Why offer a V6 engine in the 2006.5 Kia Optima if it makes just 24 more horsepower and 19 more lb.-ft. of torque than the four-cylinder model?
Kia is focusing on the four-cylinder models, and plans to stock dealerships in an 80/20 blend of fours and V6s. Ian Beavis, Kia’s VP of marketing, says that with fuel prices going the way they are and renewed customer interest in fuel economy, this is the right strategy. Yet, noted Kia’s COO Len Hunt, some customers want a V6 engine no matter what. He says that by offering the old Optima’s improved 2.7-liter V6 as an option, the new Optima provides a good value equation for a V6-powered sedan. When we asked Alex Fedorak, Kia’s director of public relations, why the new Optima didn’t get the powerful new 3.3-liter V6 engine that parent company Hyundai supplies in the Sonata midsize sedan, he explained that contrary to popular belief, the Sonata and the new Optima are on separate platforms, so the corporate 3.3-liter V6 wasn’t a part of the plan.

How different from the Hyundai Sonata is the new 2006.5 Kia Optima?
Looking at the specifications, the Optima is a smaller car than the Sonata. Its wheelbase and overall length are shorter, its track and width are narrower, and its trunk is smaller. The Optima weighs more than 100 pounds less, and offers less headroom, shoulder room, and hip room. Plus, the Kia is down more than 15 cubic feet in overall interior passenger space compared to the Hyundai. However, the Optima is taller than the Sonata, and offers more front leg room for the front passenger while matching the Hyundai in terms of driver leg room.

If the 2006.5 Kia Optima is smaller than the Hyundai Sonata, and the V6 version is substantially less powerful, and they offer the same excellent warranty protection, why should I choose the Kia?
First, the Kia Optima is more pleasing to drive than the Hyundai Sonata, even if the Sonata V6 spanks the Optima V6’s butt in a straight line. The Optima’s suspension, steering, and brakes are near perfection, and since the four-cylinder engines are virtually identical, the Optima’s lower curb weight translates into sprightly performance. Plus, only the Optima pairs a five-speed automatic with the four-cylinder engine; the Sonata has a four-speed unit. Second, the Kia Optima is less expensive than the Hyundai Sonata, though once you add the ABS and stability control systems that come standard on the Hyundai but are optional on the Kia, that value equation suffers erosion, making the remaining price differential easier to swallow for the Hyundai’s larger interior and bigger trunk. Third, the Kia Optima EX is equipped with a stunningly good Infinity sound system. So what’s it gonna be? A powerful V6 and a roomier cabin in the Sonata, or nimble handling, great music, and a lower price with the Optima?