SEDAN PACKS PIZZAZZ
Considering four-door vehicles of this make, the Kia looks good and has a striking presence
You know it as the Kia Optima, but the next-generation is going to be called the K5.
In many places, Kia’s product portfolio uses an alphanumeric badging system — the Forte is the K3, the Cadenza is the K7. The K5, which will be offered in LX, EX and Gt-line trims, arrives with a stunning style and the wherewithal needed to back up its new looks.
The exterior style adopts a Stinger-like profile, minus the liftback. This means a fastback four-door sedan with a coupe-like profile. Up front, the latest expression of Kia’s “tiger nose” grill is flanked by slim headlights underscored by LED daytime running lights. The large under-bumper air opening suggests the K5 means business. Around the back, the use of a fullwidth tail-light design adds more pizzazz. It is, as four-door sedans go, a good-looking piece with a striking presence.
Kia’s third-generation N3 platform underpins the new K5. It’s now larger and more accommodating; overall length is up 50 millimetres, width is up 25, and the wheelbase is longer. At 2,850 millimetres, it will now have more rear-seat legroom.
The cabin has also been reworked to great effect. Replacing the infotainment screen that was built into the dash on the outgoing model is one of two free-standing screens. On most models it will be an eight-inch touch screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. New: these two apps can be connected wirelessly, while the phone is being charged on a Qi pad.
The optional display is a 10.25inch unit that features server-based navigation with real-time traffic data, a more intuitive user interface and new multi-connection Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The K5’s interior can be further customized with a selection of black leather seating, chrome metallic and wood-like finishes and a flat-bottom sport steering wheel. Also available: a panoramic sunroof and a 12-speaker Bose audio system.
Safety equipment includes forward collision warning with automatic braking, a drowsy-driver monitor and lane-follow assist. New is the availability of forward-collision avoidance assist and junction turning, which helps the driver avoid a collision when making a left turn through braking intervention if an oncoming vehicle is approaching and the driver does nothing to avoid it. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was standard on the outgoing Optima, so one hopes this will continue with the new K5.
Under the hood, the base engine is a 1.6-litre turbo-four that produces 180 horsepower and 195 poundfeet of torque at 1,500 rpm. New is the “continuously variable valve duration” system, where independent control of the valve-open time provides better efficiency.
This engine drives the front wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination promises to deliver much better performance than the previous entry-level 2.4-L four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission.
The boss engine is going to be the 2.5-L turbo-four. It fires 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque through a new eight-speed dual wet-clutch transmission. The advantage to the wet part is the clutch pack runs in an oil bath, so it doesn’t burn and become smelly when forced to slip, as the dry-clutch units tend to do.
This combination will be a late arrival for Canada. The good news is that when it does arrive, this K5 variant will boast a quick zero-to-100 km/h time of 6.6 seconds, according to Kia. As with the outgoing Optima, expect a hybrid powertrain option down the road.
The K5’s adjustable drive modes include Smart, Comfort, Eco, Sport and Custom settings. The 2.5-L turbo-four engine gets a Sport+ mode as well. Depending on the mode selected, the system sharpens the throttle and changes the transmission’s shift points and the steering feel.
In other markets, the K5 will be offered with all-wheel drive. It will be available in the U.S., but according to Kia Canada, “the plans for Canada are still being finalized.”
Reading between the lines suggests AWD likely isn’t coming. Of all of the improvements, the addition of AWD for the first time in Canada would be newsworthy. But perhaps the right decision will be made, because when winter hits, AWD is a boon.
The 2021 Kia K5 will arrive this fall. Pricing will be released closer to the launch date.
Driving.ca