. But the turbo in the SX made it hard for us … Read more

The Kia Optima comes in three power trains, including a hybrid. But a V6 is not one of them, unlike its rivals Accord, Camry, and Fusion. What gives? Kia thinks a turbo 4 can do the job better. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

You can also read CNET's full review of the 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo here.

Car Tech Live 221: Is the honeymoon over for hybrids? Ford puts Sync apps in more cars. New Volvos may brake for animals. And we drive the Kia Optima Hybrid. (podcast)

• CNET drives the Kia Optima Hybrid

• Volvo technology will brake for animals

• The worst cities for keeping your car are mostly in California

• In-car TV stumbles again

• CNET's LOLcars gallery!

Kia and Hyundai are badge-engineered twins as much they used to be. The Optima Hybrid hits a number of notes different from the Sonata Hybrid and hits many of them successfully, if not always smoothly. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

You can also read CNET's full review of the Kia Optima Hybrid here.

It's no secret that Kia and its parent company, Hyundai, have been making almost quantum leaps in the quality of their vehicles in the last generation or two. Comparing, for example, the 2011 Kia Optima to its 2010 iteration is almost like comparing apples to oranges. The new model is larger in nearly every dimension, but thanks to its sportier proportions, it looks much more menacing than its pudgy predecessor. While both examples offer 2.4-liter engines, the 2011 Optima's gasoline direct-injection system gives it a 24-horsepower advantage while also gaining 2 mpg in both city and highway … Read more

Kia has come a long way since it was a cheaper Hyundai (and who wouldn't want to progress with that hanging over their heads?) Brian Cooley takes you for a drive in the crisply folded 2011 Kia Optima to check the tech.

Kia used to be a cheaper Hyundai. Not cool. But starting with the Soul they began to fully recast their brand, and Optima is their most important step yet in that direction. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

The current Kia Optima is a bit of an also-ran in the US sedan market; however, that may be about to change. A few weeks ago, Kia released conceptual sketches of the upcoming Magentis-Optima sedan. This week, we received the first official photos of the sedan, which is set to bow at the 2010 New York auto show.

Although the slab-sided sedan is much taller than the low-slung sketch we saw, the next-generation Optima shown in the photos appears to be longer and wider than the current model is. If you look closely at the front end,  you'll … Read more