Kia's K5 GT-Line: the midsize sedan with benefits

This review first appeared in the April 2021 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin' News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California ­– South Korea, the nation that gave us the K-pop genre of popular music (go ask your kids, or grandkids), keeps churning out exceptional cars as well.

Case in point: the all-new Kia K5 midsize sedan.

My tester was the 2021 Kia K5 GT-Line version, with the turbocharged 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 180 horsepower. That's not an eye-popping power number, but the sport-tuned characteristics of the K5 make it feel like it's punching way above its weight.

The K5 blistered my long-standing test-drive course up into the Sierra Nevada and back down into the Sacramento Valley.

With a satisfying exhaust note, the tester blazed down entrance ramps and whistled past pokes with amazing ease.  The stance at speed was stable, the steering instantly responsive. Hard cornering produced no body sway.

Thinking of a reliable Hyundai Sonata with the heart of a Camaro?  This is your car.

But it's much more than that.  For example, fuel mileage on the tested GT-Line was an excellent 27 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, remarkably good numbers for a machine with such a robust level of performance.

Kia designers apparently got the thumbs-up to throw out the run-of-the-mill styling book.

Consequently, the K5 grille is an updated sculpting of the automaker's "tiger face" mesh design, and the look pops into overdrive with Z-shaped daytime running lights.  They resemble orange lightning strikes, even when the vehicle is standing still.

On the back end, rear lights riding above the dual exhausts are connected by LED lighting dashes ... topped off by a rear spoiler. Seriously cool stuff.

My Kia K5 GT-Line looked especially saucy with a bright "Sapphire Blue" paint job; the interior was a sharp contrast with an all-black setting.

The tester was generously equipped with safety, comfort and convenience features.  And even with a suite of specialized GT extras, the bottom line on the tested K5 came to a very reasonable $27,955.

Kia's marketing materials note that the automaker set a goal of "completely rethinking the traditional sedan" in this era of relentless production of crossovers and SUVs.

On that score, Kia won me over.  If I was in the market for a midsize sedan with high performance, this K5 GT-Line would be at the top of my test-drive list.