ON THE ROAD:

THE Optima is a smart car from a visual sense, giving it immediate kerb appeal. It does not look out of place when parked near to premium brands such as Audi and BMW. In fact, I find it more distinctive.

Kia's slogan is 'the power to surprise' - given their success in recent years it should be no surprise they are able to turn out cars that look as good as this.

Under the gaze of chief design officer Peter Schreyer, Kia has made the Optima both slightly wider and longer - a move designed to make the profile even more sweeping.

There are four versions available in the UK, all powered by a 1.7 litre CRDi turbodiesel engine, paired with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch auto gearbox. Kia says the new units improve efficiency and lower CO2 emissions by up to 25 per cent. An engine stop-start system is standard across the range.

The Optima is powerful enough, but the engine is noisy under acceleration and some of that noise makes its way inside.

The steering is light, which is nice around town, but it doesn't weight up enough for my liking at speed, leading to a lack of confidence.

It takes bends competently and copes pretty well with bumps and undulations.

ON THE INSIDE:

THE Kia's interior is stylish without being overly extravagant. Its more illustrious rivals beat it in this regard, but given a level playing field, the Optima more than holds its own. The dash and switchgear are easy to use and navigate your way around and you sit within reach of everything that is important to a driver.

I like to sit low in a car and I found the design of the Optima affected the view out of the rear. However, this is compensated by the fact that all models, even the entry level car, come with a reversing camera.

WHAT DO YOU GET:

ENTRY level cars badged '2' come with a 7ins satellite navigation system, the aforementioned reversing camera, steering wheel mounted controls, dual automatic air conditioning, cruise control, electrically heated folding mirrors, a six-speaker DAB radio with MP3 compatibility and Bluetooth. They also have 17ins alloys, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, dual projection headlights with static cornering lights and LED daytime running lights. 'Three' and '4' badged cars improve on what is already an impressive list of standard equipment.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT:

KIA is keen to extol the virtues of the Optima when it comes to interior space. The longer wheelbase, length, height and width mean head and legroom are improved in the rear and head and shoulder room are improved in the front. The boot has 510 litres of space - an increase of five litres on the outgoing model and entry has also been improved.

RUNNING COSTS:

KIA say it should be possible to get around 67mpg on the combined cycle. I managed in the mid-40s. CO2 emissions are 110 g/km.

VERDICT:

GOOD looking and well-equipped. Not up there with the best, but worth consideration.

ALTERNATIVES:

HYUNDAI i40, Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia