What Makes the K5 Such a Fantastic Car?

If you’re interested in a midsize sedan, we’re willing to bet that the Kia K5 delivers pretty much everything you’ve been looking for. With outstanding performance—including an incredibly powerful available engine, a gorgeous design, and innovative features inside and out the K5 is an absolute joy to drive.

Whether you’re already looking for a Kia K5 for sale or just started checking out what Kia offers, we’re happy to show you everything the K5 can do, and you’ll quickly see why so many people love this car. Even when you compare it with popular competitors like the Nissan Altima, the 2025 K5 comes out on top by providing more power, better features inside, and a variety of options that enhance your time on the road each day.

Stunning Power and Performance

Although a midsize sedan doesn’t need sports-car power levels under the hood, you still want something fun to drive that feels great on the road. Kia clearly understands this because the K5 has two of the finest engines in this kind of vehicle, providing excellent power and performance.

First, there’s a standard 2.5L I-4 engine that provides 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This comes with front-wheel drive (FWD) standard, but all-wheel drive is available if you go with the GT-Line trim. For comparison’s sake, the 2025 Nissan Altima features a similar engine that provides 188 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque at best with a continuously variable transmission.

However, what takes things to the next level with the K5 is that Kia offers a second engine that we absolutely love—no other engine is available for the Altima. If you go with the K5 GT, you get a stunning 2.5L turbocharged engine that delivers 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, delivering heart-pounding power in a midsize sedan. 

We’ll admit that not everyone looks for this kind of performance, but if you want something truly incredible, this is hard to beat. This engine is only offered with FWD, perfect for its power, and a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission for a responsive driving experience.

A Sleek and Stylish Design

Although a fun-to-drive car is one of the first things we look for, we also want something that looks great on the road. This helps you feel good as you drive around each day and puts a smile on your face when you see your sedan sitting in your driveway.

For the 2025 K5, Kia has refreshed this midsize car with gorgeous styling that looks fantastic while also being quite functional. For example, 16-inch wheels are standard, 18-inch wheels are available on the GT-Line and EX trims, and the high-performance GT model comes with 19-inch wheels. These wheels all look terrific and give the K5 a bold stance that is perfect for each trim.

While the Nissan Altima also has 16-inch wheels with 19-inch wheels available, the 17-inch wheels you’ll find on some models don’t make the bold impression of Kia’s 18-inch wheels. Every K5 comes with multi-reflector LED headlights and LED taillights that look great and provide excellent illumination; GT-Line and GT models also have LED fog lights. You get body-color door handles and side mirrors on the LXS and EX models, while the GT models come with Gloss Black side mirrors instead. The GT even has a quad-tip dual exhaust that delivers excellent sound and helps boost the performance of its powerful engine.

Great Comfort and Convenience Features

One of the most important things to consider when looking for your next vehicle is how comfortable it is; you want something you’ll enjoy getting into each day. The Kia K5 comes with fantastic standard and available comfort features, plus convenience tech to make your life easier.

For example, six-way adjustable front seats are standard, as are cloth seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, Remote Start functionality, and pre-cooling and heating through the Kia Access App on your phone, thanks to Kia Connect. The Nissan Altima also has a six-way driver’s seat and cloth seating, with a urethane steering wheel, which is a bit underwhelming. NissanConnect services are available but not standard.

Speaking of available features, Kia delivers great options with the K5: all trims other than the starting one come with a 10-way power driver’s seat with two-way power lumbar, plus heated front seats. A 10-way power front-passenger seat is available, along with memory functionality for the driver’s seat, plus you can get ventilated front seats, SynTex seating that’s durable and incredibly comfortable, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Although leatherette seating is available in the Altima, most trims beyond the starting model come with an eight-way driver’s seat with available heated front seats rather than including them.

Advanced Technology to Get More Done

Something we love about Kia is how well they deliver great tech features in their vehicles to make your life easier in a wide range of ways. Thanks to its refresh, the 2025 K5 has a fantastic 12.3-inch infotainment display in every model; most trims include Navigation functionality with this system. Although a 4.2-inch instrument display is standard, an available 12.3-inch curved instrument display sits beside the large infotainment screen to create 24 inches of display area that looks fantastic. Support for over-the-air updates is standard, along with a six-speaker sound system; models beyond the starting trim feature a wireless charging pad, while an available 12-speaker Bose Premium sound system elevates the audio in your car to another level.

The Nissan Altima has some good tech features, but generally falls behind what Kia provides. An eight-inch infotainment display is standard in the Altima, which is much smaller than what Kia gives you; there’s a 12.3-inch screen available, but it’s part of an optional package for higher trims. Over-the-air updates aren’t even available on most 2025 Altima trims, which seems like a gross oversight these days, and a wireless charging pad is (again) an available option on higher trims as part of a package. Nissan offers some nice tech, but too much of it is locked away behind available options rather than included even on trims beyond the first.

Excellent Safety Tech to Protect You on the Road

Although the Altima lacks much of what the K5 has to offer, we’re happy to say that both vehicles have several impressive standard safety features. The 2025 Kia K5 comes with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian, Cyclist, and Junction Turning Detection, plus Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, and Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go. You get a Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keeping Assist, Front and Rear Park Distance Warnings, and a Driver Attention Warning, all included as standard.

Similarly, the Altima features an Intelligent Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, a Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and a Blind Spot Warning. Both cars have more options available, but even their standard features are great for keeping everyone safe on the road.

See for Yourself What the K5 Can Do

As you can see, even though the Altima is undoubtedly a fine midsize car, it simply can’t match the performance, design, and tech features of Kia’s sedan. Looking at these vehicles together, it’s easy to see why so many people are excited about the K5, especially with the updates and mid-generation refresh it has received for the 2025 model year.

No matter what you’re looking for in a car like this, the K5 is ready to deliver and ensure you have a great time while driving each day. All you have to do now is decide on the specific features you want, and then you can let us take care of everything else as we show you what the K5 has to offer.

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