Used 2013 Kia Optima for sale 

The Kia Optima is offered in three trims, namely LX, EX, and SX. The price starts from $21,350 and goes all the way up to $26,800 for the top trim. Standard fitment on all the trims includes power accessories, 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, cruise control, air-conditioning, and a tilt-and-telescopic adjustable steering wheel. The LX trim gets a Convenience Package that adds three extra features, namely the 8-way powered driver seat, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and driver lumbar adjustment. The LX and the EX trims get an optional Technology package that adds dual-zone automatic climate control and some infotainment features. 

The EX trim gets an optional Premium package that adds a sunroof, rear-view camera, power-folding mirrors, heated steering wheel and rear seats, heated and ventilated front seats, and driver memory functions. The SX trim gets a Limited package that adds 18-inch chrome wheels, LED running lights, navigation system, electronic parking brake, first aid kit, red-painted brake calipers, and additional chrome trim. What is surprising among the optional packages is that on the EX and SX, you can either have the Uvo interface or the Uvo navigation but not both.

We Recommend 

For the most practical use of this car at a great price, we suggest the Kia Optima’s EX trim. The EX sits between the other two trims, and it comes as a great car. The performance is decent, and the standard features on the car are sufficient. We also recommend the Premium and Technology package with the EX. If you want more power, then we recommend the top-end SX. However, the extra packages will cost you more, and considering that we recommend the EX trim.

The Kia Optima’s LX and EX trims are powered by a 2.4L I-4 engine that produces an output of 200 hp @6300 rpm and produces a torque of 186 lb.-ft @4250 rpm. The LX has the choice between a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 6-speed automatic transmission is standard on the EX-trim.

The SX trim is powered by a turbocharged 2.0L I-4 engine that produces 274 hp @6000 rpm and a torque of 269 lb.-ft @1750 rpm. A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard here too. All the trims come as front-wheel drive only. The manual has a slight edge over the automatic in terms of fuel economy.

The Hyundai Sonata is the cheapest of the three, and also the slowest of the three. It is behind its friend Kia by 0.1 seconds in the 0-60 mph mark. A similar story can be said about them regarding the quarter-mile time and the top speed too. The Honda, on the other hand, offers the quickest performance of the lot, with a 0-60 mph time of 7.4 seconds. It's surprising that even after having a lead over the other two by nearly a second, the Honda is just 0.3 seconds quicker in the quarter-mile time. Moreover, the Accord has the lowest top speed as well, at 124 mph.

The Optima’s fuel economy is decent on both engines. The Optima’s base 2.4L engine combined with any of the transmissions returns healthy figures of 24/35 (city/highway). The more powerful turbocharged 2.0L engine returns a pretty good fuel economy of 22/34 (city/highway). Note that all these numbers are EPA estimated, so there might be changes to the figures in reality.

The Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata both have the same fuel capacity at 18.5-gallons. The Hyundai also returns economy numbers of 24/35 (city/highway), and hence these both cars have a city range of 444 miles and a highway range of 647 miles. The Honda falls behind these two, with a range of 412/584 miles (city/highway) on a tank capacity of 17.2-gallons. These numbers are not shabby for the Honda, although they do fall significantly behind the other two cars.

The Kia’s interior is supreme in this segment and very classy. The interior has a European flair to it. The hard plastics are well-textured, and there are a lot of soft-touch materials used in the cabin. The Uvo (pronounced “yoo-voh”), Kia’s electronic system is easy to use and quite user-friendly.

The buttons, knobs, and controls are sturdy and feel premium. Overall, the fit and finish offered in Kia’s interior is excellent when compared to the rivals in this family car segment. The space inside on the Kia is excellent and spacious as well. The front seats offer a lot of legroom, are wide, and have enough headroom as well.

Some might find the seats of the Kia less supportive and might prefer the Accord or the Sonata’s seating. The rear has a similar story, but the sloping roofline eats into the Kia headroom in the rear. The rear offers adequate legroom as well. Tall passengers might have to be extra careful with the headroom if the sunroof is taken as it decreases the headroom even more. The trunk space on the Kia is similar to the Honda’s at 15.4 cubic feet, which is about the average for this class. The 16.4 cubic feet trunk on the Sonata is 1 cubic foot bigger than the rivals and is above the average trunk size in this class. Major interior features include-

• Leather upholstery
• Dual-zone front climate control
• Keyless ignition
• 8-way powered seats
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• Heated and ventilated front seats

How intuitive is the 2013 Kia Optima’s infotainment system?

The Optima has a basic infotainment system, but even on the base trims, it is feature-packed with all the necessary practical features. Standard features include a CD player, iPod/USB interface, auxiliary audio jack, Bluetooth connectivity, and a 6-speaker sound system. The Technology package adds an 8-speaker Infinity audio system, HD radio, and navigation with real-time traffic updates. The LX and SX trims get the option of either the Uvo interface or navigation. Some infotainment features include:

• Uvo interface/ Uvo navigation
• Infinity 8-speaker premium audio system
• Satellite radio
• Bluetooth connectivity
• FM/AM stereo
• HD Radio

Although the car’s interior is similar to the Sonata’s, the exterior is a different story. The Kia Optima’s exterior bears an expressive styling in this class compared to the rivals. The car looks far sportier than the other cars, and the design tends to grow on you.

The front shows stretched, sharp headlamps with the blackout grille. The side shows the chrome inserts along the window line and a sloping coupe-like roofline. The rear is simple and well laid out with a tall stance, sporting two chrome-lined exhausts. However, the plastic inserts at the back of the fender stand out in this otherwise clean and neat look.

Comparatively, the Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata as well as the Honda Accord come very close to each other in terms of their proportions. The Accord is longer than the Kia by around half an inch. The Accord’s width is also more than the other two cars, while the Kia Optima has the least width of these three. The Sonata is slightly taller than the other two. All the cars have identical wheelbase dimensions. The Hyundai Sonata is the heaviest of them all at 3,316 lbs. Some exterior features on the Kia Optima are:

• 19-inch wheels
• Heated side mirrors
• Foglamps
• HID headlights
• LED running lamps
• Panoramic Sunroof

The 2013 Kia Optima has an overall 5/5-star rating in the crash tests. The IIHS ranked the 2013 Kia Optima “Good” in their overall safety ratings. All trims come standard with hill assist control, front active head restraints, antilock disc brakes with brake assist, traction control, stability control, and front and side airbags. All trims get a rear-view camera as an optional. The SX trim also gets a first aid kit. Other important safety features available are:

• ABS on all the wheels
• Front ventilated discs, rear solid discs
• Remote anti-theft alarm system
• Turn signal mirrors
• Emergency braking assist
• Tire Pressure monitoring

The 2013 Kia Optima is an upmarket car. Not in the terms of power, but in terms of the kind of experience it offers. It is a family car, and it is made perfectly for the same with its top safety features, loaded interior, astonishing looks, and engines on offer. There cannot be a better value proposition in front of you other than the Kia Optima in this segment. It is not your traditional family car. If you want something more traditional, then it's better to go with the Accord or the Sonata. But in case you want to explore new avenues, we surely recommend the 2013 Kia Optima.