The Kia K5 is the latest iteration of the Kia Optima, sold in various international markets. The car gets some cosmetic changes along with new powertrain options.
The all-new design of the Kia K5 is the sportiest design seen from the manufacturer, which was designed between Kia’s design studios in North America, Europe and South Korea. The front of the car gets futuristic LED headlamps that integrate into the grille. The muscular body of the Kia K5 sedan is further highlighted by the LED daytime running lights which extend over the width of the rear. The body slightly narrows at the midpoint between the wheel-arches. This has been inspired by the ‘coke bottle’ shape of the Stinger’s body.
The Kia K5 will be available with a choice of 16-, 17-,or 18-inch machine-cut aluminium alloy wheel designs and a wide range of paint colours. There will also be a K5 GT option that will be offered with a unique 19-inch wheel design, as well as more aggressive front and rear bumpers with special ‘GT’ badging, as well as dual twin exhaust tips.
The new Kia K5 will be available with a range of new ‘Smartstream’ engines, and, for the first time a new all-wheel-drive system. The K5 gets a choice of petrol options – a ‘Smartstream’ 1.6-litre T-GDi (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) four-cylinder engine featuring Kia’s new Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) technology. The 1.6 T-GDi makes 180 hp at 5,500 rpm with 265 Nm of peak torque available between 1,500 rpm and 4,500 rpm.
Other engine options will include a 2.0-litre MPI, or multi-point injection, naturally aspirated petrol engine making 152 hp and 192 Nm of peak torque, a 2.0-litre engine with continuously-variable valve lift (CVVL) technology making 160 hp and 196 Nm of peak torque, as well as a 2.5-litre GDi engine making 194 hp and 246 Nm of peak torque. The Kia K5 will also be available with a hybrid powertrain option.
In addition, the K5 GT for North America is powered by a high-performance 2.5-litre T-GDi turbo-petrol engine that churns out 290 hp and 422 Nm of peak torque. The 2.5-litre T-GDi engine is capable of powering the K5 GT from 0-100 km/h in around 6.6 seconds. All engines are paired, as standard, to a six or eight-speed automatic transmission, while the 2.5-litre T-GDi engines are also available with Kia’s new eight-speed wet double-clutch transmission (8DCT). ‘Smart’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Custom’ are the driving modes on the K5 that allows a driver to customize their driving experience.
The Kia K5 gets advanced safety, connectivity and infotainment technologies that make it one of the most equipped cars in its segment. Kia say that the range of features are designed to make driving safer and less stressful, providing total ease of use. The cabin gets an optional 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, incorporating audio-visual navigation, and Kia’s new 12.3-inch high-resolution digital instrument cluster. The K5 is also available with an 8.0-inch head-up display, which projects driving information on to a small glass panel in the driver’s line of sight.
Furthermore, the Kia K5’s voice recognition technology allows a driver to use voice commands to control a range of features in the car that include climate control, electric windows, heating for the steering wheel, seats and rear glass, and the audio system.
The Kia K5 will go on sale in global markets in the first half of 2020. Looking at the success of the Seltos, the K5 will surely make its way to India. We expect it to be priced around Rs 15-20 lakh.
