Overview & Reviews
An auxiliary audio jack is added to the 2008 Kia Optima.
- Excellent crash scores, plenty of standard features at a low price, spacious backseat, generous warranty, surprisingly involving to drive around town.
- V6 offers little advantage over the more efficient inline-4, styling by the witness protection program, ABS not available on manual-shift LX model.
User Reviews:
Showing 21 through 30 of 66.00-
Power to Surprise - 2008 Kia Optima
By Streeter - April 7 - 4:50 amI agree with Kias slogan. I was planning to replace my well worn out 91 Honda Accord with another Accord or Camry. I then saw the commercial for the Optima stating a price $3000 less than a Camry or Accord plus a $3000 rebate. This grabbed my attention so I went to see what Kia was all about. And I was surprised. Kia has done a nice job of building a sound car with features only found on higher end cars. I already have 3500 miles on it in two months. My mileage has steadily increased with each fill from 27 mpg to 29.5 for my driving. The car is quiet and shifts smooth (although a bit too frequently). Well see what I think after 100,000 miles but so far I am impressed.
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Not bad - 2008 Kia Optima
By Piper Cub Pilot - March 22 - 7:30 amMy first imported car. Very well thought out packaging and overall design. Efficient with great safety features. At 27,000 miles the car feels and looks the same as it did when new. Reliability has been excellent and performance is on par with competition. Cheap to maintain and insure. At a $14,500 out-the-door price in 2008, it is a bargain.
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Hard to believe - 2008 Kia Optima
By Don - March 18 - 8:43 amI wasnt sure about buying a Kia but so far, really happy. Easy for older person to get in and out, the mileage is on real, getting on a average city and highway 38 mostly city I have been a gm person all my life but they wouldnt bring prices down to match Kia and Kia gives you more options inside and out.
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LOVE this car! - 2008 Kia Optima
By Me Me - February 26 - 2:03 amWe just got this car about 2 weeks ago. And i truly love it. It is so easy to drive. I dont have a bad thing to say. Awesome car for the $$$ Would recommend this to anyone!!
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More for less - 2008 Kia Optima
By rick vanbarg - February 4 - 7:26 pmI really thought about buying an Accord or a Camry, you know image is important. Well, I could not get over how much better the Optima was compared to the other image cars. The optima rode better, looked sharp, (I have the appearance pkg) and was thousands less. The sound system is really nice. I have over 8,000 miles on it, getting around 31-32 mpg on highway. I must say that Im very pleased with this car. Kias image is the only thing bringing this company down, give them a couple more years and your looking at the next Honda or Toyota. Cant wait to see whats next for them.
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Great little car for the downsizer - 2008 Kia Optima
By bumpergirl - January 7 - 4:16 pmI have owned the 2008 Kia Optima for a few weeks now. I understand it may take a while to break in a new car and improve gas mileage. So far I am averaging between 26 and 30 mpg. Highway of course is outstanding. I am overall happy with my purchase. Its somewhat of an adjustment coming down from a Toyota Avalon. However, I am very happy with the balance between luxury and economy in the Kia. The interior and exterior appearance are definitely luxury. The ride and price is definitely economy. So keep that in mind. The experience buying the car was excellent. The best way to work is to put a small deposit on your car, and write up the Purchase and sale, then shop 2-3 dealers. Happy days!
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What A Great Little Car!!!!!!!!!! - 2008 Kia Optima
By ExGreenBeret - January 4 - 2:53 amI bought my Optima last year when gas was nearing $4/gal. I drive a lot of miles so I sold my 475hp 12mpg Hemi Ram and bought the KIA. I had rented one in the past and was pleasantly surprised so I decided to give it a try. Ive had it a year now, and have put over 40,000 miles on it already. There have been NO major problems, in fact Ive not been back to the dealership for any reason. I change the oil and rotate the tires religiously but thats it. Would I recommend one to a friend? Hell, yes! Would I buy another one? Absolutely!
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Do Not Get a Kia - 2008 Kia Optima
By barbararoberts - September 13 - 3:44 amI bought my car brand new in June 08. The main reason I bought an Optima is because all the safety airbags on it. it really did seem to be a safe car on the market at that time. Since then I have seen a main complaint that the airbags DO NOT deploy when there is an impact. That gave me a really big concern. Well, now my car is cutting off with me as I start down the road and I have been told it is because I have used aftermarket oil filters. BULL!!!!! They put Kia oil filter on and guess what? It is still cutting off with me. I came to a T-intersection one day and it desided to cut off. When it did NO BRAKES, No Power Steering and I had to pull out IN FRONT of another vehicle that was coming and just luckily there was noone coming in other lane so that vehicle could go around me. And I guess that I forgot to mention that my 10 yr old SON was in the car with me. I have taken my car down to the Kia shop in Myrtle Beach, SC every Tuesday for the last 2 months and it also stayed there for 1 full week during that time. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE EXCEPT A KIA OIL FILTER PUT ON... I"m considering this car to be a LEMON and I have told Kia that it will be on them if this car kills me and my son until it is fixed or replaced. I have been dealing with Wes and Bob at the Kia Service area in Myrtle beach, SC which has been very nice to me but something has to give. I am fixing to list this car under the Lemon Law with my lawyer. The safety of this car SUCKS!! I need help with this. Someone else higher up the ladder needs to step in on this case. Wes has a case number already out with the Technical staff but something has got to be done. I can not have mine and my sons life in jeoperdy like this. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS. I have dropped it off AGAIN at the Kia Service area this evening (09/03/12) for the ump-teenth time so it can be checked out again tomorrow. I will travel ANOTHER 45 min to check on it tomorrow. My days off from work should NOT be spent at the Kia Service area.
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First foreign built - 2008 Kia Optima
By fred r - September 11 - 11:36 pmNow have 1000 miles on 2008 LX. Fun to drive. Corners very well. Have only had city driving and getting 21mpg. Like the interior setup and the blue light on the dash. Would like a softer driver seat with a longer front cushion. The car has a "ping" sound when driving on rough roads. I had the car undercoated thinking it would help but it didnt. On smooth roads it is a quiet ride but a definite metallic ping on rumble strips.
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Great car for the price !!!! - 2008 Kia Optima
By Don - July 26 - 10:30 amPlenty of interior space. Dashboard is well laid out and controls within easy reach. I have only owned my Kia for one month but am averaging 30 mpg back and fourth to work. Ride is good but drivers seat needs more lumbar support. On long drives, back gets a little tired. One thing I did have troubles with were the headlights. They left a dark shadow on the drivers side. Had dealer replace headlight and problem was fixed.
