2021 Kia K5 Video Review: MotorTrend Buyer's Guide

MotorTrend

With bold styling and surprising power

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 Check out the 2021 Kia K5 midsize family sedan

00:08 in top of the line GT trim.

00:11 Does this K5 GT have what it takes

00:13 to take out the traditional bestsellers,

00:16 Honda Accord and Toyota Camry?

00:18 Let's find out.

00:19 So what is a K5?

00:24 Well, it replaces the Optima

00:26 as Kia's midsize family sedan entry.

00:29 And it slots in above the Kia Forte

00:31 and below the Kia Stinger.

00:34 As far as the competition goes,

00:35 it's a super crowded field.

00:37 The new Kia K5 goes up against traditional heavyweights,

00:40 including Toyota Camry, Honda Accord,

00:43 Hyundai Sonata and Subaru Legacy.

00:45 Kia hopes to target buyers who are interested

00:48 maybe in BMW or Audi levels of performance

00:51 at a much lower price point.

00:52 In terms of design,

00:55 the K5 takes inspiration from the Kia Stinger,

00:58 which is their rear drive sports sedan.

01:00 Now this is a front drive family sedan,

01:03 but it still looks fantastic going down the road.

01:05 It is long, it is lean, it is low,

01:08 and really it is very wide looking.

01:10 A lot of that has to do with this beautiful Kia grille.

01:13 This is their sort of tiger nose inspired Kia grille.

01:15 It's got this pinch in the center

01:16 and then a very aggressive grille.

01:19 My favorite feature, however,

01:20 is this Z-shaped daytime running lamp.

01:23 It's supposed to evoke sort of a heartbeat.

01:25 It kind of looks like an EKG readout.

01:27 That resonates with me, my dad was a cardiologist.

01:30 Overall, a very sharp looking sedan up front.

01:33 The K5 GT in particular has this different front bumper,

01:36 which incorporates LED daytime running lamps,

01:39 and also has very cool 19 inch alloy wheels.

01:43 Nice design, very sharp.

01:45 K5 sedans have a beautiful chrome strip

01:47 that runs from the A pillar all the way to the C pillar,

01:50 and then wraps around the trunk above this little spoiler.

01:54 Looks fantastic,

01:55 and also accentuates the special tail lamp.

01:58 Has that wide Z pattern again,

02:00 but also goes across the back bumper.

02:03 At the bottom, four, count 'em,

02:05 four exhaust pipes for the GT trim level in dark chrome.

02:09 Very sporty looking.

02:10 - Inside the Kia K5 delivers a really good first impression.

02:15 Everything feels very quiet, calm, sophisticated,

02:19 and modern.

02:20 Everything your eyes see and your hands touch

02:22 generally feels very premium.

02:23 There's lots of soft plastics

02:25 and some nice leather surfaces in here.

02:26 It's the places maybe lower on the door cards

02:29 or the transmission tunnel,

02:30 stuff you don't really touch every day.

02:32 It's a little harder, a little less premium.

02:34 Sportier K5 trims like the GT

02:36 and the one just below the GT line,

02:38 they get this very cool flat bottom,

02:41 racy style steering wheel,

02:42 as well as blacked out A pillar, headliner, and visors.

02:45 But it's only the Kia GT

02:47 that gets these steering wheel mounted paddle shifters

02:50 that control the dual clutch transmission.

02:52 I know some people aren't so into panel bike.

02:54 They think it might look a little cheap like plastic,

02:56 also picks up fingerprints,

02:57 but it's really well executed here.

02:59 It's got a nice little door handle on each door

03:02 around the cup holders, around this drive mode dial,

03:04 and then across the dash up front.

03:06 So overall, very nice execution.

03:08 If you like a darker,

03:09 sort of more modern, sophisticated look.

03:11 All 2021 K5s get an eight inch touchscreen display

03:16 that connects to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay,

03:18 in addition to dual zone climate control.

03:21 But only the K5 GT gets a 10.3 inch touchscreen,

03:26 wireless charging for your smartphone,

03:28 additional USB ports, so five total,

03:31 and rear climate vents for the seat passengers in the back.

03:34 So despite having this rakish swoopy profile,

03:37 inside the Kia K5 actually has a lot of space.

03:40 Lots of room up front for the driver

03:42 and the front passenger.

03:43 And despite not having a class leading rear seat,

03:46 plenty of room back there when it comes to rear passengers.

03:48 And in the cargo space,

03:50 16 cubic feet in the trunk.

03:52 Overall, the Kia K5 delivers a very nice space

03:55 for both driver and passengers

03:57 at a very reasonable price point.

03:58 So mid-sized family sedan shoppers

04:02 kind of want it all, right?

04:03 They want utility, they want practicality, they want value.

04:06 And would it help if they had a little bit of style?

04:08 Well, with the K5, Kia is trying to deliver all of that,

04:11 especially in GT trim,

04:12 which layers on additional performance and sportiness.

04:15 In base model trim,

04:17 the K5 sedan comes with a 1.6 liter

04:19 inline four cylinder turbocharged engine.

04:22 That's available in both front wheel drive

04:24 and all wheel drive.

04:26 The K5 GT, however,

04:27 comes with a much more powerful 2.5 liter

04:30 inline four cylinder turbo engine

04:32 that makes a whopping 290 horsepower

04:35 and 311 pound feet of torque,

04:37 all routed to the front wheels

04:39 through an eight speed dual clutch transmission.

04:42 Very sporty, it's got paddle shifters, away you go.

04:46 And still, you get pretty good fuel economy.

04:49 24 miles per gallon city, 32 miles per gallon highway.

04:52 Now, against the competitive set,

04:54 the K5 GT really does stand out

04:56 against other top of the line competitors,

04:58 including the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Mazda 6.

05:02 It delivers pretty good fuel economy,

05:04 a ton of power, and great acceleration off the line.

05:07 Now, in terms of safety,

05:10 you are looking at one of the safest vehicles

05:12 on the road today.

05:14 The 2021 Kia K5 sedan achieved

05:17 both the IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus

05:20 and NHTSA's five star crash safety rating.

05:23 Now, with the K5 GT,

05:25 you get additional optional safety features,

05:28 including adaptive cruise control, rear parking alerts,

05:32 and automatic emergency braking with cyclist detection.

05:36 Very cool.

05:37 How much does this all cost?

05:40 Well, base model Kia K5s start

05:43 at just above $24,500,

05:46 while the K5 GT can be had for just over $31,500.

05:51 Now, in terms of the competitive set,

05:53 as you'd expect, this is a very competitive marketplace,

05:56 but Kia K5 GT delivers an amazing value.

05:59 Against the top of the line sportiest competitors,

06:03 the K5 GT is significantly cheaper.

06:05 So, what's the one thing you have to know

06:09 about this K5 sedan?

06:11 Well, look, the segment is super competitive.

06:13 And if you don't wanna be stuck in another car

06:16 that you see your neighbor driving,

06:17 Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, very popular vehicles,

06:21 then the K5 might be for you.

06:22 It's got standout style,

06:24 and if you get up to the GT trim level,

06:26 delivers excellent performance, great fuel economy,

06:29 a lot of safety, all at an amazing price point.

06:32 See our buyer's guide and complete vehicle rankings

06:34 at motortrend.com/cars.

06:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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