The Optima's interior is as conventional as its exterior, and there's little here that will either surprise or confound the new driver. The overall quality of materials seems up to snuff, the color matches are good and the layout appropriate. The front bucket seats are comfortable and well suited for the kind of driving expected for the Optima, with enough fore-and-aft travel to accommodate the longest of legs. The back seat is a little more snug, and putting three adults in back is requesting a bit more intimacy than most are accustomed to. A useful feature, however, is the 60/40 folding rear seatback (not available on the Sonata, by the way), which increases the versatility of the Optima. Trunk size is adequate, with 13.6 cubic feet of cargo space compared with the Honda Accord's 14.1 cubic feet. Optima's trunk lid has articulated hinges that don't impinge on luggage space or crush that bag of groceries, a nice feature.
Our test Optima had the leather interior treatment, nicely finished to complement the rest of the interior and more durable than the standard cloth upholstery, which we have not seen. The interior also had genuine wood trim, though it was so overfinished that it and the imitation wood trim also used were difficult to differentiate, which one could suppose is a point in favor of the artificial stuff.