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What Edmunds Says

The Optima may trail Japanese competitors when it comes to overall polish, but those seeking a well-equipped sedan will find this Kia appealing.

Pros

Excellent warranty, pleasant highway ride, lots of bang for your family sedan buck.

Cons

Noisy four-cylinder engine, some cheap interior bits, ABS isn't available on four-cylinder models.

Available Optima Sedan Models

Use the Edmunds Pricing System to help you get the best deal:

LX

  • 2.4L 4-cyl. engine 
  • Manual transmission 
  • Up to 20 cty/27 hwy mpg 
  • Side/Curtain Airbags 

View All Features & Specs

Used TMV from $3,736

APPRAISE YOUR CAR submodelindex:0,make:Kia, submodel:Optima Sedan, year:2003, trim.trimName:LX, zip:94305

LXs for sale near you

SE

  • 2.4L 4-cyl. engine 
  • Automatic transmission 
  • Up to 19 cty/27 hwy mpg 
  • Side/Curtain Airbags 

View All Features & Specs

Used TMV from $3,835

APPRAISE YOUR CAR submodelindex:1,make:Kia, submodel:Optima Sedan, year:2003, trim.trimName:SE, zip:94305

SEs for sale near you

2003 Kia Optima

What's New for 2003

The Optima gets several revisions for its third year on the market. Most obvious is its new front-end styling, which replaces the Optima's reserved countenance with a more upscale European look -- double light clusters call to mind the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Other changes include new wheel designs, and inside, a new center stack, new door panels and fresh seat fabric. A manual transmission will no longer be available on the four-cylinder SE model; all automatic four-cylinder models will offer Sportmatic manual-shift capability. The LX model now comes with cruise control and a CD player (at the expense of the cassette deck). The SE will include automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, Homelink and Infinity speakers; a wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel is now part of the Leather Package. Lastly, engine horsepower ratings have been lowered following parent-company Hyundai's announcement that it had misstated outputs (the Optima is a corporate twin of the Sonata), but the engines themselves are unchanged.

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Edmunds Customer Stories: Laura's Kia Soul

Laura's old car was costing her a small fortune every month for gas and repairs. She didn't even want to drive her kids to the park any more. But buying a new Kia Soul changed all that.

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