Would You Drive This? 2021 Kia K5

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It's weird: Just as midsize sedans fall out of fashion, there's never been a better time to buy one. Segment leaders like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are the best they've ever been, to say nothing of stylish alternatives like the Hyundai Sonata and Mazda6. Kia's been a longtime player in this space with its Optima sedan, but it's poised to make an even bigger splash with the launch of that car's replacement. Say hello to the new K5.

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of Kia's new four-door, let's talk about that name. K5 is what the Optima was always called in its home market, South Korea, where Kia uses a Kx naming strategy for its sedans (our Forte is known as the K3, the Cadenza is the K7, the K900 is -- you guessed it -- the K9). "This new car is such a big departure from the outgoing model that we thought it deserved its own name," a Kia spokesperson tells me. No, this doesn't necessarily mean Kia will be switching to any sort of whole-line alphanumeric naming strategy in the US, though the same spokesperson says that's not out of the question if future products "meet this same high standard."

Never mind the name; just like the Optima, the K5 is a lot of car for the money and this model makes a strong statement right off the bat.

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The K5 LX, LXS, GT-Line and EX models share the same powertrain: a 1.6-liter turbocharged I4, with 180 horsepower, 195 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but the LXS and GT-Line can be had with all-wheel drive -- a smart move, considering the Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry are now also offered with this foul-weather capability.

A more powerful K5 GT will hit the road later this year with unique chassis tuning, 19-inch wheels and -- most importantly -- a 2.5-liter turbo I4 engine with 290 hp, 311 lb-ft and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Consider this Kia's version of the Hyundai Sonata N-Line, a car my Roadshow pal Antuan Goodwin drove in prototype form late last year.

Buyers looking for an entertaining midsize sedan will likely want to wait for the GT.

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A base 2021 Kia K5 LX comes in at $24,445 including $965 for destination, while a fully loaded, front-wheel-drive EX like my tester rings up for $32,355. The GT-Line I also sampled, meanwhile, comes in around $28,000. Across the board, the K5 is competitively priced within its class -- even the forthcoming GT will top out just under $36,000 with all the option boxes checked.

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