2023 Kia K5

Price: The 2023 Kia K5 LXS starts at $25,290.

The 2023 Kia K5 midsize sedan has a rare quality for its class. It generates excitement. Some rivals may have more cabin space, more power, and stronger resale values. But does anyone really think they would love a Toyota Camry?

All due respect to the Camry — it’s been a consistent and successful player in this league for many years. But it’s a sensible purchase. The K5 can also bring the heart into play.

That’s because of the styling, primarily. Some cars grab attention, and some don’t. The K5 does. Yet there’s a sensible side as well. The K5 is priced below the class leaders; the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.

It’s also a Top Safety Pick+ according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and winner of a maximum 5-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The K5’s powertrains also carry the Kia class-best warranty of 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever happens first.

When the head, heart, and budget all work together, there’s a good chance they’ll agree on a Kia K5.

With 180 horsepower simmering away beneath the hoods of most versions, the Kia K5 is satisfactory rather than sensational. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry both come with more muscle in their standard forms.

Even so, the K5’s ride quality balances comfort with poise, there’s some useful feel to the steering, and the cabin manages to suppress wind and road noise at higher speeds. This smaller engine’s maximum torque of 195 lb-ft also comes in at just 1,500 rpm for a pleasant and accessible punch.

Optional all-wheel drive adds a Snow setting to the selectable driving modes, but this is offered only as an option in the LXS and GT-Line trims. It would have been so good (and not so difficult for Kia) to make it available in the GT model, which somehow has to apply 290 horsepower to the road using just the front wheels.

Nevertheless, the GT is a proper sport sedan — with a bespoke suspension and steering setup, supportive front seats, paddle shifters, and larger disc brakes.

You could easily mistake the K5’s cabin for a luxury car’s because of a smart design that keeps dashboard buttons and switches to a minimum, routing some functions to controls on the steering wheel and/or the infotainment touchscreen.

The base LXS gets a split-folding 60/40 rear seat. The EX version also comes with wood-effect trim pieces.

For some extra spice, the popular GT-Line and GT models each have a flat-bottomed steering wheel, plus black headliners. And the GT’s sport front seats are finished in either black leatherette or optional chestnut brown leatherette.

Compared with the Honda Accord’s 40.4 inches, the K5’s rear legroom of 35.2 inches doesn’t impress. Every buyer will have to decide how much of an issue that might be for them. At least the K5 has a contoured ceiling to grab the most rear headroom from a sloping roofline. A trunk volume of 16 cubic feet is absolutely fine, although still a cube smaller than the Accord.

One person’s weed is another person’s wildflower, sure, but the exterior design of the 2023 Kia K5 packs a visual impact either way. This could be the deal-maker when perusing the whole gamut of midsize sedans.

Not all paint finishes are available with every trim. The EX has the widest array of choices here, but since current tastes lean toward the monochrome, there should be something with each variant to please most people.

A quad exhaust system and gloss-black 19-inch alloy wheels are part of the GT model’s specific look. All versions, however, achieve an aerodynamically effective 0.27 coefficient of drag.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
This optional system provides an extra layer of reassurance for drivers living in areas where the winter can be rough. And not many midsize sedans offer it.

K5 GT
Although it’s at the top of the 2023 K5 midsize sedan range and therefore the most expensive, the GT still has the moves and the looks to please drivers who might not have the extra $5,000 or so to splash out on a Kia Stinger.

At its most basic, the 2023 K5 LXS has 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, cloth upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, and selectable driving modes.

An 8-inch touchscreen is the hub of the infotainment system that also includes wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, Bluetooth, two USB ports, and six speakers.

Driver assistance features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance, rear occupant alert, and automatic high beams.

The LXS trim comes standard with blind-spot monitoring (with rear cross-traffic alert), Safe Exit Assist, keyless entry, a remote start function, and two USB ports for the rear passengers. It also offers the options of a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels, and all-wheel drive.

The GT-Line has those larger 18-inch wheels as standard, along with LED fog lights, cloth/simulated leather seating surfaces, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

This K5’s infotainment touchscreen is a 10.25-inch unit. The system includes navigation, satellite radio, and wireless charging, but Android Auto and Apple CarPlay require a connecting cable.

Options for the GT-Line include all-wheel drive, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, and navigation-based smart cruise control.

EX trim comes with the panoramic sunroof as standard, simulated leather seating surfaces, heated/ventilated front seats, and rear parking sensors. It’s eligible for those same driver aids as the GT-Line, while also offering a 360-degree camera system, reverse automatic braking, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system.

The jewel in the 2023 K5 sedan’s crown is the loaded GT model, packing a 290-horsepower engine and a sport-tuned suspension. Although it’s the range-topper, those extra features offered with the EX trim are also optional here. Most of them are bundled together in trim-specific packages.

A day/night rearview mirror is standard on all 2023 Kia K5s, as are scuff plates with the vehicle logo.

The Kia K5 has two engine options. Potential buyers of a new K5 midsize sedan with fuel economy high on their list of priorities should give the LXS trim serious consideration. Like the LXS, GT-Line and EX trims, this model deploys a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine making 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque.

The difference is a fuel-saving engine stop/restart function, which is exclusive to the LX and good for another couple of miles per gallon in the city. This trim level also comes solely with front-wheel drive (FWD). The LXS and GT-Line offer the option of all-wheel drive (AWD).

The transmission in all versions with this 1.6-liter engine is an 8-speed automatic.

A turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine endows the 2023 K5 GT with 290 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The transmission here is a dual-clutch 8-speed automated unit with paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.

This most powerful K5 midsize sedan sends all its energy just to the front wheels, with not even the option of all-wheel drive — which would have made perfect sense if the company didn’t also have the Stinger in its portfolio.

Regular gasoline is suitable for both engines, despite the presence of turbochargers. The fuel economy estimates below relate to 2022, although we don’t anticipate any differences for 2023.

1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4
180 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
195 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 27/37 mpg (FWD), 25/33 mpg (AWD)

2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 (GT)
290 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
311 lb-ft of torque @ 1,650-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/32 mpg

More K5 fuel economy information is available at the EPA’s website.

Excellent Safety Scores

The Kia K5 is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and it earns a 5-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Its stellar safety ratings come from its favorable crash testing results and a long list of standard safety features.

Class-Leading Warranty

The Kia K5 is tied with the Hyundai Sonata for the best warranty in its class. It’s backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.

We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.