If confession is good for the soul, mine will be cleansed. I’ve never had too much regard for the Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai. Oh sure, the Kia Sportage is not a bad little entry level SUV, but I have always viewed both of these manufacturers as posers not players, bottom feeding on the rejects of Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Ford.

In fact, I had at one time told the fleet managers that supply us with these cars, that I wouldn’t drive any of those little Korean sh*tboxes since that isn’t our reader demographic, and that if they brought me one, I’d spend the week tooling around in my own F250 4X4. Imagine their surprise when I called and actually requested the Optima.

What got me curious was the buzz from the other writers at a manufacturers lunch I attended in conjunction with the Portland (Oregon) Auto Show.

What turned around Kia’s fortunes was that in 1999, Hyundai acquired a controlling interest in Kia, which spawned the Hyundai Automotive Group (HAG). The firm is now Korea’s equivalent of General Motors.

Like GM, it also looks like they’ve gotten a serious handle on the brand management and marketing thing.

If I had any doubts, the new Kia Optima was the proverbial slap up the side of the head with a 2 X 4. This is a surprisingly good car — especially since it stickered at just over $22,000 loaded up with just about everything but leather and a fancy multi-disk CD changer.

The all-new top of the line Kia, which appears to be an only child, is in reality a fraternal twin of the Hyundai Sonata. Sound familiar? Think Chevy Lumina, Olds Intrigue, Pontiac Grand Am, Buick LeSabre, etc.

This is the first attempt to deliver the leveraged synergies and economies of scale mergers always produce. Like the parents of most merged companies, the HAG promised individuality among its brands, so that’s why they’re fraternal twins where sheet metal is concerned. But it ends there — just like it does at GM.

The Optima’s styling is blatantly borrowed from more upscale brands. Head on, the grille only seems to be missing Cadillac’s wreath and crest while the chrome-trimmed side-window profile and the entire tail end suggest BMW.

The design presents a distinctive and appealing product that isn’t easily confused with the wide-eyed and more rounded Sonata — any more than the Grand Am is mistaken for an Intrigue — although the Optima and Sonata share the same doors, roof, and windshield.

Upscale-brand trimmings are everywhere as well. For example, the ignition key integrates all the remote functions just like a Lexus or BMW and the rear map pockets are rigid panels snugged to the seatback by elastic straps — just like a BMW 7 series. The radio/cassette/CD player loudly boasts 120 watts’ worth of big time sound. There’s even a first-aid kit in the trunk.

The automatic transmission on our SE V-6 model also featured the Sportmatic manumatic shifting which isn’t available on the Hyundai.

However, just like GM, it’s under the sheet metal the shared genetics come into play.

Under the hood both brands both offer a pair of DOHC four-valve engines: a 149 horse, 2.4-liter four-banger or a 170 horsepower, 2.5-liter V-6. Each is suspended by unequal-length control arms in front and multilinks in the rear. Unfortunately, there are no suspension tuning differences between either chassis.

The 170 horse V6, which was under the hood of our test model, seemed to me to be a little lacking in low end torque, although it will do the 0-60 drill in 8.7 seconds. That’s about a second quicker than the Sonata and puts the Optima near the head of the $20,000-sedan line.

Behind the wheel, the Kia’s steering seems to have been improved somewhat over the Sonata’s, although it’s a little light for my taste and I did experience some kickback in bumpy turns. Also, the Optima SE has basically the same cushy ride as its sibling — plush on the highway with nose dives on braking, and rises under acceleration. It seems to me the razor-thin rear anti-roll bar limits roll control.

Something that didn’t make sense to me is the fact the less sporty Sonata is offered with a V-6 and manual transmission, while the Optima is not.

The base Optima LX starts at $15,794 with a four-cylinder engine, and $18,994 with the V6. The standard LX package includes air conditioning, power windows, door locks, mirrors and side airbags. The SE adds alloy wheels, a sunroof, keyless entry, cruise, a CD player, and a power driver’s seat. ABS is an extra $795, but it’s only available on V-6-equipped Optimas.

Whines:
Chassis rigidity trails the leading Japanese and American brands noticeably. When the car hits a bump, the driver gets a sense of each extremity moving slightly out of sync with the others. Everything moves in unison in more rigid cars. The automatic is slow to downshift.

Applause:
The Kia Optima SE is a mid-size sedan that offers more interior room and a lot more standard equipment for the money. And, it does feature that epic five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty with extended 10/100,000 powertrain coverage and five-years of roadside assistance.

Bottom Line:
An LX V-6 clearly represents the best value, as top-of-the-line SEs such as our test model go head-to-head with lesser equipped competitors like the Accord, Camry, Taurus and Galant. In my view, for the money, the Kia Optima is a great choice for folks who care more about value, comfort and convenience than handling and quarter-mile times.