Kia’s family-focused Optima sedan went to the great discontinued model graveyard in the sky after model year 2020; the K5 is its replacement. New last year, Kia’s K5 is a mashup of the best parts of the brand’s sedan history, including the flashy Stinger. That big sporty sedan never achieved the status it deserved and may end up shelved to make way for even more SUVs (no surprise given the buying public’s propensity for larger vehicles). However, the Stinger’s saucy spirit lives on in the K5, especially in the GT trim.

Starting at $24,885 for the base LX model, the K5 is $1,270 less than a new Honda Accord and about $1,500 less than a Toyota Camry. Upgrading from the LX takes you to the LXS at $25,455, the mid-grade GT-Line for $26,355, the luxury-focused EX at $28,955 and the performance-oriented GT, $31,455. Only $7,000 separates the base from the highest-level trim, which means the option to upgrade is quite affordable. Other competitors include the Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Hyundai’s Sonata, which is a close relative of the K5 under the skin.’

The Korean brand adds a few new tricks for 2022, including a surround-view monitor that comes standard with the EX and GT models and is optional on lower trims. A new Kia badge adorns the K5 for this year; also new are power folding mirrors, forward park distance warning and rear window auto up and down with the premium package. All models come configured with front-wheel drive, but the LXS and GT-Line versions are available with all-wheel drive.

The Kia K5, new last year, doesn’t change much for 2022 but remains a style standout with its flowing fastback lines and sporty details. Kristin V. Shaw 

The K5’s 1.6-liter, 180-horsepower base engine is nothing special, but at the top of the heap, the GT’s turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine delivers 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’s an impressive ride paired with an innovative dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission (DCT), which isn’t often seen in midsize family cars like this. The GT can zoom from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds. To those who say sedans are boring, Kia begs to differ. 

Kia’s standard driver-assist and safety package is marketed as DriveWise and includes front collision avoidance assist, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping and lane-following systems, safe-exit assist, a driver-attention warning, and automatic high beams. Layered on top of Kia’s generous five-year, 60,000-mile basic warranty (10 years, 10,000 miles for the drivetrain), the K5 is an incredible bargain. 

The K5 returns decent but unremarkable fuel economy, and while it might not be as as frisky as the departed Mazda6 (canceled last year) or as quiet as the Accord, the K5 has its own set of positive attributes and charm. Front row room is good, but Honda and Toyota offer more room in back. If you are determined to eschew the current bigger-is-better trend when it comes to family vehicles, the K5 sedan should be on your list. Kia continues to impress by packing a lot of value and style into a reasonably priced vehicle.

The big, crisp screens and simple, angular dashboard give the K5’s interior a distinctly Audi-like vibe, but at a much lower price. Kristin V. Shaw 

Performance: 13/15

Most of the trims in the K5 lineup are powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 195-pound feet of torque driven through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 1.6 is used in many other Kia products and produces decent responses and zero-to-60 runs of about 7.2 seconds. Models equipped with it also have a softer ride, so for folks uninterested in raw power or sports sedan fun, the 1.6 works well for commuting and ordinary driving.

The pièce de résistance in the K5 line, however, is the sporty GT and its capability to zip from zero to 60 in under six seconds. The now-discontinued Mazda6 had a sportier feel and nimbler handling than the K5, but this year’s closest analog would be the related Hyundai Sonata N-Line, which uses most of the same mechanical pieces and is similarly zippy. The Toyota Camry TRD, with its 301-horsepower V6, is a potent match, as is the 2.0-liter Honda Acord Sport, the latter of which costs a little less.

Fuel Economy: 13/15

Lower-trim K5s with the 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine achieve an EPA-estimated 32 mpg combined for the best fuel economy of the lineup. LXS, GT-Line, and EX trims get 31 mpg combined, and AWD models drop to 28 mpg. The more powerful 2.5-liter GT returns 24 mpg city, 32 highway and 27 mpg combined, which isn’t too bad a tradeoff for all that extra power. All K5s use 87-octane regular gas, too.

For comparison, the 2022 Honda Accord achieves an EPA-estimated 33 mpg combined with the standard 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and 26 from the optional 2.0 in the Accord Sport. The Chevrolet Malibu’s 1.5-liter base engine returns 32 mpg combined, while the turbocharged 2.0-liter Malibu premier earns only 26. The 2022 Toyota Camry with the 3.5-liter, six-cylinder engine also earns 26 mpg combined. Unlike the Hyundai Sonata, Kia does not offer a hybrid version of the K5, so it can’t match the economy of the Sonata, Camry or Accord hybrids.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 13/15

The 2022 Kia K5 earns a “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Beyond those crash test bona fides, Kia equips each K5 with a healthy standard suite of advanced driver-assistance safety technology including driver attention warning, forward collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, and land following assist for all trims. 

Upgrading to the LXS adds blind-spot collision avoidance assist and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, and the GT-Line AWD Premium package comes with highway driving assist and adaptive cruise control for an additional $1,600. 

Honda and Subaru are a bit more generous with their safety gear, which includes a few more avoidance features and adaptive cruise control on all models. The K5’s adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow is a standout, slowing down in the corners automatically, but it isn’t standard.

The K5’s backseat isn’t tiny, but it isn’t as big as some other midsize sedans and is several inches shy of the Honda Accord, Chevy Malibu and Toyota Camry on rear legroom. Kia 

Comfort & Room: 13/15

The K5 is 2 inches longer, 1 inch wider, and 0.8 inches lower than its predecessor, the Optima. Inside the cabin, front-seat riders will find the headroom and legroom to be generous, but this is less true in the rear.

The K5 has 35.2 inches of legroom which, while not bad by historical standards, is five inches less than the Honda Accord’s back seat and three or four inches less than Chevrolet, Toyota and Subaru. The front seats are especially comfortable and supportive, even on multiple-hour road trips, but tall rear passengers might not love nine hours of K5-ing.

Infotainment: 13/15

Unsurprisingly, Kia came to the table with an impressive technology setup in the K5. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard even at the base level, which is a plus.  Starting with the GT-Line, the K5 includes a wireless charging pad with a cooling fan. Two USB ports are easy to reach up front, and every trim but the base LX includes two more in the second row. 

An adequate 8.0-inch touchscreen is standard, and that stretches to 10.3 inches and includes navigation in the GT-Line and up. The smaller screen has a noticeable response delay but the physical buttons are more intuitive than the capacitive-touch setup on the larger screen. Music fans will appreciate the available 12-speaker Bose premium audio set, which is standard on the GT and available in the Premium Package on other trims.

With 16 cubic-feet of space, the K5’s trunk is on the larger end of the sedan spectrum, and topped only by the Honda Accord (and tied with the Hyundai Sonata) in this class. Kia 

Cargo Space & Storage: 13/15

A family of four could easily each take a suitcase and share a cooler full of snacks to fit in the K5’s ample 16 cubic feet of trunk space. The K5’s roomy trunk can swallow a fair amount of groceries, sports equipment, or college supplies for a dorm room, and inside the cabin the K5 has an average-sized console and cupholders. The door pockets will store single-use water bottles at an angle, which is less convenient for those with reusable water bottles or coffee cups. 

Honda gets the edge for trunk space with 16.7 cubic feet to Kia’s 16 cubes. However, the K5 trunk space beats that of the Camry, Legacy and Nissan Altima. Happily, the rear seats can be split 60/40 to fold flat for even more space in all models except the LX. 

Style & Design: 9/10

Kia is on a roll, harnessing the momentum gained from bringing now-retired design director Peter Schreyer in 2006. The K5 builds on the styling of the previous Optimas but also the sporty Stinger. Principal Design Researcher Sung-Wook Kim explained during the K5’s Korean debut in late 2019 that the car was an intentional break from the previous Optima and intentionally sportier and with a longer dash-to-axle ratio than before, reminiscent of rear-drive cars like the Stinger. The fastback look certainly telegraphs its sporty intent.

Simply and tastefully laid out, the Audi-esque dashboard smoothly flows into the doors and all the way around the car is consciously crafted. Knobs and switches flank the touchscreen in the center and the climate controls are intuitive. From the front seat, the K5 has a premium feel that belies the price. The back seat materials and layout are less impressive but not offensive in any way.

Like the larger, faster Kia Stinger, the K5’s fastback shape always looks poised for action and like a performance machine. In GT form, it has the power to back up the look. Kia 

Is the 2022 Kia K5 Worth it? Which K5 is the Best Value?

As it did last year, the 2022 K5 comes in five trim levels: LX, LXS, GT-Line, EX, and GT. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional for the LXS and GT-Line variants.

Typically, a middle-of-the-pack grade gets the nod for best value, and for the K5 that’s the GT-Line. This upgrade replaces the 8-inch touchscreen with a 10.3-inch version with navigation and adds a wireless phone charger, power-adjustable driver’s seat, and more. Front-wheel drive is standard and AWD is an option with this trim, and it includes sporty trim enhancements that suggest speed. 

However, the GT-Line can’t match the GT for pure power and driving enjoyment. If casual cruising in a well-appointed, affordable sedan is what you’re seeking, the GT-Line will scratch that itch. Kia stands by the claim that the K5 GT outperforms BMW’s 330i Sedan in acceleration and overall handling and while that may seem fantastical in a Kia, it’s true. Those who want more oomph to their acceleration are going to want to choose the GT straight up for roughly $5,000 more.