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 1 through 10 of 66.00

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  So far so good. - 2008 Kia Optima
  By new kia owner - March 28 - 6:26 am

  Got this car about 1 month ago. After much research, I decided this car would provide the best value for the dollars invested and so far we have few complaints. My wife is not pleased with the "bumpy" ride, but for me I like to "feel" the road a little. I told her for the price we paid that I could get better shocks that would provide for a smoother ride, but so far we havent made any modifications. For an out-the-door price of less than $15K (with $3000 in rebates) there wasnt anything new in this size of car that even came close. Been getting about 27 MPG with a 50/50 mix of city and highway driving. So far so good. We are very pleased with the purchase of this vehicle.

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  Surprised at the Value - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Suprised Kia Guy - July 28 - 8:33 pm

  Had been looking around at new cars. Ford A/Z plan eligible. Drove a Fusion and an Optima. Even with A plan pricing Optima beat out Ford with Features, Pricing (rebate + discount), and gas mileage. The 5* crash rating was the clincher. With Rebate + discount, paid $14,500 for a well equipped Optima LX. Would have liked to buy a Toyota but with the discount, warranty, and features feel like I got a steal. Had it for 3 weeks now and rides great. Getting 25 - 27 mpg mixed driving. Love the steering wheel controls for radio. Only regret is buying white which looks great, but it going to be work to keep clean. Recommend Kia to anyone looking at a Honda or Toyota to save some $$.

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  Kia EX V-6 - 2008 Kia Optima
  By PatrickDT - November 5 - 8:33 pm

  This Year kia was a pretty good one. But if you are trying to find one of these models used, good luck there very hard to find.The only model I can find used right now is the LX Model with the 4 Cyl. Engine or the EX With the 4 Cyl. Engine.

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  nice little car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Chris B - October 3 - 7:26 pm

  Im 511, 265 lbs. This car offers plenty of room and a great many stock features which all work well. I do have some complaints however. The pillars on the front windshield can be difficult to see around and I have removed the headrests because of visibility issues as well. The shift gate is an absolute nuisance when trying to go from "D" to "R". The key fob frequently opens my trunk because of additional keys in my pocket, but thats pretty nit-picky. Stock tires bad - I put "winters" on this year to manage that. All in all, a sound vehicle at a terrific price warranties are questionable only because of the difference between dealerships. Seat adjustment are just ok.

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  A great choice - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Mike - June 11 - 5:53 pm

  After driving my used 2001 KIA Rio to 120,000 trouble-free miles, it was time to trade it in. The $3000 rebate and some research made the Optima an easy choice. Simply put I really love this car. Performance is excellent, the 5-speed manual is smooth as silk, the engine feels more powerful than the numbers would suggest. Handling is good and the interior is comfortable and quiet (a big change from my old Rio. It was a great little car, but lets face it, it was a go-cart with doors!). You could easily spend a lot more for a car with fewer features. The KIA brand may not have "status" but they do deliver a lot of value for the money.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By 6Dogwood - June 5 - 3:46 am

  I sold my Corolla and was looking to find a great replacement. Well, enough said. This is a great car. It can carry four people very comfortably. However, economy is a hard pill to swallow. I am averaging 21 mpg and this is taking some getting used to. My corolla averaged 28 mpg. I thought this was a problem with the vehicle but turns out that after reading other reviews this is normal. Overall I am pleased.

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  Power to Surprise - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Streeter - April 7 - 4:50 am

  I 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 am

  My 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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  What A Great Little Car!!!!!!!!!! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By ExGreenBeret - January 4 - 2:53 am

  I 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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  First foreign built - 2008 Kia Optima
  By fred r - September 11 - 11:36 pm

  Now 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.