Overview & Reviews

The Kia Optima is a completely redesigned model for 2011.

• Lengthy warranty.
• Impressive value
• Powerful and fuel-efficient engines
• Good ride/handling balance
• Handsome cabin
• Top safety scores
• Copious features

• Disappointing real-world fuel economy and driving experience for hybrid
• Numb steering.
• Can be tight on headroom

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 91.00

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  Owe KIA an apology - 2011 Kia Optima
  By richn2 - April 15 - 12:43 pm

  First looked at a KIA in June, thought no way spending xx dollars for a KIA. I mean its a KIA. Plus I have a fully loaded Durango that I loved.Well picked up my 2011 SX Pearl White w/ tech & Prem package last Saturday. Should have done it a lot sooner. First day out took it on a 200+ mile drive, highway avg 34.8 mpg. All week city traffic avg 24. 4 mpg. What a ride. No pulling to the left, interior is plenty quite, steering is tight but so was my Saab. When my 24 yr daughter saw it she said lets trade in her Pontiac Solstice and get her a Optima, so it must be a sharp looking car. Is it a perfect car no but its close enough. I learnt never to compare what I had to what I have.

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  great car to own - 2011 Kia Optima
  By davey90 - April 7 - 5:58 am

  i have a 2011 optima bought it brand new , car runs excellent it has a little over 47k miles on and i enjoy driving on a daily basis ,the mpg is outstanding , i took it from Albany upstate ny to long island and back upstate on a single tank of gas i was surprised . the inside is done very well , i think the front seats are kinda uncomfortable, but the space is great for all passengers , best thing i love about it is it looks so sharp , after a good clean i get compliments often on it appearance. definitely a good buy .

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  Went with the KIA hybrid - 2011 Kia Optima
  By gmafb - October 10 - 1:07 pm

  Bought the car and immediately drove to Las Vegas from Phoenix in July. The air conditioned seats were very much appreciated. Gas mileage turned out to be precisely as advertised. Around town mileage is between 35 and 38. Have owned a Prius before and the tranny in the KIA is not CVT, so it handles the power differently. I personally dislike the CVT, so this change is good IMHO. The ride is excellent on the highway and good in town. I chose this car over the Fusion and the Sonata. The Sonatas I drove pulled to the right. The Fusion drove okay, but the ergonomics for the AC controls were downright idiotic and the exterior looks like a streamlined YUGO.

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  Poor road mileage - 2011 Kia Optima
  By ernesto109 - July 1 - 5:44 am

  We have had this car for two years and took it on the first road trip in January, 2013. We drove 6500 miles to Florida and back to the west coast. The average road mileage for the entire highway portion of the trip was 25.7mpg. We checked each tank and the mileage ranged from 24.3 to 27.4. However, the mileage shown on the car computer showed between four and five miles per gallon better that the actual calculations. The car is rated at 34 mpg, so this was very disappointing. The factory will do nothing about it, even though they have given compensation to other Kia model owners. The dealer we purchased it from will not even acknowledge my complaint letter.

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  Value, Features, and Style - Oh My! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By ggunderson2 - May 31 - 1:49 am

  Unlike others I have been getting good mileage - 22 in town, 33 interstate. Engine is adequate and I always have the power I need. Engine noise is loud outside of car, but unlike others I have had no problems with noise levels inside the car. I purchased for $23K with leather, heated and cooled seats, dual sunroof, and 60K warranty. No Japanese, American, or German car comes close to matching the overall value - If you are looking for a family sedan price and compare. Only weaknesses is it rides low so front frame scrapes when backing out of driveway, etc. View outside constrained by thick C-pillars. But rides very nice and has more truck and interior space than large cars.

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  Here we go again - 2011 Kia Optima
  By rockinrn - May 7 - 2:42 am

  I am rewriting the review of my 2011 Optima EX because my original review and many other drivers reviews have disappeared. I have owned the car for 5 months now and I can say that it is a very good value. The interior and exterior styling are very modern and eye-catching. The quality of the materials is above average and the car has many standard features such as Bluetooth, leather-trimmed interior and a 6-speed automatic transmission. However there is bad with the good. The seats are hard and acceleration is unimpressive. AND boy is this car noisy on the freeway. Tire roar/wind noise is so LOUD that it is impossible to carry on a conversation with out practically yelling.

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  So far, so good - 2011 Kia Optima
  By im714 - April 1 - 7:55 pm

  Ive had this car for 6 weeks now and have put 1600 miles on it. The build quality seems to be pretty good although there is a squeak coming from the passenger door. The turbo is a lot of fun to drive, but doesnt make the vehicle a sports car. The vehicle makes the weirdest sound when accelerating but I guess that is normal (sounds as it if has an electric engine or something). Visibility out the back window is limited but you get used to it after a while. I love the exterior design of the car. The interior is good but it could be better. I wish I had gotten the Infinity stereo-the standard is loud but thats about it. As for MPG, the computer estimates 2 MPG higher than the actual number.

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  Test drive review - 2011 Kia Optima
  By canreda6 - January 20 - 12:54 am

  I have been test driving the 2011 Sonata and Optima. Optima looks like an Infiniti or Audi and offers features the Sonata doesnt like hill start assist and dual exhaust on all trims. I am leaning towards the Optima and I really want to buy a manual trans, but Kia decided, in a truly bizarre move, to not allow you to get cruise control with the manual trans. Otherwise the car is excellent. Very good acceleration and you cant hear the valve train noise like you can on the Sonata which is nice. Also seems like the suspension is more upscale than the Sonata. No options allowed or a turbo with a manual trans?? Change the packaging and they would steal sales from BMW/Audi and others...

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  Great car for anyone with realistic expectations - 2011 Kia Optima
  By titan415 - January 17 - 8:51 am

  Im always interested to see how people react to things. Some people drive this car and see it for what it is: a great value and a really good car. And then there are those to say that its not a good car because they have driven, owned, or dreampt of better. Youll see plenty of those reviews here and other places. The reality is that this car is great for the money, offers a huge range of features, has a warranty that should allay any fears about the uknown, and, finally, it looks hot. Its not a perfect car, true. The wide c-pillar creates a blind spot, the engine isnt V6 smooth, and its true that the seats arent the best. But nits aside, this is a seriously good car.

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  Gas Mileage SUCKS! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By westca - January 3 - 5:38 am

  I purchased the EX Premium package and love the panoramic dual sunroof, heated steering wheel, colled and heated seats and the rest. The car does sound like a go-kart (as others have posted) and I am very upset with the 21 mpg (mostly hwy) gas mileage after 2000 miles. Dealer said I need to break it in more, yet I do not read that in the owners manual and wish that was disclosed to me before my purchase! Reading reviews it seems this low gas mileage is a common issue, and hopefully KIA or EPA will do something about it! False advertising and a lemon!