First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/kia/" rel="tag">Kia</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/" rel="tag">First Drive</a></p><em><big>Meet the Sonata 2.0T's Evil Twin</big></em><br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/03-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd-opt.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><sma ll>2011 Kia Optima 2.0T - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
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By this point, you should know all about the excellent new turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine from <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/hyundai">Hyundai</a> and, by extension, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/kia">Kia</a>. We've spent plenty of pixels gushing about the engine's power and efficiency when lodged in the nose of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/sonata">2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T</a>, and judging from our time behind the wheel of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/optima">2011 Kia Optima 2.0T</a>, the engine is no less at home lighting up the tires of the newest sedan from Kia. Buyers looking for a four-door with a little more edge than the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/accord">Honda Accord</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/accord">Toyota Camry</a> or even the embiggened Sonata will be happy to see that the newest interpretation of the Optima wears some seriously aggressive sheetmetal outside to go with some of the best power and fuel-efficiency in the mid-sized sedan class.<br />
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Kia says that the Optima 2.0T was built to be the Sonata's more menacing cousin, and in addition to the sedan's brawny lines and 274-horsepower four-cylinder turbo, the company's engineers folded in a firmer suspension and reworked power steering system for a more athletic driving experience. The changes may not be enough for us to call the 2011 Optima 2.0T a sport sedan, but they do serve to give the vehicle a significantly different flavor compared to the 2011 Sonata. We jumped into the driver's seat of the 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T SX to find out just what those changes meant on the road. <br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive-review-road-test/#continued">Continue reading</a>...<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive">2011 Kia Optima 2.0T: First Drive</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/03-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" title="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/01-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" title="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/04-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" title="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/02-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" title="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/05-2011-kia-optima-20t-fd_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" title="2011 Kia Optima 2.0T" /></a></div><br />
<strong><em><font size="1">Photos copyright (C)2010 Zach Bowman / AOL</font></em></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive-review-road-test/">First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19769395/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-kia-optima-2-0t-first-drive-review-road-test/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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