The 2020 Kia Optima is a stylish, tech-packed, spacious four-door sedan that puts up a good fight in a competitive and crowded segment traditionally ruled by superbly executed offerings from Honda, Mazda, Toyota and Nissan. 

Still, the midsize Optima maintains its own identity by offering buyers a plethora of powertrains. There’s a 185-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-four engine; a 178-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four; or a 245-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. A hybrid that uses a smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to an electric motor that makes a combined 192 horsepower. A plug-in variant also is available that combines a 154-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four, a 67-horsepower electric motor, and a 9.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack to create a total of 202 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of torque.

2020-Kia-Optima
The 2020 Optima boasts a smooth ride thanks to independent rear suspension and softer springs. It’s tuned specifically for comfort and isn’t meant to perform like a canyon-carving sport sedan. Kia

The base 2.4-liter inline-four engine feels hard to motivated and requires a significant jab of the throttle to get a good response. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder is much punchier and comes attached to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The SX with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder helps the Optima perform like a sporty sedan. The six-speed automatic is well paired to the powerful engine and finds its gears quickly to keep things moving. 

The Optima rides very smoothly, thanks to independent rear suspension and softer springs. The result is a bit of body roll when cornering, but it’s expected as Kia’s biggest sedan isn’t a canyon-carving sports sedan and it’s not meant for buyers seeking performance.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired to a six-speed automatic transmission helps the Optima perform like a sporty sedan. Kia

The Optima’s interior is roomy and nicely appointed, even in lower trim levels. The front seats have deep bolsters and good cushioning that helps keep tall passengers comfortable for the long haul. The premium EX is well-appointed with 10-way adjusting power seats—enough for small and tall drivers to find a comfortable driving position—plush leather upholstery with heated seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, a wireless phone charger, wood grain accent trim and adaptive cruise control. The EX Premium adds ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and LED lighting. The range-topping SX upgrades the engine from the 1.6-liter to the 2.0-liter. It also gets navigation and a rocking Harman Kardon 10-speaker sound system with superior sound deadening.

Accommodations for rear seat passengers are less cushy, thanks to a heavily sloping roofline that cuts deep into headroom. Average sized adults will find themselves grazing the headliner in the back seat. A reasonable amount of legroom available. The SX trim has near-luxury levels of sound insulation that helps provide a peaceful ride for everyone.

The premium SX is well-appointed with 10-way adjusting power seats, leather upholstery with heated and ventilated seats, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen. Kia

The Optima has a hefty list of standard advanced driver-assistance safety technology that includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, and automatic high beam headlights. 

Those additions are good enough for the Optima to earn a Top Safety Pick + award from the IIHS. The Kia earned a “Good” rating in all categories, minus the headlights, which were given a “Poor” rating in some configurations for their lack of brightness. The LATCH system ease of use was given an “Acceptable” rating, thanks to the Optima’s back seat padding burying the anchor points.