Kia Optima-Hang On Tight Muchacho!

It’s been a while since I’ve driven a fun to drive, car. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to test drive the 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo for a week. This car was very fun to drive.I know when you think of Kia automobiles you may not immediately think chic, stylish, fun, sporty, or fuel efficient. After driving the Optima whenever I think Kia I can’t help but think about it without having those adjectives on my tongue. That and the perfectly adequate phrase "Hang on tight muchacho." from this commercial, which completely represents how I felt while driving it.

This car is lovely to look at from the exterior to the interior with its leather and woven seat trim. Kia redesigned the 2011 Optima, giving it both an interior and exterior re-vamping and a 200-horsepower engine which made it well worth the make-over because it wasn’t just cosmetic Kia did such a good job the Optima was named Best Car of 2011 by Cars.com.The Optima is also affordably priced. The car I drove, the Kia Optima Turbo has an MSRP of just under $31K. With all the upgrades like a 6-speed Sportmatic Transmission (that means you can switch from automatic to manual), 18” tires with a sporty alloy design and a super cool technology package (that was my favorite).As I mentioned earlier this car was a load of fun to drive, but I still felt safe driving with my boys. Among its safety features, there are: dual front advanced airbags, full length side curtain airbags, LATCH tethers for the safety seats, ABS brakes, and electronic stability control.This car is a sedan and it’s got plenty of room for storage of little things, even a “cool” glove box where I stored a few drinks during a road trip. But unlike most sedans it feels like a sports car and I definitely felt like I was driving one a few times.I have to admit I was a little sad to go back to driving my mini-van.

Love & pretty cars,nicóleI was provided with the Optima by Kia to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.