2019 KIA Optima vs 2019 Nissan Altima

2019 KIA Optima vs 2019 Nissan Altima

Looking for a new sedan to take on the roads around Waukegan? Classic KIA and the 2019 KIA Optima should both be on your short list. If you’re a savvy shopper — most of our customers are — you’re probably doing some comparison shopping as well, which is why we’re taking some time to see how our favorite mid-sized sedan stacks up against the popular 2019 Nissan Altima.

2019 KIA Optima

The 2019 KIA Optima gets a mid-generation redesign from Peter Schreyer that plays up the family resemblance to the KIA Stinger. The car’s cabin gets added noise reduction, and — in common with other new KIA cars — an interior that’s a cut above others in the segment.  

Highlighting the safety front is a five-star NHTSA safety rating, complemented by an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus. These are earned with a significant assist from the standard Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The KIA UVO infotainment system has standard Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, with upper trims treated to a navigation add-on that’s updated twice per year, gratis.

2019 Nissan Altima

The Nissan Altima earns an IIHS Top Safety Pick (it falls shy of the Plus designation), and hasn’t been rated by the NHTSA yet. One disadvantage for the Nissan Altima: you need to go higher in the trim levels to take advantage of many active safety features that are standard equipment in the KIA model, and the same holds true of infotainment options (you won’t find smartphone mirroring in the lower Nissan trim levels).

Both Nissan Altima engines have slightly higher horsepower, though the difference barely registers on both cars’ higher-specced engines. Another difference doesn’t lend itself to easy “scoring,” since the Nissan Altima offers all-wheel drive but does not — unlike the KIA Optima — offer a hybrid version. Other differences, like the choice of automatic transmissions in the new KIA sedan versus the CVT offered in its Nissan competitor, are similarly subjective.

While it’s been overshadowed by the SUV segment, sedans are still plenty competitive — and the 2019 KIA Optima more than holds its own. Given that there are significant differences between both of these cars, assigning a clear winner really comes down to driver’s choice. To that end, a visit to your KIA dealership serving Kenosha WI gets you the answers you need and a test drive from our showroom at 425 North Green Bay Road.