THE Optima's engine is a familiar unit coming straight from the Hyundai Sonata - excuse us if this is sounding like a cracked record by now. It is a quad-cam, four-valves-per-cylinder V6 with sequential fuel injection. The engine produces 127kW at 6000rpm and precisely 229.4Nm at 4000rpm, slightly ahead of the 2.5-litre Holden Vectra V6 on both counts. Kia claims 10.5L/100km combined fuel consumption for the manual Optima and 11.5 for the automatic. The Optima uses normal unleaded fuel. Kia claims that the use of aluminium block and heads reduces weight by 45 per cent compared with an iron block.