Kia's Optima has undergone a facelift, debuted at the New York motor show, which pushes it into the ring with well-seasoned campaigners like Toyota's arguably quite bland but undeniably successful Camry repmobile/family four-door combo.
The next-gen Optima's front end has morphed into an even more purposeful stance, and its rear has been given a stretch and a new decklid line that gives it the appearance of being longer than it is.
Optima, the first Kia to sell 150,000 in a calendar year (that's half as many again as New Zealand's entire new car segment did in 2012) has been treated to a significant interior and technology overhaul.
A new 4.3-inch LED screen is at the centre in the instrument cluster, and there's an 8-inch screen in the middle of the dashboard that's powered by Android. Blind spot monitoring and rear parking sensors will be an option on the US model.
