With bold styling and surprising power
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MotorTranscript
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.
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