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What do our experts think of the 2022 Kia K5? We look at powertrain, interior, options, trims levels and more. Find out our thoughts here.
What’s New for the 2022 Kia K5
The Kia K5 launched in 2021. The model the K5 replaces, the Optima, had developed into a style leader, offering handsome, yet daring lines. The 2022 Kia K5 continues to lead in the style department with eye-catching, swooping amber daytime running lights at the front, the chrome accent trim that arches over the side windows and under the rear glass, and the funky, full width LED taillights. Inside, the K5 features an attractive cabin with wonderful materials, luxurious features like heated and ventilated seats, and a powerful infotainment system. If you live somewhere that experiences snow, you’ll love the available all-wheel drive system that helps conquer slippery conditions.
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The Breakdown
Stylish exterior design
Punchy turbocharged engines
Available AWD
High seating position
Choppy ride on larger wheels
Average performance with base engine
Offers style and substance
2022 K5 Specs
- 180 horsepower from base engine
- 195 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 7 available trims
- 16 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- Available 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment
- Standard lane keep assist
- 10-year/100,000-mile warranty
2022 Kia K5 Powertrain
The primary engine offered in the 2022 Kia K5 is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder the produces 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. This engine is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission that provides smooth shifts and good acceleration. This engine sends power to the front wheels, but Kia offers all-wheel drive with this engine to help provide extra grip in poor weather. The ride and handling offer a good balance of comfort and responsiveness. If you like to really hustle along your favorite road, the Kia K5 is also offered with a more powerful engine. The GT model gets a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces a stout 290 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The transmission is an eight-speed dual clutch automatic that snaps of fast, crisp shifts and lets you select gears using the paddle shifters. The GT also gets sportier suspension that results in sharper cornering but does degrade the ride quality a bit.
2022 Kia K5 Fuel Economy & MPG
The 2022 Kia K5 achieves good fuel economy from its standard engine. The 1.6-liter turbocharged engine with front-wheel drive has an EPA rating of 29 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined. If you opt for the all-wheel drive system, the fuel economy drops to a still impressive 25 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined. The larger 2.5-liter turbocharged engine is a bit thirstier, achieving 24 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
The K5 boasts a very nice cabin full of nice materials, an attractive layout, and the latest tech. You’ll find seating for five people with plenty of room to stretch out in any seat thanks to a generous interior passenger volume of 105.3 cubic feet, 46.1 inches of front legroom and 35.2 inches of rear legroom. The seats are comfortable and offer a decent amount of bolstering to help hold you in place. The seats are wrapped in your choice of cloth or SynTex artificial leather offered in a variety of colors like black, sand, red, chestnut brown, and even ash blue. The available wood trim adds a premium looking touch. Even the base model is equipped with a dual-zone automatic climate control system. The K5 also has an optional large panoramic sunroof that lets in lots of natural light, plus fresh air when desired. In addition to the interior space, the K5 can also hold a good amount of cargo with a truck offering 16 cubic feet of space. Interested in some other sedans? Read our comparison of the 2021 Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300 here.
Entertainment & Technology
One area the K5 excels is with technology. The base model comes equipped with an 8.0-inch touchscreen display and features Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. You also have the option of upgrading to a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen which comes with GPS navigation for finding your way, Kia Connect which lets you keep tabs on your K5 from your smart phone, start it remotely and even pre-hear or pre-cool the interior, and SiriusXM® for a wide variety of radio stations. You’ll find plenty of USB ports throughout the cabin so you can connect your devices and keep them charged. There’s even a wireless charging pad for ultimate convenience. To see how the Toyota Avalon stacks up read our review here.
Safety Features
Kia offers a lot of great safety tech on every K5 it sells as each one comes with Kia’s drive wise technology that includes forward collision-avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, and lane following assist. As you move up the range, additional tech is offered like blind-spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, and safe exit assist. Kia has also engineered in advanced crumple zones to create a safe passenger cell and nine airbags throughout the interior help protect each occupant.
2022 Kia K5 Trims and Pricing
LX – $23,790
The entry point to the K5 range is the LX trim which starts at $23,790. For this you get the punchy 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The engine is connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission and power is routed to the front wheels. The LX rides on 16-inch alloy wheels and features LED headlights. Inside, the LX gets the 8.0-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphone connectivity, and Bluetooth® connectivity. The LX also comes with safety tech including driver attention warning, lane-keeping assist, lane following assist, and forward collision-avoidance assist.
LXS FWD – $24,790
The LXS trim starts at $24,790 and has the same engine and transmission. The biggest difference is the additional safety technology that include blind-spot collision-avoidance assist-rear, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, and safe exit assist.
LXS AWD – $26,590
Starting at $26,590, the LXS AWD trim comes equipped with Kia’s electronically controlled all-wheel drive system that shuffles power around to the wheels with traction to help you accelerate in slippery road conditions. The LXS AWD also comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather wrapped heated steering wheel, and a Snow Mode for the drive mode select to help optimize the traction control for snow. You can find info about the top ten all-wheel drive sedans here.
GT-Line FWD – $21,190
The GT-Line trim differentiates itself with the more aggressive looking GT-Line Sport front grille, front bumper, and rear bumper. The look is topped off with gloss-black 18-inch alloy wheels with machined finish and a gloss black rear spoiler. The GT-Line also comes with LED headlight, fog lights, and taillights. Inside, the GT-Line upgrades to the GT-Line cloth and SynTex seat trim, 10-way power adjustable front seats, a wireless phone charger, and the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
GT-Line AWD – $27,790
The GT-Line AWD model takes the GT-Line’s list of goodies and adds in the all-wheel drive system.
EX – $28,690
The EX trim is more luxurious and comes equipped with the panoramic sunroof, LED interior lighting, and a full SynTex interior. The driver enjoys a 10-way power adjustable driver seat, but both front passengers get heated and ventilated seats. The rear camera system gets a dynamic parking guide to help you maneuver.
GT – $31,190
At the top of the range, starting at $31,190, the GT trim level is the sportiest and most performance oriented K5 offered. The major difference is under the hood where you’ll find a larger 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 290 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The power is managed by a snappy 8-speed dual clutch transmission that you can control using steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. The exterior is differentiated with the GT Sport Design and 19-inch alloy wheels. The GT also has sport-tuned suspension for better handling.
Warranties
Kia offers a great warranty on the K5, the 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty provides peace of mind for years to come. The warranty also includes a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty along with 5-year/60,000 of roadside assistance. Sharing the K5’s warranty is the new 2022 Kia Stinger which you can read about here.
What we think
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The 2022 Kia K5 is a great all-around mid-sized sedan. The base engine provides plenty of oomph along with good fuel economy, but those wanting more have the choice of the larger turbocharged engine. The exterior design is sure to garner praise where ever you go, and you’ll enjoy every trip ensconced in the nicely designed interior. When it comes time to choose a trim, the GT-Line is very attractive as the outside looks a bit sportier, the interior benefits from upgrades materials and the better infotainment system with its larger screen. If you live somewhere with snow, the GT-Line AWD is a relatively small jump in price for extra reassurance when the weather turns cold.
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