• Functional and high quality interior
• Lots of buttons but easy to navigate around

Slip behind the wheel of the new Kia Optima Saloon and you’ll be greeted by a high quality, functional interior. You’ll be hard-pushed to find any cheap plastics here, something which was a key focus in the making of the new car.

It’s not the most exciting place to be, but what it lacks in creative flair, the Optima makes up for in refinement and comfort.

The centre console is busy with various buttons and controls, especially if you opt for higher-trimmed cars, but it’s easy enough to navigate around once you’ve had time to familiarise yourself with the cabin.

Finding a comfortable driving position is easy too, thanks to the large and supportive seats on offer and the touchscreen system is intuitive to use, although the resolution is not the best we’ve seen. We’re big fans of the modern 4.2-inch screen on the instrument panel found on 3 and 4 models.

• Excellent suspension soaks up potholes and bumps
• Lots of interior features help make life easier

The ride quality in the new Kia Optima Saloon is excellent and the suspension does a superb job of soaking up all the potholes and bumps littered across UK roads.

There’s plenty of space for all passengers to stretch out over longer journeys too and the front seats are supportive and it’s easy to find a good driving position. If you opt for a top-of-the-range car the panoramic sunroof gives the cabin a light and airy feel, plus in the rear there are window blinds, air-con controls and heated outer seats too.

Standard features like automatic lights and wipers, cruise control, dual-zone air-con and sat-nav will also make life easier out on the road.

We were particularly impressed with the adaptive cruise control (on 4 cars) while on test – ideal if you spend a large part of your commute on the motorway – and the upgraded Harman Kardon sound system offers excellent sound quality.