Luxury car alternatives for less

Pull up in this car and a lot of people will mistake it for a luxury model until they notice the Kia badge. Fun to drive and loaded with technology,the turbocharged Kia also has more horsepower than a base 3-series. It even beats the 3-series from zero-to-sixty by almost two seconds, according to AOL Autos.

For all that, the Kia Optima SX costs about $10,000 less than a BMW 3-series to start.

And while the materials might not be quite as nice as those you'll find inside a BMW, the Optima's interior is still very sharp looking. You can also get a surprising array of technology and comfort features without driving the price through the (available panoramic sun) roof.

Yes, we are comparing a front-wheel-drive Kia to a rear-wheel-drive BMW, but for a savings of $10,000 on a car this nice, we could live with that.

NEXT: Large luxury sedan