Whoever said a compact fuel-sipping hybrid couldn’t also be cool?

Kia once built cheap little cars for economically-challenged drivers that nobody would compare to Buick, Lexus, or Lincoln. Auto correspondent Casey Williams says that is no longer the case.

The South Korean automakers will pay $41.2 million to 33 states and the District of Columbia. The fine is the latest in the ongoing fallout from misstated mileage numbers on over 1.2 million vehicles in the U.S.

If we just looked at the price tag, most mid-size sedan drivers would be thrilled. Yet, the 2016 Optima takes all of the style and poise of the previous generation and advances it incrementally with additional refinement and technology.