Carbuzz.com Delivers Specific Details on Kia K5 Arrival Dates

Jared Rozenholtz of Carbuzz.com was hard at work on assignment this week for their blog and when he was asked about the arrival of the Kia K5 he responded: “It's coming very soon”. Kia first showed off the next-generation Optima towards the end of 2019 via the reveal of the K5 in the Korean market. Based on spy shots from various internet sites, the US-spec model has been expected to shed the Optima name in favor of the K5 in the United States market. Promising a sleek and slightly lower-budget option for those who are in love with the Stinger, we expect the sedan to breathe an abundance of life and fire into a market still desperate for just this, “a killer car”.

It was several months ago that the K5 was shown in Korea, and everyone here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis has been eagerly awaiting the announcement about a specific release date. Now it seems the wait is over, and the official debut date has been released as June 30, 2020. This news was via an official email from Kia that began with the statement “It's been a while and we have news to share.” This particular email does not reference the car by its exact name, attempting one last go at keeping things a mystery, but it does include a small teaser that clearly shows a sedan with all the features of the already-seen Korean specific model.

We expect the North American debut to take place at 2:00 PM Eastern time. Engine options will be the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that cranks out 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque or the 1.6-liter turbo-four that cranks out 180 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, both shared with the mechanically similar Hyundai Sonata. This year for the first time ever the new car is expected to brandish the all-wheel-drive option with the 1.6-liter engine. We still aren't sure if the GT will just see the unveiling of the standard model, or if the GT variant will accompany it right out of the gate.

The GT is expected to use the identical 2.5-liter turbo-four as the upcoming Hyundai Sonata N-line, which cranks out around 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. The GT will most likely have AWD, and the fine details on pricing could be revealed on the 30^th as well. Cloth, simulated leather, and genuine leather are available in single and two-tone cabin color schemes, and the rendering of trim and accents is finished with polished metallic simulated wood and gloss black depending on the model. New voice recognition technology onboard allows the driver to control the stereo, climate system, power windows, and heated/ventilated seats, and there is also the available option of the 12-speaker Bose premium surround sound system.

Drive Mode Select offers five driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Smart, and Custom. Highlights regarding advanced driving assist systems include adaptive cruise control, front and rear collision warning, automatic front and rear emergency braking, blind-spot warning with active intervention, lane departure warning with lane-keeping assistance, and rear cross-traffic warning. Longer, wider, and a bit lower than the Optima it is replacing, the Kia K5 also has new LED “heartbeat” daytime running lights in the front and rear, and is bound to win over anyone who still has an intense love for a connection to the road that does not have to be quenched by means of the ever-popular crossover SUV!

2021 Kia Optima Renamed K5 for the States, AWD is a Definite

When all of us on staff here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis receive inquiries from customers and cohorts about what's happening and what's around the corner in the auto realm, we've found that Car and Driver is a great source for details. They ran a feature on their blog this week describing the future of the Kia Optima and reported that they are now certain it will be renamed the K5. This Is due to the finding of an official document from the EPA that claims the Kia K5 could be used to match the name currently used by the model in Korea.

When the Car and Driver testing staff was giving the model a spin last year, the Kia rep that met up with them had hinted that this name change could occur down the road. Here in the states, the Optima has been available for four generations over two decades. The official EPA fuel-economy ratings first spotted by Motor Trend also definitely confirm the K5 will offer an all-wheel-drive option in the States. The single model officially listed has a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive.

This same engine cranks out 180 horsepower, and 191 lb-ft of torque, as it also does situate in the Hyundai Sonata Sedan, which does not yet offer AWD. We expect to hear some more solid details soon, and during our web search this week found Motor Trend claiming that the new model is definitely a “big leap forward in looks and tech”. We do at least know now that a performance GT will follow later in the year, and we have been very happy about just how much the Optima was a game-changer, helping put the brand we love to represent so much on many new buyers' radar.

The K5 also introduces “heartbeat lighting” at both ends of the car, squiggles of LED lights that resemble the readout on an EKG heart rate monitoring device. The rear LEDs provide an even more accurate replica of an actual heartbeat with spikes at each end, and a flat line in the middle that is a series of dashes that eventually shrink when they join in the center.

Designed with a very aggressive variant in mind, the K5 will boast new architecture developed under Albert Biermann, head of R and D and testing for the Hyundai Motor Group. As we have seen the overall popularity of trucks and SUVs rise drastically over the last decade, it is always exhilarating to witness the release of a new sedan. The K5 promises a solid connection to the road, top-notch handling and engineering, and the standard excellent warranty selection that we are known for being the best-in-show of worldwide!