2024 Kia K5

2024 is a carry-over year of the pre-facelift third-generation K5, so the volume trims still use the 1.6L turbo four (the 191-hp 2.5L only arrived with the MY2025 refresh). Modest output for the mid-size class; the GT's 290 hp is the range maximum.

The 1.6T's 195 lb-ft arrives low in the rev range, so it feels stronger than its peak figure suggests, but it still normalizes in the lower part of the sedan band.

Kia publishes no 0–60 claim. Instrumented MotorTrend runs of the 1.6T K5 range from 7.0 s (GT-Line) to 7.4 s, so 7.3 s represents the volume FWD trims. That is mid-pack for the class. The GT is a genuine quick outlier.

The 1.6T has accessible low-rpm torque and is pleasant in everyday driving, but reviewers note some turbo lag from a stop and a coarse note near redline. It is a bit more responsive at part throttle than the later 2.5L NA engine. Stop-start can be abrupt.

The 1.6T pairs with a conventional 8-speed automatic that shifts smoothly and avoids the CVT drone of the Altima and Accord 1.5T. It can be slow to kick down. The GT's 8-speed wet DCT draws complaints about low-speed hesitation.

For 2024 all-wheel drive is offered only on the GT-Line AWD trim. LXS, EX and GT are front-drive only, and the system is a basic on-demand setup with no terrain modes. That beats FWD-only rivals but falls short of the Camry/Altima, which offer AWD across most trims.

There are two gas powertrains, the 180-hp 1.6T (FWD or AWD) and the 290-hp 2.5T GT, and no hybrid, PHEV or EV in the US. The spread is wide, but no electrified option is offered, unlike the Sonata, Camry and Accord.

The volume 1.6T FWD trims (LXS/EX/GT-Line FWD) are rated at 31 MPG combined, which is middle of the gas mid-size sedan pack. AWD and the GT drop to 28 and 27.

The EPA city rating for the volume 1.6T FWD configuration is 27 MPG.

The EPA highway rating for the volume 1.6T FWD configuration is 37 MPG, a strong figure for a non-hybrid.

The EPA total range on a full tank is 490 miles for the volume FWD 1.6T.

This is the EPA annual fuel cost at standard assumptions for the volume 1.6T FWD on regular fuel.

Every 2024 K5 configuration, including the 290-hp GT, runs on regular unleaded, so there is no premium-fuel cost.

NHTSA rates the 2024 K5 five stars overall in both FWD and AWD form, held back from a clean sweep only by a 4-star frontal and 4-star rollover result.

Good in both small-overlap tests and the original moderate-overlap test, but the 2024 K5 earns Poor in the updated moderate-overlap (rear-passenger) test and Marginal in the updated side test, the two results that now gate an award, and it holds no 2024 Top Safety Pick. Key-test Poor/Marginal results put it in the low band.

Every 2024 K5 trim gets AEB with pedestrian detection, lane keeping plus Lane Following Assist centering, active blind-spot and rear cross-traffic avoidance and Safe Exit Assist as standard, which is strong. Adaptive cruise is the gap: Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is optional only, even on GT-Line/EX/GT, so the benchmark five-feature set is not standard anywhere.

The standard camera-only FCA earns just Acceptable in IIHS pedestrian front crash prevention, and the more capable camera+radar system with cyclist and junction-turning detection is a package option. Adequate rather than strong, with no Advanced/Superior night-pedestrian result.

Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist are standard on every 2024 trim and actively brake/steer rather than only warn, and Safe Exit Assist is standard too — better coverage than most mainstream mid-size sedans' base trims.

Lane Following Assist true lane centering is standard on all trims alongside Lane Keeping Assist, ahead of many rivals; reviewers find Kia's LFA competent on marked highways but prone to wander on faded lines and early hand-back in tighter curves.

When fitted, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is smooth and full-speed-range, and EX/GT can add navigation-based curve slowing and Highway Driving Assist. But it is an option on every trim — not even standard on the EX — so a typical volume-trim buyer may have plain cruise, which drags the score well below rivals with standard ACC.

No hands-free driving system is offered on any 2024 K5; Highway Driving Assist is a hands-on-wheel system.

The standard LED reflector headlights with High Beam Assist rate Acceptable at IIHS on the LXS, GT-Line, EX and GT; Good-rated LED projectors come only with the premium/GT1 packages. Good on upper configurations, Acceptable on volume trims.

The fastback roofline, high beltline and thick C-pillars pinch the rear and over-shoulder view — a consistent criticism of this K5 — while forward sightlines are fine. Surround View Monitor is an EX/GT option only, though standard active blind-spot assistance partly compensates.

IIHS rates the 2024 K5's LATCH Acceptable: two sets of lower anchors plus three tethers, with anchors set somewhat deep in the seat bight. Generous ~35 in rear legroom and wide rear doors help, but the sloping roof complicates loading rear-facing seats.

The 2024 K5 is a conventional five-passenger mid-size sedan on every trim, the same as all of its mainstream rivals.

The volume GT-Line comes without a sunroof as standard, so the 40.2 in figure applies. That tops the sedan band. The panoramic sunroof on EX/GT cuts it to 38.4 in.

At 46.1 in, the K5 has the largest published front legroom among mainstream mid-size sedans, the same as its platform-mate the Sonata. Part of that margin comes from Hyundai/Kia's generous measuring convention.

On paper, 37.8 in of rear headroom is competitive for the class. In practice the sloping fastback roofline makes rear entry tighter than the number suggests.

Rear legroom of 35.2 in is the K5's packaging weak point. It trails the Camry (38.0) and Accord (40.8) and ties the Altima, because the outsized front row takes space from the back.

The 16.0 cu ft trunk is above the class middle. It beats the Camry (15.1) and falls just short of the Accord (16.7), and a 60/40 split rear seatback extends it.

Everyday storage is competitive and conventional: a covered console bin, cupholders, a wireless-charging tray from GT-Line up, and usable door pockets. Nothing about it is innovative, and some bins are unlined and rattle.

The front seats are supportive, with a power driver's seat including lumbar from GT-Line up. The rear cushion gets good marks, but the limited legroom and low roofline cost the K5 against the Camry and Accord, and the SynTex upholstery can feel sticky.

On the GT-Line's 18-in wheels the ride is compliant and well controlled, with a sportier, firmer edge than the Sonata. The GT's 19-in wheels and stiffer tune are busier over rough roads, and the K5 falls short of the Accord's ride/handling benchmark.

At highway speed the cabin is notably hushed, and the 1.6T is less buzzy than the later 2.5L NA engine. It gets vocal near redline, though, and coarse pavement brings tire roar on the larger wheels.

Dual-zone automatic climate is standard, and heated front seats became standard on the GT-Line for 2024. However, the heated steering wheel is optional, ventilated seats are EX-only, rear vents are only on EX/GT, and no heated rear seats are offered.

2024 is the last pre-facelift K5, and it still opens at the LXS with the 180-hp 1.6L turbo (the LX and the 2.5L base engine arrived for MY2025). At under $27,000 delivered it sits in the low end of the mid-size sedan band and undercuts the Camry LE and Accord LX.

The GT-Line has been the K5's volume trim through the DL3 generation, and for 2024 it lands at $28,245 delivered. Even the 290-hp GT stays in the low $33,000s, so the whole range sits in the cheaper half of the segment band.

The 1.6T and 8-speed automatic are high-volume Hyundai-Kia hardware with cheap routine service, so running costs sit slightly below the mid-size norm. There is no included maintenance to offset it, and the turbo GDI engine needs regular oil changes.

The K5 has held value better than mid-size sedans historically did, but it still trails Camry and Accord. A 2024 example has already lost about 21% in two years. The figure blends the backward-looking used-market studies with more conservative forward residuals for a car superseded by a facelift a year later.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic coverage tops the segment band. It is two years longer than the 3/36 terms at Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda, and it applies to every 2024 K5 trim.

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain term is best-in-class and covers both the 1.6T and the GT's 2.5T. The caveat is that it applies to the original owner only.

Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US, unlike Hyundai on the mechanically similar Sonata (3 yr/36k) or ToyotaCare on the Camry (2 yr/25k). What is included is 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance and a Kia Connect trial on equipped trims, which puts it in the 'basic roadside only' band.

$28,245 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (52% retained, or about $14,687) leaves about $13,558 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,400 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $17,958 in total.

The 2024 K5 is the fourth model year of the third-generation DL3 and the last before the 2025 facelift, a carry-over year with three years of field data behind the platform. J.D. Power rates its quality and reliability as 'Great' and owner surveys rank it near the top of the mid-size car class, which puts it above the mainstream Korean norm, though still short of the Camry/Accord tier and with Consumer Reports offering only a mid-pack brand-level read.

Kia sits solidly mid-pack-to-upper in dependability: repeatedly at or near the top of mass-market brands in J.D. Power Initial Quality and around or above industry average in VDS, but mid-field in Consumer Reports and still carrying reputational drag from the Theta II engine campaigns and the immobilizer theft wave.

The 2024 K5 has two NHTSA campaigns, and one is fire-severity on the volume powertrain: a purge-control check valve on the 1.6L turbo can fail, pressurizing the fuel tank until it deforms against the exhaust and can melt and leak. The other is a cosmetic-but-hazardous detaching C-pillar trim. Two campaigns is not a high count, but a fuel-leak/fire defect spanning the whole 2021–2024 1.6T population holds this just below mid-band.

The 2024 volume trims use the 1.6L Smartstream turbo four (180 hp) with a conventional 8-speed torque-converter automatic — a sound gearbox choice, but a small-displacement direct-injection turbo working hard in a mid-size sedan, and one whose purge-valve recall shows the fuel-vapor system is not trouble-free. The GT's 2.5L turbo with an 8-speed wet dual-clutch is the higher-risk outlier but a low-volume trim. It sits below the 2025+ car, which switched to the naturally aspirated 2.5L.

The pre-facelift DL3 cabin has a sporty, driver-angled layout with padded upper surfaces on mid trims, but the base LXS is visibly built to a price with cloth, urethane touch points and abundant hard plastic low in the cabin, and the separate-screen dash looks plainer than the 2025 refresh. Competitive for the class, not a leader.

By its fourth year the DL3 is a mature build with strong initial-quality standing, but the C-pillar trim recall is exactly the kind of assembly/attachment lapse this item penalizes, keeping it a few points under the facelifted car.

Roughly 775–800 US Kia dealers give good metro coverage but a thinner rural footprint than Toyota, Honda or the Detroit brands, with roughly average service satisfaction. The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty lowers the cost of using that network, but there is no complimentary scheduled maintenance.

The K5 shares its 1.6T engine, 8-speed automatic and much of its hardware with the Hyundai Sonata and the wider Hyundai-Kia Smartstream family, so mechanical parts are cheap and widely stocked and independent shops know the hardware. Turbo-specific components and the GT's DCT are the costlier outliers once out of warranty.

The volume GT-Line, along with the EX and GT, gets the 10.25-in navigation touchscreen, and the base LXS has an 8-in unit. The facelifted 2025 K5 moved to dual 12.3-in panels.

Kia's 10.25-in system is quick, with clear menus and handy physical shortcut buttons and knobs. It is not a class leader, and native voice recognition lets it down.

In an odd inversion, only the base LXS's 8-in unit has wireless CarPlay/Android Auto. The volume GT-Line and the EX/GT with the 10.25-in navigation screen need a cable.

Embedded navigation comes on GT-Line and up, but reviewers found the native voice recognition inaccurate and recommend phone projection instead.

A 12-speaker Bose premium system is available on the upper EX and GT trims. The volume GT-Line's 6-speaker base system is merely adequate.

Volume trims, the EX included, use analog dials flanking a 4.2-in TFT info screen. The full-digital cluster that rivals offer had to wait for the 2025 facelift's curved display.

The pre-facelift K5's head unit gets map and software updates mainly through dealer or USB (Navigation Updater) rather than meaningful over-the-air whole-vehicle updates. Broader OTA arrived with the 2025 refresh.

Kia Connect on GT-Line and up adds remote lock/unlock, vehicle finder, and remote start with climate on equipped trims. Service is free for the first year, then by subscription, and no phone-as-key is offered.

Wireless phone charging comes from GT-Line up, alongside front USB ports and rear-seat USB charge ports. The ports are largely legacy USB-A, and there is no household outlet.

The smart key with push-button start and the smart trunk are widely fitted, and remote start comes with the EX. There is no phone-as-key on the 2024 model.

A rear camera is standard. Rear parking sensors are standard only on the EX, and the Surround View Monitor and front sensors are options on upper trims, so the volume GT-Line usually has a camera alone.

No head-up display is offered on any 2024 K5 trim.

The large rear doors and the 16 cu ft trunk (enough for a stroller) handle family duty. But the sloping roofline complicates loading a child seat, rear legroom is modest for rear-facing seats, and IIHS rates LATCH only Acceptable.

The standard ADAS is generous: AEB, lane centering, active blind-spot and rear cross-traffic avoidance, and Safe Exit Assist on every trim. That is offset by IIHS results that worry rear-seat families: Poor in the updated moderate-overlap (rear passenger) test, Marginal in the updated side test, and no Top Safety Pick.

The comfortable front seats, quiet highway cabin, 490-mile range and 16 cu ft trunk suit trips. The back seat is the weak spot: tight legroom, rear vents only on EX/GT, and no rear seat heating.

The 1.6T's low-end torque and the smooth 8-speed automatic make for relaxed, easy commuting with a compliant ride. Mild turbo lag off the line and abrupt stop-start are the minor annoyances, and adaptive cruise is optional only.

The volume FWD 1.6T is rated 31 MPG combined on regular fuel, which is average for a non-hybrid mid-size sedan. No hybrid is offered, so it trails the Camry, Accord and Sonata hybrids, and one tester averaged only 24.5 MPG.

A 36.0-ft turning circle is good for a 193-in sedan. But the fastback's thick C-pillars limit the rear view, and surround view and front sensors are upper-trim options.

As a mid-size sedan with no US tow rating and only trunk cargo space, the K5 is not meaningfully work-capable beyond carrying small tools or samples.

The K5 is common in rental and some fleets and the 8-speed automatic is a conventional unit. The 1.6T is relatively new and unproven under hard duty, and SynTex/cloth interiors are not built for jobsite abuse.

There is no onboard power export, no factory hitch, and no upfit ecosystem, only a trunk with a 60/40 pass-through.

The K5 tours well, with a quiet highway cabin, supportive front seats, a 490-mile range, and standard lane centering. Adaptive cruise and Highway Driving Assist being options holds it back, as does the cramped rear.

AWD is available only on the GT-Line AWD trim. Low ground clearance, no roof rails, and no US tow rating limit it to gravel roads and trunk-mounted bike racks.

The 16 cu ft trunk and 60/40 pass-through take normal luggage. The sedan's trunk opening, missing roof rails, and lack of hitch availability limit bulky gear.

The K5 is composed and athletic for the class, with tidy body control on the GT-Line's 18-in tires. It sits a step behind the Accord's benchmark chassis, and the 290-hp GT is the genuinely sporty version.

The steering is accurate and reasonably weighted but numb, and reviewers find it short on satisfaction.

Everyday stops are adequate with a natural pedal, but the brakes faded on sustained descents in testing.

The 1.6T has torquey midrange response and well-timed shifts from the 8-speed automatic. Mild turbo lag off the line, modest highway passing punch, and somewhat abrupt stop-start keep it in the middle of the class.

At cruise the engine is quiet and well isolated, but the 1.6T turns coarse when worked near redline.

A 36.0-ft curb-to-curb turning circle is tight for a car with a 112.2-in wheelbase, sitting near the better end of the sedan band.

The low, sporty seating position comes with a power driver's seat and lumbar support from GT-Line up, a good wheel range, and physical climate controls. Rear visibility through the fastback's thick C-pillars is the main compromise.

The GT-Line looks and handles sportier than most mainstream mid-size sedans, but its modest 180-hp engine, numb steering and brake fade make it a pleasant commuter rather than an enthusiast pick. The GT changes that.

Even the base LXS comes with the 180-hp turbo, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, LED lighting and the core Drive Wise suite. That suite covers automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams and driver attention warning. The 2024 base car still has the smaller 8-inch touchscreen and analog-plus-TFT cluster, and the 10.25-inch screens are reserved for higher trims, so it is competitive rather than loaded.

At $26,745 delivered for a turbocharged, well-equipped sedan with a 10-year powertrain warranty, the 2024 K5 is one of the segment's better buys. The GT's 290 hp for $33,145 is genuine performance value. It falls short of a standout because there is no hybrid and resale trails the Camry and Accord.

There are four trims (LXS, GT-Line, EX, GT), two turbo engines and a $26.7k–$33.1k spread, with a real performance halo at the top. AWD is limited to the GT-Line, and there is no hybrid or PHEV anywhere in the range, so some buyer types are not served.

Calendar 2024 was the K5's weakest year of the generation, falling 28.5% as the pre-facelift car ran out ahead of the MY2025 update. Sales were down more than 60% in the first five months. It sits well behind the Camry, Accord and Altima, with a sharp decline that recovered only after the facelift.

Kia's design-led reinvention and record 2024 US sales have lifted the brand well clear of its value-brand past, and the K5's fastback styling is a big part of why buyers choose it. It still lacks the Toyota/Honda halo that drives resale and automatic consideration in this segment.

As the outgoing pre-facelift model, with sales falling sharply through 2024, the K5 was heavily discountable. Low-APR financing and lease cash were standing offers, which benefits the buyer without the desperation pricing of a discontinued model.

2024 is the fourth and final model year of the pre-facelift DL3 K5. The refresh, with new lighting, the dual 12.3-inch interior, a rotary shifter and a new 2.5L base engine, was revealed in October 2023 for MY2025. A 2024 buyer was therefore getting a car about to be superseded, with imminent resale and tech-obsolescence risk.

Reviewers consistently like the K5's styling, value, ride/handling balance and the GT's pace, but it lands mid-pack behind the Accord and Camry in rankings. For 2024 it also lost IIHS award status after Poor and Marginal results in IIHS's tougher updated moderate-overlap and side tests.