THE latest in a procession of easy on the eye models from Kia has arrived in the form of the all-new Optima medium sedan.
Available in just one equipment grade priced at a value-packed $36,990, the new Optima brandishes undeniably sexy styling, a shed-full of luxury equipment, class-leading refinement and a locally developed ride/handling package.
But can Australian buyers look beyond the fast-growing Korean brand's badge to consider owning what will be one of the most convincing new sedan packages released here this year?

Magentis
Released: August 2006
Ended: April 2009
Family Tree: OptimaTHE Magentis replaced Kia’s original 2001 Optima, which in turn replaced the 1980s Mazda 626-based Credos before it, in 2006.
A pleasantly presented medium-sized sedan brimming with an alphabet soup of safety-related acronyms – including ESC – and a load of standard features, the four-cylinder petrol-powered Magentis was later joined by the more convincing CRD turbo-diesel.
Despite the fact the petrol Magentis could be had for mid-range small-car cash – and the CRD was also priced under $30,000 – Kia’s last medium sedan was a dismal sales failure Down Under, leading to its discontinuation in early 2009.
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