2021 K5

Exterior Design

Interior Design

Safety & Technology

Driving Impressions

Performance

"Optima is gone."

Kia's been on a hot streak lately with the extremely popular Telluride, Seltos, brand new Sorento, and we finally get to the K5. The Optima is dead, and the K5 takes its place. Despite the huge name change to an unfamiliar name, will this very unknown name give the K5 a chance in the dying midsize sedan segment or will it be a forgotten cause (ahem, K900)?

Trim Levels

Trim levels and pricing applies to 2021 model year K5.

LX

MSRP $23,490

LXS

MSRP $24,490

(AWD +$2,100)

GT-Line

MSRP $25,390

(AWD +$2,100)

EX

MSRP $27,990

GT (Avail. Nov.)

MSRP $30,490

Exterior Design

The midsize sedan segment is dying rapidly. There's some decent lookers like the Ford Fusion and the Honda Accord, but then we have both the Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5 that break the mold and bring us amazing and sharp designs. Speaking of that, you wouldn't know that the K5 and Sonata are actually twins. That's because Hyundai and Kia are very good at differentiating themselves. For the K5, LED headlights are standard, but upgraded projector lights come on the GT-Line equipped with the GT-Line Premium Package. The K5 gets Kia next generation grille, now called "Tiger Face" which wraps into the headlights. On all trims of the K5, you get what Kia calls the "Heartbeat" as the DRLs. Oddly, they are amber, not white like many are. Not my preference, but I think its a good fit for the K5.

Around the side, the K5 gains a lot of Stinger design cues, including the sloping roof and the more aggressive body lines. The GT-Line and EX trims come with an 18-inch rim, where the LX and LXS get a gray-painted 17-inch rim, where the new GT trim gets a more aggressive set of 18-inch rims shown here. The side of the K5 looks really sharp. In addition, the characteristic chrome strip that ran across the top of the windows now extends the whole way around the back window over to the other side. Not really a fan of it, I'd personally wrap it black. But on this blue, I will admit it fits quite well.

Out back, I notice there's a little bit of Cadenza vibes. That's noticeable since you have a full-width light bar, but instead of a solid line, Kia made cuts that actually get shorter as you get close to the middle. The K5 GT will be the only trim with quad exhaust ports. The rest will get a dual-tip housed on both sides or a hidden (FAKE) single tip. Kia has now joined the trend of fake exhaust tips. That's surely going to affect the REVIEWS Score for Innovation. Although the GT-Line has fake exhaust tips, they are half-fake, as the pieces are just a finisher and the real tip comes out just short of it. I don't really mind that. The K5 also gets a shockingly aggressive rear diffuser. Really fits the sporting look of the K5.

Interior Design

The K5 further takes the Stinger's design cues once you get into the interior. The shift lever looks like it was taken straight out of the Stinger, and the cockpit feels a bit more Stinger than K5.

I have one very big negative. The K5 comes with a just slightly over four-inch information screen in the gauge cluster. The Sonata has a 12.3" fully digital gauge cluster on the Limited trim, not available for any K5. I'm very disappointed.

On the flip side, the K5 has an optional red interior color. AND BOY AM I IN LOVE. I'm a SUCKER for red interiors, and with the K5's sporty exterior, the red interior fits perfectly. I like the layout of the K5, but I wish that WIRELESS Android Auto and Apple CarPlay would've came on the optional 10.25-inch touchscreen, not the 8-inch unit. Also, you won't be able to touch the 10.25-inch touchscreen unless you spring high up in the trim ladder. Same for the 12-speaker Bose audio system that sounds bangin'.

The rear seats show one flaw of the K5, and that's headroom. Because of the sloping roofline, headroom for those that are tall is going to be a struggle. Everywhere else is good, especially leg room. Plus the materials continue from the front, so there's no obvious cost-cutting with the K5.

Safety & Technology

The Seltos disappointed me with the lack of advanced safety technologies on the lower trims. Well Kia must've heard my complaint, because there's a total of EIGHT standard advanced driver aids on the base LX trim. Those include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) w/ Pedestrian Detection, Driver Attention Warning (DAW) w/ Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), High Beam Assist (HBA), Rear View Monitor w/ Dynamic Parking Guidance, Rear Occupant Alert (ROA). LXS adds Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) and Safe Exit Assist (SEA). GT-Line grants you Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA); and optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) w/ Cyclist Detection and Junction Turning, Smart Cruise Control w/ Stop and Go (SCC w/ S&G), Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control - Curve (NSCC-C), and Highway Driving Assist (HDA). Jump to the EX trim and you'll get standard Parking Distance Warning (PDW), Reverse. Safe Exit Assist (SEA) with Power Rear Child-Safety Locks becomes an option for the EX. Going for the all-out GT trim gives you a total of ELEVEN standard driver aids and 6 optional aids. Optional is Parking Distance Warning (PDW), Reverse. Any of those features that were optional are mostly optional from the GT-Line trims and up.

The K5 has not been evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as of this time, but the K5 is based off the Sonata, so I would expect good evaluations across the board. The Sonata earns only a 2020 Top Safety Pick due to the Good-rated headlights being only available for the Limited and Limited Hybrid trims. The K5 should get a Top Safety Pick+ if it receives Good-rated headlights since the K5 has the upgraded lights available on more K5s than the Sonata. Check back to see how the K5 stacks up in a little!

Driving Impressions

We drove a K5 EX with the 1.6L turbocharged I4 engine and front-wheel-drive. The K5 can be immediately recognized as a more sportier driving car than it's brother, the Hyundai Sonata. It's not too stiff, but it is noticeably stiffer than the Sonata. The K5 is a great all-arounder. Despite it being slightly stiffer than the Sonata, the K5 had no issues with the ride. Handling was the strong suit of the K5, as our tester wore a quite shocking Pirelli P Zero tire, and it gripped corners better than any other midsize sedan I've driven yet. Steering was precise, but I felt as if it was just a little too overboosted for my tastes. The K5's standard 1.6L turbocharged I4 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission is very well-paired. It's strong throughout the rev range, and provides plenty of torque down low. Floor it from a stop, and you get a modest amount of turbo lag, then the boost kicks in and your going. It was pretty impressive how the K5 felt quicker than the Sonata I tested at the beginning of the year.

The K5 GT is coming in November, and I'm excited to drive it. If I was shopping between the K5 and Sonata alone, and wanted the better driver, I'd pick the K5.

Performance

The K5 and Sonata are structurally similar, and mostly similar in its powertrains. The 2.5L base engine that's in the Sonata doesn't make it over for the K5, instead the base engine is the uplevel 1.6L turbocharged I4 from the higher trims of the Sonata. It makes 180 horsepower and a stout 195 lb/ft of torque. It's also hooked up to an 8-speed automatic designed in-house by Kia. For the first time in Kia's family sedan history, AWD is an option, but it's reserved for only the LXS and GT-Line trims.

For the first time, Kia is offering a GT variant for the K5. This one employs the 2.5L turbocharged I4 that was seen in the Genesis GV80 and Genesis G80, as well as the upcoming Sonata N-Line. This unit makes a strong 290 horsepower and an impressive 311 lb/ft of torque. That's class leading torque as of this point. This will also employ the first use of Hyundai's brand new 8-speed wet-type dual-clutch automatic transmission. Hyundai noted that compared to a dry double-clutch transmission, the wet-type DCT uses oil to significantly improve lubrication and cooling performance, which should make it suitable for high-torque applications. I can't wait to test out the new 8-speed DCT. I love the 7-speed dry-type DCT in my Tucson, but wished for a little more refinement in first gear. Hopefully the switch from dry sump to wet smooths it out more. 0-60 is stated to be right around where the Honda Accord 2.0T/10-speed auto and Toyota Camry V6 are, in the mid to high seven-second range. The front wheels are driven only.

Performance Figures

1.6L turbocharged Smartstream-G I4

Horsepower (hp @ RPM)

180 @ 5500

Torque (lb/ft @ RPM)

195 @ 1500-4500

Transmission(s)

8-speed automatic

Drivetrain

Front-wheel Drive or All-wheel Drive

EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy)

27/37 (FWD)

0-60 Time

7.5 seconds (est)

1/4-mile (sec @ mph)

n/a

Final Verdict & REVIEWS Score

Still can't get over that name change, but excellent job Kia!

73/85 | Accumulated Score

10 | Reliability

08 | Ergonomics

09 | Value

09 | Innovation

08 | Electronics

09 | Wow factor

10 | Safety

30/70 | Subtotal Score

10/15 | Subjective Category

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