2016 Kia Optima Earns Kelley Blue Book's Best Buy Award

Kia's passionately designed and obsessively crafted midsize sedan garners top honors

- All-new 2016 Optima is part of an elite group of 12 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award Winners

- Kia's head-turning design, driving dynamics, and value continue to garner praise

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IRVINE, CA -- November 12, 2015: Kia Motors America's (KMA) passionately designed and obsessively crafted all-new 2016 Optima is the Best Buy of the Year among midsize cars according to Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. With an extensive yearlong data collection process, vehicle testing and evaluation of 2016 model-year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book narrowed the list of 49 Best Buy Award Finalists down to an elite group of 12 winners.

"The all-new 2016 Optima has matured in all the right ways, from the European sport-sedan design to the premium interior materials to its vastly improved ride and handling," said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning KMA. "To be recognized by the experts at Kelley Blue Book as a Best Buy among some of the toughest competition in the industry is a true honor and strong indication that the all-new Optima is poised to continue its sales success and the ongoing elevation of the Kia brand."

The Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards provide a significant service to consumers by identifying the top 2016 model-year vehicles. More than 300 new-car models were tested and evaluated in order to determine the finalists and, ultimately, the winners.

"We at Kelley Blue Book named the 2016 Kia Optima the Best Buy in a very crowded and competitive field of midsize cars because its combination of design, features, driving dynamics and value topped the competition," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. "No single attribute set the Optima apart; instead it was the all-new Optima's combination of high-value elements that prompted us to bestow on it our prestigious Best Buy Award."

About the 2016 Optima

Conceived under the watchful eye of Kia's president and chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, with modern and instantly recognizable design cues, the Optima maintains its athletic identity but rides on a chassis that is longer, wider and stiffer for improved ride and handling and a more spacious cabin. Available with three engine choices, including a new 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that's mated to a seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), the Optima is more confident than ever on the road. The all-new Optima's roomier, more luxurious cabin features an impressive level of craftsmanship that comes standard across five trim levels – LX, LX 1.6T, EX, SX and SXL. The all-new Optima is built at Kia's plant in West Point, Georgia*.