Normally, I’m not too big of a fan of Kia. The lack of RWD is a deal-breaker for the most part.
But, this is a good reason to try their 271 horsepower answer to the Malibu and Camry. Kia is offering a $25 Visa prepaid card in exchange for a test drive of any Optima. I’ll be giving the turbocharged variant a spin.
That said, I’ve test driven the current generation in non-fast trim, and found it to be… well… not very fast. The base model is over a hundred horsepower slower, and the suspension is as sluggish as a base Camry. Even the suspension would be forgiven if the base model was anywhere close to 200 horsepower, so it will be interesting to see how the turbo fares.
Just remember, the Kia Optima is not a sport car, don’t go to the dealer expecting it to be one.