Kia dealers will love that the redesigned 2006.5 Optima is priced at $16,995, including the $600 destination charge. After discounts, that’s going to make for a compelling Sunday newspaper advertisement. That price provides standard Optima LX trimmings including air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, power heated outside mirrors, a tilt steering wheel, a six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat, a CD player with six speakers, a 60/40 split folding rear seat, an illuminated glove box, a trunk light, a battery saver, and other features. That also includes a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission. Add the optional five-speed automatic transmission with Sportmatic manual gear selection and the Optima LX also includes cruise control, keyless entry, a tilt and telescopic steering column, floor mats, and audio controls on the steering wheel for $18,250. Add to that the optional 2.7-liter V6 engine, and Kia tosses in alloy wheels and snazzy twin exhaust outlets for $19,945.

Buyers seeking a full feature load will want to consider the 2006.5 Kia Optima EX at $19,995, including an automatic transmission. The EX models have alloy wheels, fog lights, solar glass, chrome door handles, metal door scuff plates, a trip computer, foot well lights, door courtesy lights, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. But the main reasons to choose the EX over the LX are for its eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, automatic climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink transmitter, and 360-watt Infinity audio with six-disc CD changer and cassette player. If you want a bigger and hungrier engine, the EX V6 adds horsepower, torque and dual exhaust outlets for $21,000.

Every 2006.5 Kia Optima comes standard with an excellent warranty. Powertrain coverage is 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Bumper-to-bumper protection is five years or 60,000 miles, and you get free roadside assistance for the same time period. Kia protects Optima owners in other ways, too. Standard equipment includes dual-stage front airbags, front passenger detection sensors, front side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags, active front headrests, a tire pressure monitoring system, and front seatbelts with pretensioners and force limiters. Antilock brakes with brake assist, traction control, and stability control are a packaged option for $600, but only on LX V6, EX, and EX V6. If you get the LX four-cylinder, you can’t have these important safety technologies.

You can, however, look slicker than that snowy road you’re spinning around on with the LX Appearance Package, which runs $1,000 on the four-cylinder version and $800 if you’ve chosen the V6. This package requires the purchase of the optional automatic transmission and adds great-looking 17-inch alloy wheels wearing Michelin performance tires, a blacked-out grille and headlights, fog lights, a Supervision gauge cluster, a trip computer, automatic headlights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, aluminum interior trim, and silver accent interior door handles. A similar package is offered on the EX models, but includes black leather upholstery and black interior trim for $1,500.

If you want leather seats on your Optima EX but want to keep the chrome-trimmed grille and 16-inch wheels that come standard on this model, select the Leather Package for $1,300. It adds leather seats, a power four-way front passenger’s seat, heated front seats, power adjustable pedals, and a rear window manual sunshade. The Optima EX, regardless of whether you’ve selected the Appearance Package or the Leather Package, can be equipped with an $800 power sunroof that features one-touch operation for opening but not closing. The EX models can also be painted a special Pearl White color for $100, a $200 rear spoiler can be added to any Optima, and the only option for the base LX with a four-cylinder engine and the manual transmission is floor mats for $85.