Kia recognizes that midsize sedan buyers want a V6 engine option, but the only thing in the parts bin that will fit into the new 2006.5 Optima is a carryover aluminum 2.7-liter V6 engine from last year’s Optima. Though upgraded with CVVT technology for a 10 percent increase in horsepower, and rated by the EPA to get better fuel economy than significantly more powerful V6 engines in some competitors, the Optima’s V6 is a dog. It makes a measly 185 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 182 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, slurping regular unleaded at a rate of 22 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. And those are EPA figures. If the Optima V6 is as thirsty as the four-cylinder engine in the real world, expect a combined rating of 20 mpg or less.