Like Hyundai, Kia makes its name with a huge swath of high-tech features available at a low price point. For the Optima, that includes safety features that are rapidly becoming expected, such as blind-spot detection, a standard rear-view camera, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking. Surprising niceties include a 360-degree all-around camera system and Kia’s effective HID headlights, which include dynamic cornering.

It is, in short, a very nicely equipped car with any number of features for an eager salesman to point to as talking points. However, I can’t help but feel like the Optima is perhaps a bit too tame for a bumptious company like Kia. Mid-size sedans sell on value, but this car faces considerable competition from the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata.

The Soul is the success that few expected, but that’s because it offers a style and a driving experience you can’t get elsewhere. The Optima’s competition is far fiercer, and from here this evolutionary change might not be enough to let it surge ahead in the pack.

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