The automotive market for sedans under $30,000 is highly competitive. While cars such as the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry have dominated this segment for years, the competition today is tougher than ever. For buyers, it’s not just about the old reputation anymore. Instead, customers are highly-educated on the market and look for the most value for the money. Enter Kia. The Korean automaker has been on fire lately, providing some of the best bang-for-your-buck vehicles and offering one great vehicle after the other.
After seeing how much value the Kia Stinger GT offers during our review, we moved to the smaller K5 GT-Line to see if it, too, offers high value for the dollars. It looks like Kia has done it again. For under $30,000, the 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line offers some serious value. The question remains, should you buy the K5 GT-Line, opt for the full-on GT version, or look somewhere else entirely?
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD
- Turbocharged Engine
- GT-Line Styling
- All Wheel Drive
- Electronically Controlled Transfer Case
- Engine/Motor: 1.6-Liter Turbocharged 4-Cylinder
- Horsepower: 180 @5,500 RPM
- Torque: 195 lb-ft @1,500-4,500 RPM
- Drivetrain: All Wheel Drive
- Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic
- Luxurious Interior
- Impressive Styling
- Decent Low-End Torque
- Great Price Point
- Good Driver Assist Technology
- Engine Feels Underpowered
- Transmission Feels Lazy
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line Vs Competition
While the K5 sounds like a new model, it’s based on the Optima that Kia has been producing since 2000. However, the K5 is nothing like the old Optima we knew back then. You may have seen the ads about the 290-horsepower Kia K5, but let’s clear the air: the Kia K5 GT is completely different from the GT-Line in terms of performance. The GT-Line offers the visual aggressiveness, while the GT sports the bigger engine and true performance aggressiveness.
With that cleared up, the 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line still competes against giants. To name a few of its rivals, the K5 GT-Line is up against cars such as the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Mazda6. While each car offers something unique, we believe the real advantage and tough competition will come from the Honda Accord. However, the K5 GT-Line feels like it brings a completely new experience to the Korean manufacture, and offers some of the best value in its segment.
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD Engine And Driveline
The 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD sports a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. This is the same engine that powers numerous Kia and Hyundai vehicles. The engine works collaboratively with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The transmission has manual mode through the shifter, but it doesn’t offer pedal shifters. Together, they send the power to all four wheels with the help of the electronically-controlled transfer case.
The turbocharged engine delivers 180 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, and 195 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 RPM and 4,500 RPM. Again, the GT trim is completely different, delivering 290 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque from the larger 2.5-liter turbocharged engine, which we will review soon according to our schedule. Kia engineered the GT-Line to provide value and great drivability, but how does that translate on the road?
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD Exterior Design
While the GT-Line doesn’t offer the top-of-the-line engine option, the exterior design certainly does. The body lines feature a sleek fastback silhouette, giving the K5 GT-Line a look similar to the Stinger at a fraction of the cost. Both the front and rear are futuristically impressive. The front features a unique, thin grille with two very sharp LED multi-reflector headlights around. The grille is unique to the GT-Line, and so are the front and rear bumpers, as well as the gloss black rear spoiler.
The rear stands out effortlessly thanks to the one-piece LED taillight. Our loner K5 came with the Wolf Gray paint. It’s classy, not flashy. There are four additional paint colors available, with the Wolf Gray being our personal favorite. The K5 GT-Line sits on four 18-inch gloss back machine finished wheels. All in all, the exterior can compete with any car in its segment, and a few other cars in segments that are far pricier.
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD Interior
At first glance, the cabin of the 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line is luxurious. Our loaner came with the beautiful red leather. The leather feels refined and expensive. The interior flows together smoothly, with details that make this cabin very driver-centric. You can get this feeling through the flow of the gauge cluster into the driver-facing display screen on the dashboard, as well as the divider in the center console. This is something automakers have struggled with, and often times, cabins tend to focus on the passenger with the display screen tilted to the right. The K5, however, is all about the driver. In the center, the 10.3-inch touchscreen features a really well-engineered infotainment system.
Despite its Apple CarPlay capability, it is not wireless. With many vehicles going with the wireless Apple CarPlay technology, we wish it could just be the new thing. No one wants a cable running through the interior. The wireless charging station in the K5, however, is the best we’ve seen. It’s not a charging pad, instead, it’s a charging pocked that tucks away in front of the arm rest. We find this to be a brilliant place that saves space and protects the phone.
The best part about the cabin, however, is the panoramic sunroof. Stretching from the front to the rear, this feature completely changes the experience, especially for those sitting in the rear. Despite its low roof line in the rear, the K5 doesn’t feel cramped inside. All in all, the cabin of the K5 feels much more expensive than the price tag attached to it with tons of great feature.
2022 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD First Drive
Getting behind the wheel of the 2022 K5 GT-Line feels very refined. The seats have nice cushioning, which reminds us of Lexus’ comfortable seats. I’ve yet to experience seats that offer this much cushion outside of Lexus and the K5 GT-Line. Once the vehicle starts rolling, you will immediately feel how smooth the suspension is. The K5 is truly a comfortable car. A hard step on the throttle, and we couldn’t help but feel a tad disappointed. Although the initial launch is relatively aggressive, it only lasts a moment before you’re left with a smooth, slow pull until redline.
The transmission shifts through the gears smoothly when cruising, but the downshifts are lazy and the RPM hangs up high way too long. If you want to have fun with this car, you can do it at slow speeds, because once you climb up in the RPM, you will not get any crazy responses. However, the acceleration is good enough to get you out of trouble, and more than enough for a Camry substitute. On the other hand, we recently reviewed the much smaller Mazda3 Hatch, and it rocked a 2.5-liter Turbo engine. So, while this 1.6-liter may seem small, the option for a bigger one is always on the table with the GT.
The K5 GT-Line comes with the Kia Drive Wise Driver Assist Technology. This includes all the collision warnings you need, blind-sport monitor, and even the Leading Vehicle Departure Alert. The latter is a good piece of technology that alerts you when the vehicle in front of you takes off so you don’t have to deal with the car behind you honking at you. We were also impressed with the Lane Keeping Assist feature. Although not always flawless, it keeps the car in the lane impressively; however, don’t solely rely on it as it has shown some faults during our drive.
Around corners, the K5 surprisingly gets more fun. Although it comes with some body roll, the suspension tuning is closer to a sporty feel than road-focus. This makes for a completely smooth ride on the road, and a relatively well-handling ride around canyon roads. Brakes are good enough for the power. They provide great stopping power to the 3,465-pound sedan.
All in all, driving the 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line is a pleasure. It’s comfortable, it’s smooth, and it’s stylish—we loved it. If you want a fun drive, however, you are better off going with the full GT trim. We haven’t reviewed the K5 GT yet, but we have a good feeling about its power output.
The Bottom Line
While the 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line is up against some serious competition, we believe it can stand its ground. We could barely find things to complain about, until we felt how much the engine could benefit from some additional power. Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s not the right car for you. If you’re looking for a great daily that will average 28 mpg, offer an interior well-above its MSRP, and provide eye-catching design that of much more expensive German vehicles, this car will deliver with flying colors.
In addition, Kia has been making some very reliable cars almost worthy of matching Japanese reliability. Not everyone cares about a car that will give you heart-dropping acceleration. However, if you want a smaller version of what the Kia Stinger would offer, we suggest you go with the Kia K5 GT with the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine. In the end, you can’t go wrong with this vehicle. For $27,790 starting MSRP, you will get luxury, comfort, technology, and tons of safety features (it even made our safest daily-drivers list), not to mention some serious style points.