 After test driving the 2013 Mazda CX-5, 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid and coming from a 2010 Nissan Maxima (fully equipped), my wife and I settled on the 2013 Kia Optima after our Maxima's lease expired. For the price, (30k even after negotiation) on a fully equipped SX, we received what feels like a better car than our Nissan. The interior is a little more tame and slightly lower quality, but it is loaded with more features, better styling and very similar performance with much better mileage. I love the option for an 'ECO' mode which improves mileage at the cost of performance. Gas prices were a factor but we did not want to give up fun. This seemed to be a perfect match.