The new Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata both recently benefited from comprehensive re-designs and in this clip out of Korea, the duo are compared side-by-side.
From the outside, both the new Optima and Sonata are much more striking than their predecessors. Starting with the latest Sonata, it’s impossible not to notice the daytime running lights which run along the base of the headlights and stretch up along the hood.
Depending on the market and guise that it’s sold in, the front grille of the Hyundai differs greatly in size. The model featured in this clip features quite a small grille while U.S.-spec models have a much larger grille.
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The Korean market 2021 Kia Optima / K5’s interior
As for the rear of the new Sonata, it is dominated by angular taillights and an LED light bar stretching the width of the trunk lid.
We think the Sonata looks good but compared to the Kia Optima, believe it looks a little plain. This is most evident at the front where the Kia adopts a far more radical design with futuristic headlights and the brand’s tiger nose grille.
Inside, the Optima is also much more modern and luxurious. It features a larger infotainment screen than the Hyundai while also sporting a fully digital gauge cluster.
Interestingly, the latest Optima, currently sold as the K5 in South Korea, has yet to be launched in the United States. All signs point towards the car landing locally at some stage this year. In December, Kia revealed it had yet to settle on a name for the new car in the U.S.