Review: 2021 Kia K5 GT Turbo

Suppose one day you were making a grocery store run or pulling up to your favorite family restaurant and amidst the sea of white and gray boxy-looking Clark Griswold people-toters you saw a blue or red 4-door sedan backed into its arking spot so that it perfectly showcases its shark skin-inspired front grille. So you get out of your boxy white family hauler and walk over to the vehicle inorder to figure out which automaker produced this head-turning vehicle. As you get closer, you realize that this 4-door mid-size is longer, lower, and wider than most other 4-door sedans you have ever noticed.

This scenario effectively describes the all-new K5 GT from Kia. If you were to go to Kia's North America page, you would find no information about the vehicle prior to 2021. Only after visiting the Kia Wiki page would you learn about the K5's successful past dating back to 2000 when it started out as the Optima in North America and a few other countries. In case you are not familiar with the successfully reliable daily commuter 4-sedan people mover for those who were looking for a great value, I have listed a few of the Optima's impressive accolades over the past two decades as listed on Wiki.

• 2021 - The new Gen 5 car was released worldwide.
• 2021 - New Kia K5 receives "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
• 2017 - Vehicle receives "Top Safety Pick+" rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
• 2013 - Vehicle becomes International Car of the Year
• 2014 - Noted for Pirelli World Challenge, Grand Touring Sport, and Touring Car A Manufacturer Championships

Ground-Up Rebuild

At the heart of the new K5 identity is the advanced third-generation N3 platform. This platform was developed jointly by both Kia and Hyundai for their full range of front wheel drive vehicles. I counted 10 different vehicles from CUVs to mid-size sedans that will utilize this platform. I was obviously not able to compare last year's model to the K5 ground-up build, but I was impressed with the overall sports car ride and handling capabilities of this car. It is 2” longer, so naturally longer will provide a smoother and stable ride. It sits lower, so the center of gravity is obviously lower for better high-speed corning. It has a wider foot print at 1.8”, so when you add 18/19-inch alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero tires, most owners will never reach the outer limits of this vehicles handling.

Exterior | Sapphire Blue

With its sleek fastback-like profile, the K5 GT that I test drove for the week was continually getting doubletakes among the everyday SUV and CUV world. What makes the K5 so unique is its powerful and angular design that features Z-shaped running lights and Kia's modernized tiger face grill. I almost hate to call it a sedan, because that is too plain sounding for the design of this vehicle.

Power and Performance

The base engine is a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 180hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. The GT model that I drove was a 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder that produces 290hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. The GT also had the brand new 8-speed 'wet' dual clutch transmission to deliver that torque and power to the ground to establish this sports sedan as a true sports car. It will giddy up and go 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds, which reportedly allows the K5 GT to outperform the BMW 330i. All-wheel drive is also offered on certain trim levels.

Interior Technology

The interior has been redesigned significantly as well, with an optional 12.3-inch digital cluster and 10.3-inch center screen augmented by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an optional 12-speaker Bose audio system.

The K5 will be available in four trim levels (LX, LXS, GT-Line, EX) with the adrenaline-fueled GT to follow later in the fall. If you are a sedan purist who prefers to shuttle your family around or take week-long vacations in a four-door sedan like the Griswalds, then you may have also thought the ordinary sedan was going to go the way of the dodo bird.

The Kia K5 is built in Georgia with an MSRP starting at $23,590.

For more information or to test drive this vehicle for yourself, stop by a local dealer or visit online at:
Kia | K5