Joining the Kia lineup this summer is the fifth iteration of the Optima sedan, now known as the K5. The 2021 K5 shares much with the 2020 Hyundai Sonata from Kia’s corporate sibling. But the K5 distinguishes itself through exterior design cues from the Stinger sports sedan, along with more subtle front and rear treatments. The standard engine is a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder turbo with 180 hp routed through an eight-speed automatic shifter. Here’s a roundup of snippets of K5 reviews from the automotive media.
“The tires — always a compromise — were engineered for quiet, all-weather and a long life, so they tended to slide away a little earlier than you’d like in GT-Line trim level. And the soft suspension that had been so comfortable down in the city leaned, dove and squatted a little more up here than I had hoped it would. But the 1.6-liter’s eight-speed tranny had a manual mode and with that you could stay in the wide-ish power and torque bands afforded by that engine’s direct injection, Continuously Variable Valve Duration and helpful turbocharger. And, like any car pushed to the limits, you just figure out where that squealing starts and drive along just below it. In that way, it really was more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. At least that’s what I told myself.”
— Mark Vaughn, Autoweek
“The Kia K5 is definitely not a sports sedan – even the GT-Line barely meets our mark of “sporty.” You’ll have to wait for the full-fledged K5 GT with 290 horsepower and all-wheel drive if you want something like a mini-Stinger. That said, the K5’s standard turbocharged 1.6-liter engine pumps out a pretty decent 180 horses and 195 pound-feet. And that’s just enough power to propel the Kia with some quickness, the sedan squealing its optional Pirelli rubber off the line. Unfortunately, the new eight-speed automatic doesn’t feel totally up to the task, especially at higher speeds; it’s laggy, whiny, and hangs revs for way too long.
The K5 corners well enough for the class — it’s flatter and smoother than some rivals like the Subaru Legacy and Nissan Altima — but steering is a bit overboosted for drivers wanting a more dynamic experience, and it does understeer hard. And while the Kia’s suspension finds a nice middle ground between too soft and back-breaking, which makes for a really refined ride, it lacks feedback.
That said, there’s nothing overtly offensive about the way the K5 drives – let’s face it, most buyers won’t be taking their front-wheel-drive Kia to the track anyway. The K5 is quiet, capable, and refined on the road, rivaling the best in the segment in comfort and likability.”
— Jeff Perez, Motor1
“The K5’s an alert and eager performer, quick enough behind the 180 horsepower generated by its 1.6-liter turbo-4. An 8-speed automatic works in concert to snip off downshifts and stay in the background where it belongs. All-wheel drive’s an option on nearly every model — and so are 18-inch wheels, which add some thump to the K5’s low-speed ride while its steering loads up with weight that does more to keep it tracking true than it does to deliver steering sensations.”
— Martin Padgett, The Car Connection
“In both the EX and GT-Line, the 1.6T is tuned appropriately. It’s neither particularly peppy nor sluggish, with all of its torque delivered from just 1,500 rpm. That means there’s ample power for around-town driving and the transmission doesn’t have to kick down multiple gears in order to provide adequate oomph for passing.”
— Steven Ewing, Roadshow by CNET
“The Kia K5 with its standard 180-horsepower engine won’t impress you, but power is more than sufficient for daily use. It matches the Honda Accord in a straight line, taking 8 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph from a stop. Stopping from 60 mph requires a few more feet than average, but otherwise braking is easy and smooth.
The K5’s aggressive styling might suggest it’s sportier than usual, but that’s simply not the case. We’d call the steering and handling par for the course. But perhaps what’s more important is the K5 is easy to drive. The transmission shifts pretty seamlessly and is responsive to downshifts when you need to perform a pass.”
“Kia says the K5 was tuned separately from the Sonata, yet both share similar characteristics on the road. The K5’s steering is precise but numb in feel, there’s an initial softness to its brake pedal that firms up when you stand on it, and it goes around corners with reassuring competence and stability. The relatively soft suspension returns good overall ride comfort and moderate body roll in corners, but we would like more insulation from the road. Both of the cars we drove rolled on 18-inch Pirelli P Zero All-Season tires (16s are standard on lesser trims) that provided reasonable levels of grip. Yet, despite a standard acoustically laminated windshield and increased sound-deadening material, road noise is prominent on most surfaces and the big wheels thwack loudly over bumps and pavement seams.”
— Mike Sutton, Car and Driver
“Our quick take? This is a refined sedan, and even though a 1.6-liter engine seems small for the job at hand, its excellent turbocharged low-end torque makes the K5 feel adequately powered and relaxed in everyday duty. While the new Kia K5 isn’t overpowering, it’s acceptably quick, with an automatic transmission tuned to upshift rapidly for improved fuel economy.”