Tested: 2021 Kia K5 GT Has Unfinished Business
Kia’s handsome new front-drive K5 GT family sedan makes a healthy 290 horsepower. Now it just needs to be able to apply it to the road better.
Conventional wisdom says that 300 horsepower is about the practical limit for a front-wheel-drive car. It’s all about basic physics: When a car accelerates, its weight shifts to the rear, and that’s not ideal when the front tires are trying to drag the car around (and even less so if those tormented contact patches are also trying to cope with steering inputs). Certain front-drive cars manage to breach the 300-hp threshold and acceptably get away with it, and by «certain» we mean the Honda Civic Type R. The new 290-hp Kia K5 GT, on the other hand, is more like the 2006 Chevy Impala SS, which is another front-wheel-drive car that ran to 60 mph in less than six seconds and was less than poised doing so.
More on the Kia K5
This problem is twofold. First, the Kia’s turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four is a beast, generating 311 pound-feet of torque at only 1650 rpm. There’s nary any lag between the moment your right foot goes down and the next thing that happens, which is usually an extended dialog between the traction-control system and the front tires concerning the dispiriting delta between wheel speed and vehicle speed. That is, unless you’re in Sport Plus mode, which disables the traction control. Then you’re just frying the tires. In the rain, you can find yourself casually generating massive wheelspin at 45 mph, just like you might in, say, a Mercedes-AMG SL65.
Which brings us to the second part of the K5 GT conundrum, which is that Kia hasn’t done anything in particular to help the car deploy its furious power. If the equation is 290 horsepower plus X equals forward progress, the K5 is chewing on its pencil, stumped. How about stickier tires? Or all-wheel drive? The K5 GT-Line—with 110 fewer horsepower than the GT—is available with all-wheel drive. Huh. Must be nice.
Our K5 GT test car rode on 19-inch 245/40R-19 Pirelli P Zero All Season tires. We reckon that summer tires would knock a couple tenths of a second off the GT’s 5.2-second 60-mph run. And we’re pretty sure about that because the K5’s mechanical doppelganger, the Hyundai Sonata N Line, hits that mark in 5.0 seconds flat on summer tires. Besides summer rubber, summer itself might help. In frigid Michigan February temperatures, our K5 GT’s best straight-line runs happened after a drag-strip-style burnout session to warm up the tires and clean them off.
That went for the 5-to-60-mph runs, too. Normally, when a car’s rolling-start time is really close to its 60-mph time, that signifies a responsive engine. Here, the K5’s 5-to-60-mph time—just 5.5 seconds, 0.3 second slower than its standing-start sprint—merely demonstrates that the Kia is fighting ferocious wheelspin whether you launch from rest or a rolling start. But also, yes, it has a really responsive engine. You just need to look a little farther down the test results to find numbers that take traction out of the equation. For instance: 60 to 90 mph during its acceleration run requires just 4.9 seconds. Passing on two-lanes will not be a problem.
The K5 GT also gets an overachieving automatic transmission, a new eight-speed wet-dual-clutch unit that offers launch control and silky rev-matched downshifts. This is a case where the shift paddles on the steering wheel are actually useful rather than focus-group signifiers of sportiness. Compared to the lesser GT-Line—which uses a conventional torque-converter automatic—the GT also gets bigger brakes, quicker steering, and an ostensibly performance-oriented suspension tune. Its tires are slightly wider with skinnier sidewalls. But the K5 GT doesn’t feel like a sporty car. It feels like the kind of tuner car where someone went all in on the engine and then ran out of money to do anything else.
If the K5 GT isn’t exactly well-rounded, it does deliver a whole lot of sneaky family-car speed for $31,585 to start. Our test car included the $4000 GT1 package, which gave it a 10.3-inch touchscreen with navigation, Bose audio, ventilated front seats (heated seats are standard), and a mess of other goodies. At the as-tested price of $35,835, the K5 GT is a good deal for a car this quick and luxurious. But it’s also more expensive than another rapid sedan that we like a whole lot—Kia’s own Stinger, which carries a base price of $34,135 in rear-wheel-drive GT-Line form. The base Stinger employs a 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four, and its 60-mph run (6.0 seconds) lags behind the K5 GT’s time. But it’s far more composed getting there, and the Stinger would likely walk away from the K5 on a challenging road. In the Kia showroom, $34K or so apparently buys you horsepower or handling but not both at the same time.
The K5 GT is a well-designed package, handsome inside and out. But it’s not quite finished. Whether Kia gives it all-wheel drive or better tires, the GT needs more traction. Until then, roast ’em if you got ’em.
Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS
2021 Kia K5 GT
VEHICLE TYPE
front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED
$35,835 (base price: $31,585)
ENGINE TYPE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection
Displacement
152 in 3 , 2497 cm 3
Power
290 hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque
311 lb-ft @ 1650 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed dual-clutch automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink
Brakes (F/R): 13.6-in vented disc/12.8-in disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero All Season, 245/40R-19 94W M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.2 in
Length: 193.1 in
Width: 73.2 in
Height: 56.9 in
Passenger volume: 102 ft 3
Trunk volume: 16 ft 3
Curb weight: 3581 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.2 sec
100 mph: 12.3 sec
130 mph: 22.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.5 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.8 sec
1/4 mile: 13.7 sec @ 106 mph
Top speed (C/D est): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 163 ft
Standing-start accel times omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 24 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 27/24/32 mpg
Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
У новой Kia K5/Optima появилась 294-сильная версия GT и полный привод
Бизнес-седан Kia Optima, который в новом поколении будет продаваться под именем K5, обзавёлся 294-сильной версией GT и получил опциональный полный привод. Пока «заряженную» и полноприводную Kia K5 показали только в спецификации для североамериканского рынка, но в будущем такие седаны могут появиться и в Старом Свете.
Kia K5 GT оказался гораздо производительнее и быстрее бизнес-седана предыдущего поколения: новинку оснастили 2,5-литровой «турбочетвёркой» T-GDI мощностью 294 лошадиные силы и крутящим моментом 422 Нм. Силовой агрегат сочетается с преселективным 8-ступенчатым «роботом», однако полный привод не заявлен.
Моноприводный Kia K5 GT набирает с места первую «сотню» за 5,8 секунды — на 1,6 секунды быстрее, чем 245-сильный (350 Нм) седан Optima GT прошлого поколения с шестиступенчатым «автоматом». Мощный двигатель и трансмиссия с двумя «мокрыми» сцеплениями — не все отличия K5 GT от «подогретой» версии GT Line. Топ-модификации положена перенастроенная подвеска, оригинальная конструкция рулевого механизма, а также усиленные тормоза.
Визуально отличить Kia K5 GT от K5 GT Line проще всего сзади по паре хромированных двустволок выхлопной системы. Другие особенности менее заметны: у GT иной рисунок 19-дюймовых дисков и «брендированные» тормозные суппорты. Отличия в салоне невелики: кресла с развитой боковой поддержкой и специальный декор.
Интересно, что для «подогретой» версии GT Line в США можно будет заказать полноприводную трансмиссию с электрогидравлической муфтой подключения задней оси. Однако такому седану положен безальтернативный турбомотор 1.6 мощностью 183 лошадиные силы и крутящим моментом 264 Нм в сочетании с классическим 8-диапазонным «автоматом». Вероятно, Kia не решилась выпускать полноприводную 294-сильную версию GT, чтобы избежать внутренней конкуренции с моделью Stinger.
Особенности Kia K5 для североамериканского рынка — традиционный селектор трансмиссии вместо шайбы и «физический» контроллер климатической установки, а не сенсорный, как на «глобальных» седанах. Не исключено, что такой, более классический, интерьер сохранится и на K5 российской сборки.
2021 Kia K5 Revealed: 290 HP and AWD for Sporty Optima Replacement
Goodbye Kia Optima, and hello Kia K5. Last month’s EPA listing was essentially confirmation, but now it’s real: Kia will switch to the alphanumeric approach here in North America for its latest mid-size sedan. The name is hardly the biggest change, however. There’s a whole rethink of the trim levels (five now: LX, LXS, GT-Line, EX, GT), and the 2021 Kia K5 is getting more power, a more sporty character, and even all-wheel drive.
Let’s start with the engine lineup. Standard-fit on most K5s is the familiar 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. The little four-pot uses the same continuously variable valve duration (CVVD) technology as it does in the Hyundai Sonata. The fiendishly clever (and complex) setup can alter how long the valves stay open on the fly. The Korean automaker claims it manages the dual feats of improved fuel efficiency and performance. Power figures sit at 180 hp and 195 lb-ft, with a standard eight-speed automatic sending that to the front wheels. Again, like the Sonata.
It’s from here on out that the K5 cuts its own path, however. For starters, it features an available all-wheel drive system. The electro-hydraulic setup is front-biased, a first for the brand. It offers an available “Snow” drive mode which tailors the system for colder climes. Other driving modes include Normal, Smart, Sport and Custom, which all alter engine, transmission, and steering mapping. The drive modes also change the AWD system settings when equipped.
The all-paw system provides the basis for the new, high-performance GT trim as well. This K5 benefits from a bigger, 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, though it still runs on regular gas. It adds over 100 ponies to the corral, now totalling 290 hp, while torque grows even further to 311 lb-ft. The recently-revealed Genesis G80 shares the four-pot with the K5, although the Kia gets a different transmission: a class-exclusive eight-speed dual-clutch. An additional Sport+ mode joins the lineup for the GT as well. Hook it all up and Kia says the K5 GT will charge to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.