Kia's Optima has undergone a facelift, debuted in New York, which pushes it into the ring with well-seasoned campaigners like Toyota's arguably quite bland but undeniably successful Camry repmobile/family four-door combo.

The next-gen Optima's front end has morphed into an even more purposeful stance, and its rear has been given a stretch and a new decklid line that gives it the appearance of being longer than it actually is.

Optima, the first car in the Kia universe to sell 150,000 in a calendar year has been treated to a significant interior and technology overhaul.

A new 11cm LED screen sits front and centre in the instrument cluster, and there's a whopping 20cm screen in the middle of the dashboard that's powered by Google's mega-popular Android operating system. Blind spot monitoring and rear parking sensors will be an option on the US model. As we went to press within just a few hours of Kia's New York press conference, which features will be available to Kiwi sedan shoppers has not been confirmed.

It is very likely that the new three-stage selection of driving dynamics - sport, normal and eco - will be available across the range.

The new Optima is expected here later this year.