2019 Kia Optima SX Turbo is aging gracefully
It may be a couple of years older than the more recently redesigned competition, but the Kia Optima still holds its own with the best in the segment.
The Southern California native briefly lived in Sydney, and is proud to have developed a barely passable Aussie accent. He also serves on the board of directors of the Motor Press Guild. When not reviewing cars or nerding out on OEM premium audio, you can find manual-labor-averse Manuel doing his best to convince his closest friends to fix the very Porsche that delivered him home.
The fourth-generation Kia Optima went on sale in the fall of 2015 and just received some updates for 2019, including a more aggressive front bumper and restyled headlights.
Out back, the taillights get a refresh as well. The visual updates are faint, but the Kia Stinger influence is more apparent than before.
The 2019 Kia Optima starts at $22,900 in its base LX trim. The top-spec SX starts at $31,900 and both prices exclude $920 for destination.
The Optima's interior is a nice place to be and standard tech like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto help complement cabin comfort.
Inside that trunk, there's 15.9 cubic feet of cargo space, although it seems more spacious back there than the numbers suggest.
Our tester is powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder producing 245 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.
The six-speed automatic transmission lacks the extra gears you'll find with competitors, but it works just fine and shifts smoothly to boot.
The Optima SX Turbo gets an EPA-estimated 21 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg highway.
We averaged 26.1 mpg during our week with it.
Click or scroll further for more photos of the 2019 Kia Optima SX Turbo.
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