Pricing
Two steps forward, two steps backward
I had a 2019 Kia Optima EX. I traded it in for a 2023 Kia K5 EX with the Premium package, home link mirror, puddle lights and mud flaps. The good; I think the car looks great! sporty exterior and the interior is well thought out. The lane keeping assist is fantastic and improved over the 2019 version I had in the Optima. The 360 camera is really useful. I like the radio, intuitive... The split screen large display is very nice. Ventilated seats work great, lots of space in the cabin and trunk. The gas mileage is also excellent, up to 41 mpg in a tank so far! The Bad; Items missing... Smart Cruise control sensitivity adjustment is not included, my car will jump up to 6,000 rpm when making speed adjustments. It red lines at 6500. A jarring experience which is hurting my insurance score for aggressive acceleration violations as a result. The 2019 Optima SCC was adjustable. The K5 brouchure lists this adjustment as standard, it is not. No interior LED accent lighting (the 2019 Optima had this). The mirrors fold when the car is locked, however you cannot disable the feature. Not looking forward to ice storms this winter with my mirror locked in the folded position due to icing. The K5 brochure lists the disable function as a feature with instructions on how to use it, but it is not included. No rain sensing wipers for 2023, they had them in 2022. Finally, the seats are NOT leather. The material feels like a rubber wet suit, it is not smooth or easy to move around on and the material gets much hotter than leather. I bought the top trim level based on the features listed in the brochure, some of which I had also enjoyed in the K5 EX's 2019 counterpart. Other features advertised would constitute an improvement over the 2019 version, but they don't exist as advertised. The K5 EX cost $11,000 more than the top of the line Optima did 3 years ago. I wouldn't mind IF the some of the quality and convenience features were not missing or been downgraded. If I would have known of the downgraded features and had sat in the seats for a while before purchasing, I probably would have gotten an accord. It has leather seats and all the convenience features that were dropped for the 2023 K5. With the supply chain issues there were no cars available to test drive over a 3 month period. Normally one could take a close look at a vehicle before deciding. Not the case currently. I hope this information is helpful to you in making a purchasing decision.
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Intermittent Engine Code, Huge safety concern.
I've had horrible luck with my 2024 Kia k5 GT that I got less than 6 months ago. Constant re-occurring Engine Code (P065312) that's happened from 1000-current (12,665) mileage. HUGE safety concern in my opinion. Also the exterior trim is falling off in certain places and is being replaced under warranty. I've had a few issues with the radio/back-up camera freezing up and becoming unresponsive as well. The primary issue is the Engine. When the Code occurs the car gets stuck at a certain rev point w/ no control from the accelerator, you have to pull over and restart the vehicle to resolve issue. Not the worst thing don't get me wrong, but if it happened on the highway? that's an accident waiting to happen. I've had no luck with any of the dealerships I've been to, and my Kia Consumer Affair rep keeps advising me to give another dealership a chance. I've given the dealership/affair rep ample information to be prepared for the issue, but no luck so far.
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A Stand-Out Sporty Sedan
I spent several months researching details and reviews and test driving the 2023 GT-Line before finally making my purchase. After driving it daily, my initial impressions were all positive, with the exception of just a few not so positive surprises. The car had touted its having four USB ports, but only one is for device connectivity, the other three are for charging only. This was an issue as I keep a massive music library on a 128GB thumb drive that I'd previously used as my primary source of music, but with an iPhone 15 Pro Max connected to the wired-only 10.25" touch screen, I lost the ability to have anything other than the iPhone plugged in at a time. The wireless charing slot is virtually useless, as I have to have my iPhone plugged in via USB all the time in order to use Apple CarPlay. Also, the chrome trim piece that wraps around entire roofline and underneath the rear window looked completely out of place on the GT-Line package (it's the only chrome on the whole car), so I immediately installed matching black-out gloss vinyl to cover it after taking delivery (I was able to purchase a do-it-yourself kit and install it relatively easily for $60 and a half a day's work, vs. the $400+ a local detailing shop quoted to do it). This was a huge aesthetic improvement. The GT-Line should ship this way and eliminate the chrome holdover from the Optima days. Also, know in advance that if you live in cold weather areas, there's no way to hop out of the car and lock the door and leave the the engine running. It shuts itself off you try to lock the car after exiting with the engine running and hit the lock. Forums indicate the only option is to use the remote start to restart the engine after it shuts itself off and you're outside the car. Also, there's no place to grab the trunk to shut it after opening (no notch or handle), so the shiny black GT-Line spoiler is constantly getting covered with fingerprints/handprints from shutting the trunk. Other than those few complaints it's been an overall positive experience owning the 2023 K5 GT-Line after almost 5K miles.
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2019 Optima EX vs 2023 K5 GT GT1
I love the power in the engine, i really enjoy the look and feel of the infotainment system. i wish kia would get with the times and have wireless projection of android auto/apple carplay. in my 2019 Optima EX, the lane keeping assist was almost flawless, it was slightly lacking on really tight curves of the highway but i feel that is reasonable. with the 2023 GT GT1, the lane keeping assist is almost dangerous. it seems to have extreme amounts of torque and cannot measure the center of the lane correctly, it is constantly pulling the car out of the lane, especially on curves. The steering assist is even worse... it stays on all the way to zero mph and turns the wheel for no reason at a stop. if you are taking a 25mph TIGHT exit ramp it will GREATLY over-correct the turn and do it extremely quickly, i find myself fighting the lanekeep assist, and steering assist constantly if im not going in a straight line. I do prefer the Harmon/Kardon system in the 2019 Optima as it had a cleaner sound in my opinion. Although the Bose sound is pretty good. also THANK YOU KIA for the remote start on the actual remote. jeez. finally. the only other thing i dont appreciate is how easy it is to scratch the glossy finished trim inside the car. and they got rid of the handle to close the trunk????? Also got rid of the button to open the gas cap??? those were key features i really enjoyed on my optima!
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IN LOVE!
I love everything about this car. The look, the feel, all of it! It drives very smoothly and quiet and is so comfortable. The display is nice and big and perfect for media and navigation. All of the extra features don't hurt either, like the wireless phone charger or KIA Connect App capabilities. I could not recommend this car more. The miles per gallon is also a huge bonus considering gas prices these days!