2005 Kia Optima Specs

4 powertrain configurations on federal record for the 2005 Kia Optima: 2.4L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 2.7L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, rated up to 23 MPG combined by the EPA.

Source: EPA federal records (fueleconomy.gov) · Updated 2026-10-26 · By CarWhere Research

2005 Kia Optima engines, transmissions, drivetrains and EPA gas mileage
EngineTransmissionDrivetrainCityHighwayCombined
2.4L 4-cyl Regular GasolineAutomatic 4-spdFront-Wheel Drive192822
2.4L 4-cyl Regular GasolineManual 5-spdFront-Wheel Drive202723
2.7L 6-cyl Regular GasolineAutomatic 4-spdFront-Wheel Drive182521
2.7L 6-cyl Regular GasolineManual 5-spdFront-Wheel Drive182621

Optima by year

Buying a used Optima? Specs are the easy half.

Check which Optima years to avoid (federal complaint and recall records), then check the specific car: the Full VIN Report shows that VIN's factory build, recall record, and market history before you pay for it.

Frequently asked questions

What engines does the 2005 Kia Optima have?

2 engines on federal record: 2.4L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 2.7L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, offered with Automatic 4-spd, Manual 5-spd and Front-Wheel Drive. The full per-configuration table is above.

What gas mileage does the 2005 Kia Optima get?

EPA combined ratings run 21–23 MPG depending on configuration — the table above shows city/highway/combined for each engine, transmission, and drivetrain.

Is 2005 a good year for the Kia Optima?

Specs don't answer that — the federal complaint and recall record does. See the Kia Optima year-by-year reliability verdicts at carwhere.com/research/years-to-avoid/kia/optima, built from NHTSA data.

How do I get the specs for my exact VIN?

These are the federal-record configurations for the 2005 Kia Optima overall. For one specific vehicle — its exact engine, trim, factory options, and original window sticker — decode the 17-character VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. EPA's public vehicle dataset (fueleconomy.gov) — the federal record of every US-market configuration since 1984 — refreshed 2026-10-26. Public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).