2008 Kia Optima Consumer Reviews

OPTIMA

Written by: ron on 09/24/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

Took it home and took it right back the next morning. It came off the truck with a bad alignment. Pulled to the right. It took about 6-8 days to fix. I asked where is my car? Oh it's at Nissan. What Nissan? yeah, they have the alignment machine. I'm like why don't the kia dealer have the equipment necessary to support the warranty? The salesmen asked me do I know how much that cost like i cared. The car has been great since i got it back. 1800 mi now. Took the family to Bolxi, MS and it did fine. Gas mileage great compared to my 6.0 L silverado. With $3000 cash back i walked out the door for LX model $14,600

Favorite Features

Tight shocks and cold AC good sound system

Suggested Improvements

Afraid Kia may not fix any problem that may occur without haggle. Cheap gray seat cloth. Cheap interior door handles.

5 out 14 people found this review helpful

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Great little car for the downsizer

Written by: bumpergirl on 09/22/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I 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!

Favorite Features

Interior design, and feel. Luxury for price. Similar in appearance to high end vehicles. All comments mentioned by others.

Suggested Improvements

Rolls when reversing on a hill! Rolls when stopping on a hill and acts like a manual car. Need to fix this! Rear defogger, slow to start and lines really close together. Road noise is kind of hard and abrasive. Head space getting into car and ability to grab seat belt if seat is forward.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Power to Surprise

Written by: Streeter on 09/18/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I agree with Kia's 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). We'll see what I think after 100,000 miles but so far I am impressed.

Favorite Features

Auto temp control, audio controls on the steering wheel, low road and engine noise. Not sure if I will like the tire pressure monitoring system. We'll see if there are any problems when I put on a new set of tires.

Suggested Improvements

Trunk is sort of hard to lift. My kids find the headrests uncomfortable. Seems to downshift excessively when going up hills.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Great Car

Written by: 6Dogwood on 08/31/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

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.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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WOW, says it for me.

Written by: BigChris on 08/25/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

As with many people my bias toward Kia was negative based on second hand knowledge of prior year models BUT Wow, I am so far amazed. I gave the car a 9/10 on Interior only because I feel the plushness of the cloth seat fabric does not fully live up to the quality level of this car. I am impressed with how this car measures up to my test drives in similar Lexus, Toyota, Volvo, and Mazda vehicles. Sweet! The cabin is solid and quite. Rear seat leg room and comfort beyond expectation. Ride, Steering, and Handling ... ahhhh ... so good. Love the Deep Sea Blue paint. Trunk - Deep & Wide. Standard sound system, pretty darn good, and that's VERY important to me. A/C works very well even in Texas.

Favorite Features

Though the car has electric locks, the other doors do not automatically unlock when I open the driver or passenger door with the key. It is so quite inside that I can't hear the engine running and sometimes stall the car (M/T). Wish seatbelt shoulder point went higher.

Suggested Improvements

Slightly more plush cloth on interior. Include the upper compartment on the center console for LX model. Make the glove box larger. And tell people that the $3000 rebate does not apply if you finance the vehicle.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Value-vs-Pre-Conceived value

Written by: bilwhi on 08/22/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

With the exceptions of the following. Hard seats, blind spots, cheesy interior door handles, misleading mpg, it is a great little car. Known'n then what I know now, I would have never traded my overly-dependable 1989 olds 98 that delivered a honest 31 mpg & more comfort & mpg than Kia ever thought possible. Bottom line is like the car but I loved my olds!

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Amazing Car! Worth every penny!

Written by: Marjorie on 08/10/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I've owned Hondas, Camrys, and other trendy cars in the past, but this is by far the best in terms of safety, price, and smooth riding. I love this car! Too bad people think it's a cheap car b/c of the name brand, but it's very reliable, rides smoothly, very safe 5 star-crash safety testing, 6 airbags, double safety bars on doors, etc. This car is by far better than any Honda, Camry, or Nissan in terms of gas mileage, price, warranty and safety. I highly recommend it to anyone buying a new car. You can't beat the warranty. I got free oil changes for 80K miles:)

Favorite Features

The 5 star safety crash testing. The six airbags including side airbags. The 100K mile warranty and the free oil changes for 80K miles. The great gas mileage.

Suggested Improvements

None, it's great the way it is.

6 out 7 people found this review helpful

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More for less

Written by: rick vanbarg on 07/25/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I 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 I'm very pleased with this car. Kia's image is the only thing bringing this company down, give them a couple more years and your looking at the next Honda or Toyota. Can't wait to see whats next for them.

Favorite Features

The whole lay out of the app. Pkg. Dash.

Suggested Improvements

Needs lumbar support.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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So far so good

Written by: Eric on 07/23/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I really like this car. Especially when compared to much more pricey models in its class. Drove Altima, Honda, and others, but landed with this car due to price and warranty. Paid 16K for the upgraded model with leather, etc. Very pleased.

Favorite Features

Interior front seat controls and leather.

Suggested Improvements

Maybe a small issue with a very slight hesitation on attempted quick starts. This may be to help with fuel economy. Here's hoping. For those concerned with fuel light, make sure you turn your gas cap at least three clicks or it will come on in any car.

7 out 7 people found this review helpful

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Surprised at the Value

Written by: Suprised Kia Guy on 07/19/2008

Vehicle

2008 Kia Optima LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

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 $$.

Favorite Features

Radio controls on stereo, remote trunk release. Control layout.

Suggested Improvements

Better mileage out of 4 cylinder. Make ABS standard on LX model.

3 out 4 people found this review helpful

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