You would be forgiven for thinking this can be the next-generation Kia K5 since the midsize sedan’s exterior look has tried and true quite few changes. For the sake of accuracy, this technically isn’t the K5, but the South Korean version sold in its domestic market as the K5. However, the forthcoming 2021 K5 in the United States should look virtually the same as its KDM sibling.
This major facelift is making its debut just three short years after the launch of the second-generation K5 and brings along some massive styling changes at the front and rear.
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Here are some visual comparisons between the pre-facelift car and the newly introduced model to better see the changes. The posh sedan has gone through for its mid-cycle refresh.
Kia Optima K5 Light Features
The most obvious ones would have to be the headlights, which have sleeker sweptback clusters and new LED daytime running lights/turn signals extending to the edges of the restyled “tiger nose” grille. The lights continue lower on the bumper to form that “Z” motif.
Either they’ve been removed or are not installed on the versions depicted here. But the “ice cube” fog lights of the outgoing K5 are not visible. Rounding off the changes at the front is the lower section of the front bumper that now has prominent edges and full-width chrome trim.
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Kia K5 Optima Specifications
At the back, the taillights now meet on the trunk lid courtesy of a red bar incorporating several parallelograms that light up and get narrower and narrower as they approach the center-mounted rearview camera.
If there’s one thing we don’t like about the facelift, it would have to be those exhaust finishers installed just for décor as the real exhaust is underneath the bumper.
Speaking of which, the rear bumper has a full-width chrome bar that also surrounds the “exhaust tips.” It complements the chrome line running along the bottom of the all-new taillights that continue to have a swanky “Z” theme.
Some big changes have occurred inside the cabin as well where we notice what looks to be a fully digital instrument cluster. The infotainment system’s touchscreen is significantly wider than before, prompting Kia to move the central air vents below the display. Each display measures 12.3 inches and lends the dashboard a high-tech look.
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The switchgear on the center console looks more modern than before, while the analog clock has been removed altogether. An enclosed storage compartment is located underneath the new buttons for the climate controls to enable a cleaner look for the center console.
Kia Car went through the trouble of updating the gear lever of the automatic transmission as it now has a more ergonomic shape. Underneath it is updated buttons for things such as the heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, and the electric parking brake, plus a new knob right below the shifter to select the drive mode.
With our Korean being a little bit rusty, we can’t quite understand what Kia is saying on the 2021 K5’s microsite, but it does talk about advanced drive-assistance systems (ADAS), 2.5- and 3.0-liter gasoline direct-injection engines, and a hybrid version.
KIA Optima Quick Features
- The all-new K5 is longer and wider than its forerunner.
- The length of the new model has been extended by 50 MM to 4,905 MM and also the breadth by 25 MM to 1,860 mm.
- The distance is extended to 2,850 MM providing a stable driving character.
- A 20 mm visit height to 1,445 MM creates a low-slung flashy profile.
Perhaps we will learn more in the coming months as the U.S.-spec 2021 KIA K5 should debut before the year’s end, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.