2006 Kia Optima EX

2006 Kia Optima EX - Now here comes the 2006.5 Kia Optima. Perky? Playful? Not terribly. Somewhere along the way, priorities once again got shuffled, as they did two years ago when Kia launched the Amanti neo-Buick. This Optima — production in Korea started too early to legally label it a 2007 — instead strives for a new high-water mark in build quality and refinement. In this, at least, the Optima succeeds.

Gosh, remember the old Optima? Well, neither did we until a rummage through the archive recalled us ranking what was essentially a rebadged Hyundai Sonata ninth of 10 mid-size sedans in a February 2003 comparison test. Unlike that car, the new Optima shares nothing much with a Hyundai, Kia insists. Okay, maybe a stamping sneaks in and a few parts coincidentally match up, such as the engines. But that’s it.

On sale as you read this, a base Optima LX starts at $16,955 with a 161-hp, 2.4-liter inline-four and five-speed manual or (for $1295) five-speed automatic. A weakfish 185-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 adds weight and $2990 to the price (automatic trans only) while achieving nine-percent-worse fuel economy and perhaps a few 10ths off the 0-to-60-mph time.

We shook out the most popular configuration, the $19,995 EX four-cylinder that comes with the five-speed automatic. Weighing 3320 pounds, it had the $1500 Appearance package (highlights include leather seats, 17-inch wheels, Michelin 215/50 Pilot HX MXM4 tires good for 0.79 g on the skidpad, a chrome-accented grille, electroluminescent gauges, and fog lights), an $800 sunroof, ABS for $300, and stability control for $300.

Struts carry the Optima’s nose, and a trailing-arm, three-link arrangement holds up the rear. The Optima’s dimensions creep up only fractions of an inch in most directions, meaning it’s now slightly smaller than competing models with more robust growth spurts in their pasts, including the Accord. The Optima is wrapped in a cleaner, more svelte crêpe with dashes of Acura and Lexus in its ingredients. Fitted with the 17-inch wheels, it looks even smaller, although the interior doesn’t skimp on noggin- and knee room in the front and rear, provided the head count remains at four. The trunk holds an Accord-beating 15 cubic feet, and the rear seats fold 60/40 for fishing poles.

Kudos goes to a decision to offer the superb V-rated Michelin tires. The Pilot HX MXM4s are big boys’ rubber (Tire Rack replacement cost: $185 each — the Optima’s base tires are cheapie Hankooks), and they serve up squeal-free corners in nice clean cuts. By and by, the ride remains relaxed, and the cabin is a hushed space largely insulated from tire thrum and road roar.

The Optima is the best Honda that Kia has produced so far. Will buyers walk past the real thing just to share in Kia’s personal triumph? It may not be overtly playful, but the new Optima launches with at least one key asset: boundless optimism.