What Could Be Better?
The addition of:
- Automatic dimming mirrors
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Centered interior ambient light
- Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on the GT trim
- AWD drive on the high-end GT model
Kia K5 GT: The Optima Reborn w/ Stinger DNA
While all of the electric cars are gaining in popularity & improving, gasoline-based cars are getting better & better as well. Kia has been making an amazing rebrand as of late w/ a new logo, new vehicles, & designs. Their most recent one is the new K5 formerly known as the Optima.
The K5 replaces one of their longest-running mid-sized sedans to bring it into the new era of vehicles (theirs & the competition). So Kia gave this a super sporty design to it, a turbocharged engine, sport-tuned suspension, smart features, & much more. All while retaining their 10-year/100,000-mile warranty & assembled here in the US (West Point, GA to be exact).
Kia hooked us up w/ the top of the line GT trim w/ GT1 package in a Sapphire Blue color & a sticker price of just over $35,000. After 7 days w/ it, we tell you about how does it perform overall and who would be the target audience for it.
You still got the atypical sedan look but the K5 brings forth a sportier presence than you might be used to. You got a redesigned new front grill inspired by the one on the Stinger, a new fastback design slope on the rear, 4 chrome-tipped exhaust pipes, new headlight design w/ a new lightning-bolt accent daytime lights, LED headlights w/ decent fog lights, & LED tail lights. And last but not least, you got 19inch alloy rims inside of 4 all-weather Pirelli P-Zero tires.
Sporting a fastback design, it may appear that the trunk space got shrunk in the new look but not the case. Its about the same as many other mid-sized sedans in around 16 cubic ft. Which is bigger than the Camry but slightly smaller than the Accord in case you wanted to compare. However, its still big enough to fit tons of things in the trunk & house a spare tire of the trunk floor.
- 2.5L Turbo 4-cylinder engine
Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) and Multi-Port Injection (MPI) - 290HP + 311lb-ft of torque that goes 0-60 in 5.8 seconds
- 8-speed dual-clutch transmission
- 19inch sport alloy wheels + GT brakes
- 10.2inch touchscreen w/ navigation + UVO link
- Sport-tuned suspension + synthetic leather-covered sport bucket seats
- 12-speaker Bose premium audio system
- Heated + cooled seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Wireless phone charger
You got a D-shaped leather steering wheel w/ paddle shifters for you prefer manual control. Really comfortable bucket racing-style seats w/ heating/cooling features. There is a lovely & massive one-touch panoramic sunroof, a Qi wireless charger for smartphones, a good sounding 12-speaker Bose sound system, 9 airbags in total (front, side, cabin, & driver’s knee), and UVO connectivity offering in-car assistant w/ a touch of a button as well as the phone app to remote lock/unlock + pre-heat/pre-cooling.
The 10.2inch display is their infotainment center which is an upgrade from the 8inch one on the other K5 trims. This handles everything from radio, Bluetooth, navigation, Android Auto/CarPlay, rear camera visuals, & more. Its a slight a delay in touching the button though. Outside of the power/volume knob, you got flush touch panel buttons on a piano black finish. It even offers a Blue Light feature which is seen on smartphones to help reduce eye strain which is a welcome addition.
You got good room in the back seat for comfort as its not cramped back there. I’m 6’1″ & 1/2 and I had ample legroom in back w/ some room to stretch a bit as well. Also in the rear, you got the usual cupholders in the center arm rest, rear AC vents, & 2 USB ports for charging mobile devices.
Think of the K5 as a more sportier + faster Optima w/ Stinger-like performance.
Now to the one feature that separates the K5 from its in-class competition: the engine. Kia put a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder w/ 290hp + 311lb-ft of torque w/ gasoline direct + multi-port injection. It also has an 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission for smoother gear shifts for an even better performance. I was getting a great kick in takeoff when needed while not burning through gas in the process. I had to fill it up once and experienced 2 fill tanks as I got around 400 miles per which is great.
It offers a good drive but in Sport mode is really shows off the power of that 311lb-ft of torque w/ real pull. Hitting 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds, it will offer more punch than many of their competitors. Especially w/ all trims offering a turbocharged engine, they advertised this beats a BMW 330i in cornering & top speed. It gives you good handling on turns and in inclement weather as about half of my time w/ it was raining.
Kia’s safety features under their Drive Wise suite are present & working well. Their Smart Cruise Control w/ Highway Driving Assist is really good. You got the usual smart safety features on-board w/ things like blindspot avoidance, collision-avoidance, rear-cross traffic avoidance, auto braking, & more. These work really well as its tuned good and not super aggressive/annoying.
Being a GT model, their overall brakes are larger than your average w/ 1.6inch rotors w/ 13.6inch (front) + 12.8inch (rear). Even the larger brake calipers w/ the lovely GT branding looks good behind rims. They come in handy for smooth & effortless braking that feels immediate to the touch on the pedal.
This gives you an average of 27mpg combined city/highway which got me around 400 miles on a full gas tank. I got it on a full tank on gas and went as many places I can go within reason. I filled it up again and got it down to half a tank before it was time to give it back.
The K5 makes for a better-looking & faster mid-sized alternative to the Accord.
New K5 takes everything you love about the Optima and put some of the power from the Stinger. Giving you a unique driving experience you wouldn’t expect from Kia. This is thanks to their fastback design, great convenience features, and some serious power under the hood. Now even w/ all of that, its still close to perfection as they forgot some of the little things that would make this experience complete.
All-in-all, Kia did a great leveling up & even surpassing the competition in some areas. The K5 performs exceptionally well and is made for those of you on the hunt for an everyday mid-sized sedan but w/ the speed + power of something faster in a higher class/size. So the Optima is dead, long live the K5. But if you like this but want a little more speed, we would recommend you to check out the Kia Stinger.
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