We really want to like the updated K5, as it looks good to most of our judges and Kia is clearly listening to customer feedback to better compete against class juggernauts like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It qualifies for this year’s Car of the Year competition by switching to a 2.5-liter non-turbo I-4 good for 191 hp and 182 lb-ft on most of the lineup, save for the more powerful 290-hp GT model (which, without any changes to its 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4, doesn’t qualify for COTY this year). The 2.5-liter engine packs 11 more hp but a significant 13 lb-ft less torque than the 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4 it replaces, and it comes linked exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Inside, the K5 is a pretty nice place to be. The new dual-screen interface looks upscale and is easy to navigate with sharp responses. The packaging is also impressive, with the same trim from the front leading into the rear row of seats—the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry give up plushness the farther back in the cabin you move—and plenty of cabin space for passengers to be comfortable in the back, as well. Against our testing criteria for Car of the Year, the K5 marks high on overall value, with plenty of trim-level choices and some desirable options.

2025 Kia K5 COTY Review: The Sportier Choice?

Can good looks and a sportier tune make the K5 a winner among heated competition? Justin WestbrookWriterWilliam WalkerPhotographer

Nov 19, 2024

Pros

• Sporty looks
• Spacious interior
• Fun GT-Line trim

Cons

• Fuel economy worsens
• Lacks torque
• Bawdy faux engine sounds

Kia has done some work over the past few years to make its lineup sportier—and more distinct from its corporate cousin, Hyundai—and the midsize K5 sedan has been something of a case study for those changes. With its striking modern and angular appearance and a new base powertrain for the 2025 model year, can it keep up that momentum or even build on it? Gaining 11 hp and new dashboard displays is a good start; losing last year’s turbocharger and some torque? Less so.

0:10 / 32:01

We really want to like the updated K5, as it looks good to most of our judges and Kia is clearly listening to customer feedback to better compete against class juggernauts like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It qualifies for this year’s Car of the Year competition by switching to a 2.5-liter non-turbo I-4 good for 191 hp and 182 lb-ft on most of the lineup, save for the more powerful 290-hp GT model (which, without any changes to its 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4, doesn’t qualify for COTY this year). The 2.5-liter engine packs 11 more hp but a significant 13 lb-ft less torque than the 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4 it replaces, and it comes linked exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Inside, the K5 is a pretty nice place to be. The new dual-screen interface looks upscale and is easy to navigate with sharp responses. The packaging is also impressive, with the same trim from the front leading into the rear row of seats—the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry give up plushness the farther back in the cabin you move—and plenty of cabin space for passengers to be comfortable in the back, as well. Against our testing criteria for Car of the Year, the K5 marks high on overall value, with plenty of trim-level choices and some desirable options.

However, the K5 falls apart against the rest of our criteria. Its updated design is not really advanced enough beyond the previous face-lift in 2021, which introduced most of the styling language we see today. Several judges note the K5 is a solid daily driver, but its dynamics can fall apart a bit when you push it truly hard, hindering its ability to score in the performance of intended function category given the sedan’s “sporty” angle.

The new four-cylinder base engine came in for criticism as “noisy” at idle and under the pressure of harder driving by multiple judges, and there is a faux engine noisemaker with three volume levels to amp things up further. We turned it off. One can’t help but wonder what a hybrid powertrain, rather than a bigger-displacement gas engine alone, would do to help with dynamics, such as on the new hybrid Camry and Accord, which set the bar for driving satisfaction in the midsize sedan space. This motor struggles against the transmission’s indecision on curvy roads, where often the K5 tries upshifting or holding higher gears even midcorner. Back off the throttle pedal even a hair, and the 2.5-liter engine is cut off at the knees by an upshift, leaving it feeling laggard unless you keep the accelerator pinned.

The optional all-wheel-drive system is new for 2025, too; it doesn’t feel like it adds too much, though K5s so equipped push less in the corners. The car simply feels planted when you fling it.

All said and done, the updated K5 maintains its sporty bent, new engine and all, but it could be so much better. If the engine didn’t sound so harsh, if the transmission were smarter, if … well, there are too many what-ifs here—and not enough excellence against our criteria—for the gas-only K5 to contend for the top of its increasingly hybridized class, let alone our Car of the Year award.

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.