2021 Kia K5 Lands As Chevrolet Malibu Rival
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Kia just introduced the 2021 Kia K5, a next-generation midsize sedan set to replace the Kia Optima in the South Korean automaker’s lineup.
The all-new 2021 Kia K5 is based on the equally all-new third-generation N3 platform. The K5 is longer, wider, and lower than the outgoing Optima, with an extra 2 inches in overall length, an extra inch in overall width, an extra 1.8 inches in wheelbase width, and an overall height that’s 0.8 inches lower.
The 2021 Kia K5 takes after the Kia Stinger in terms of styling, with the brand’s signature “Tiger Face” fascia and a fastback profile. Chrome trim bits add extra flash, and there’s optional LED lighting. Wheel sizing includes 16-inch, 18-inch, and 19-inch designs
Interior highlights include an “Aircraft-type” shift knob, as well as either an 8-inch or 10.25-inch high-resolution color touchscreen. There’s also a full suite of safety features on offer. Upholstery options include red leatherette, and there’s high-end interior trim materials like satin chrome metallic or wood. A flat-bottom steering wheel is equipped on sportier trims.
Providing motivation is a new turbocharged engine lineup, with two powerplants to choose from. The most powerful option is a 2.5L four-cylinder with 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, which is capable of propelling the new 2021 Kia K5 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. There’s also a turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.
Routing the muscle is a new standard eight-speed automatic transmission, while an eight-speed “wet” dual-clutch automatic transmission is optional. There’s also the option for AWD with the turbocharged 1.6L engine.
The 2021 Kia K5 will be produced in West Point, Georgia, and goes on sale this summer. Four trims are offered at launch, including the LS, LXS, GT-Line, and EX. The performance-oriented GT will see late availability in the fall.
Does the new K5 look like a worthy rival for the Chevrolet Malibu? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Malibu news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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Looks good but the market is shrinking and GM already sold the Kia competitor as the Regal GS, nobody wanted one, even the Stinger have problems.
Hopefully the Malibu/Impala will get replaced with probably both an E/V and VSS-R sedans.
The Regal GS wasn’t a Chevrolet. So many vehicles over the decades would have sold in far larger numbers had they been Chevrolet’s. What GM still doesn’t get is most of their Chevy customers aren’t necessarily ‘GM’ people. They’re Chevy people.
Many don’t even know Chevrolet has anything to do with Buick whatsoever and that in GM land they’re suppose to go down to a Buick dealership to get a nicer Chevy. They should be able to just get what they want in a Chevy. You can in a Ford. You can in a Kia.
I remember years ago thinking if the Saturn Sky was a Chevy Monza that Chevy dealers wouldn’t have been able to keep them in stock. This is much the same.
Still that doesn’t mean sales. The current Regal is far more practical than the last generation despite an automatic only but sold poorly because of CUV competition on the lot, also look at the sales chart this morning of Blazer vs Malibu, it’s no comparison. The Fusion had a TTv6 and it’s history.
I’m one of the last guys to buy a truck/SUV unless I need one (which I had in the past) but I understand the current trend. Hopefully and maybe eventually one rwd sedan would be the default Chevy sedan like Camaro is the default Chevy coupe with an E/V performance vehicle while utilities/trucks take the brunt of sales.
Wait one second… Wait again, more like 4 years later… Or, wait even longer.
The LNF engine & used in Saturn Sky Red Line / Pontiac Solstice GXP / HHR SS / Cobalt SS Turbo was out beginning in 2006. The LTG is a later version based on the LNF.
Although, Ford did start TTv6 in the 2009 MKS & 2010 SHO. If you are in the market for a Malibu versus Fusion, you probably aren’t going to look at a SHO.
From 2010-12, Buick had next gen LMF.
Back to Malibu Turbo versus Fusion: My first 2.0 turbo Malibu was sold to me in it’s 2nd year in 2014. I got an even better version in 2015. It took a full two more years for Ford to give me the Fusion I wanted to buy.
Factually, they took a full 4 years to come come up with anything that was a direct competitor to the 2.0T Malibu (2013 – current).
They lost to sales of a brand new car, because they were way late to the game. I loved the fusion, but it wasn’t fast enough, and that is a fact.
Back to the Fusion TTV6, The first iteration of that model had issues including cylinder heads being replaced, oil pan leaking – never fixed, windows not closing, sunroof flying off, batteries being drained, transfer cases and transmission leaks – like a murder scene, & let’s not forget the tires.
Fusion : 4,120 pounds; 235/40R19
Malibu: 3,660 pounds; 245/50R19
Just to correct – Malibu tire size is 245/40R19
If by ‘history’, the fact that the Fusion was sunset is trash. Tuned properly, it can easily beat just about anything as a daily driver. It was an incredibly popular car, and they did the sport injustice. My Malibu handles better at higher speeds, but the Fusion has far more power to the pavement. AWD verse FWD costs a bit in gas mileage, but you’ll appreciate it in many conditions – including lining up at the light. 😄
What that have to do what the subject is?, only until recently the Malibu cought the Fusion in sales. The Malibu as of now is still on sale until GM pulls the plug because the Blazer replaced it, an EV takes over or / and a Malibu replacement is ready.
Totally, I mean honestly I would be very surprised if the Buick nameplate lived on for another decade. Here come the down votes tho because for some reason people think the keeping the Buick name is a great idea… but that fact of the matter is it just confuses customers. Literally the only modern Buick that I ever see cruising around my city is the Encore, but really they could just fold that into Chevy’s, or even Cadillacs, lineup. Seeing an “entry level” Cadillac just under 30k would actually be a breath of fresh air.
I think there is a crowd, albeit a small crowd, of individuals who want something nicer than a Chevy but aren’t “luxury” car buyers. The key with Buick is to find that sweet spot . I think the new Encore GX is a step in the direction. It’s a bit upscale than the Chevy (TrailBlazer) that is priced right. The new Envision looks fantastic.
I just think it’s such a waste of money to promote the Buick brand when half of its sales are just one vehicle. If you take the Encore out of the Buick lineup they sell only 100k vehicles a year… that’s pathetic. If GM gave Cadillac or GMC a subcompact plus CUV it would be targeted at the same market as the Encore or Encore GX. So, if you ran a commercial for a Cadillac or GMC Encore type vehicle you’d also be build brand recognition for those more successful GM brands. Building brand recognition for a brand with one vehicle doesn’t make long term sense to me. If GM boosted Cadillac sales with a subcompact plus crossover Cadillac could move closer to 300k units a year… making it a much more recognizable and competitive luxury brand. Instead GM allows competition within its own walls between Buick and Caddy… just doesnt make sense.
I agree with your statements. It doesn’t make sense to keep Buick in the states. What they did to the Regal, they could have done to the Malibu. The Malibu, despite what people say, still sells relativity well in the US. If they would have done some sort of sporty trim for the Malibu like what the rest of the market is starting to do. (Ford essentially being first) They could have continued the trend back in 2018. The sporty trim doesn’t necessarily need to sell well, it just needs to bring in possible consumers. Instead of having a Regal GS, they should have made a Malibu RS with either a moderate na 3.6 v6 for around 36k. Or go crazy, (more expensive) shoehorn the 3.6tt from the xts v sport. The Regal GS is decently quick despite having a 4300 lbs curb weight and not having a whole lot of power (hp and torque) in comparison to the Fusion Sport.
By having Buick remain in the US, it makes Chevrolet’s interior quality lower. I’m not saying that Buick has great interior quality by any means. But it still diminishes Chevrolet’s interior quality. If its one thing that is universal across GM’s brands. Is that nearly all if not all vehicles have disappointing interior quality for their respective segments.
Nope, unless (1.) GM stop offering Buick in the US and why would you buy a US car that’s not in the US?, (2.) we “hot war” with China and (3.) they’ll despise us for thing done in the war, Buick isn’t going anywhere.
That doesn’t mean they have to keep the Buick brand here in the states. GM could easily still sell the Brand in China. Seems like a waste of advertising to push the Buick brand here in the US.
What resources are being wasted here?, you don’t want them to make billions?, We need a new pickup or another cost-cutting interior in a Chevy?. As said the Chinese don’t have US mentality and won’t buy a US brand that’s not here.
Lol because of how in tune with Chinese culture you are? Maybe they buy Buicks because they like the fact that no one in America buys them.
so in china, the buick is a “spite car”?
Lol. Yes, sure. The point I’m trying to make is that no one on this forum knows why Buick sells so well in China because we aren’t Chinese marketing experts. All I know is that all the Buicks sold in China have absolutely nothing in common with the American models. So, I have a feeling the Chinese don’t like the brand because it is American, but actually because the Buicks in China are built in China. Buick sales in China are going to slow down inevitably because the Chinese government is going to make it harder for American brands to do business so they can build Chinese brands. It just doesn’t make sense to me to keep Buick around in the states when the brand pulls advertising from other GM brands with higher profit margins, like Cadillac and more popular Brands like Chevy and GMC. It just muddles the GM product line in my opinion.
i agree. i think if you asked anyone under 50 in the US what the buick brand means, they would be at a lost for words. it doesn’t really have an identity.
Did anyone in the conversation back what was said with sales and facts?. If a CEO said too many times”I have feelings about these sales” would be shown the door…
Buick sold a paltry 207k units in 2019, basically half of the sales ,102k, were Encores. These sales easily could have gone to Encore model badged as a Cadillac, the most intriguing option I think, GMC or Chevy. Why waste money keeping alive a brand name that only competes within the same company.
Aww yes the “America only” mindset.. Suddenly Chebby/GMC will become super competitive if Buick was gone because Pontiac,Olds, Hummer, Saturn wasn’t enough..
The bigger picture in which GM is looking at Buick moved over 1 million units combined worldwide, cutting it here won’t solve anything except GM can’t balance it’s books and drive customers away. Sales will erode anyways due to the recession for all brands also.
I’ve read somewhere that the Chinese developed an affinity towards Buick back in the 1920s when they were first on the roads there. They’ve always equated the Buick brand with quality and luxury.
While working at Ford, not only have I met and spoke with the head of Ford China, he found me at my desk (not easy at FMCC), for follow up questions, alone, before leaving. Screw Ford. I don’t care what they do by my disclosure: Ford China will be spun off as a separate entity.
We have to remember that China is a very different culture & system. The more they’re realizing that they’ll never be profitable, they’re doing this instead of pulling out entirely. (Don’t forget how slow Ford pivots- 8 year restricting plan??!! 😂).
If there will be a holding company under Ford proper, they who do whatever it takes to make it look independent. It won’t be. Not until Ford losses have amassed to the point that it’s VW Ford. 🤣 Too many mistakes & a mediocre workforce.
They would stop buying a Dead American Brand in China if GM Drops Buick in America. They have actually done polls on just that scenario when GM was going through Bankruptcy
OK, I’m not sure a poll that may or may not exist, that was conducted over a decade ago is super applicable to the the current situation. SAIC-GM is a 50/50 venture with Chinese state entities, so GM will obviously stay involves as long as its profitable. However, I guarantee SAIC and the Chinese do not love giving money to a foreign company, just like many American’s stay loyal to American brands. The market in China will level out and maybe at that time it might be wise for GM to scale back involvement in the Chinese market. Maybe GM could sell the Buick name to SAIC, since it has a fantastic reputation there and kind of doesn’t sell well at all in the US. Here’s a GMA article about the current SAIC situation, I think along with many others, that the automotive industry in China is about to hit a very volatile time. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/07/report-saic-gm-annual-sales-to-fall-again-in-2019/
Sure hope Chevy responds with a redesigned Malibu sport back. With trims and engines ranging from base with the 1.5T all the way to An SS with nothing smaller than the 2.7T.
I think GM will sell whatever Regals they have left and then let the Malibu wither and die without any major updates. I think the next ICE C segment vehicle will come around 2022 when they stop making the Malibu. I hope Chevy has something in the pipeline using the new Trailblazer platform. They definitely need to put a 2.0t or 2.7t in there tho. It’d be awesome if they used the alpha platform but I think that might be cost prohibitive.
I’d love to see more power beyond the 2.0 turbo. What they *really* need to do is place a twin turbo on a 6 cylinder with AWD like the Fusion Sport.
Neither of those models had proper marketing. Not everyone wants an SUV, which is worthy if discussion. Sedans are far more fuel efficient, faster, and can get through most situations with a good snow tire – if necessary.
For snow tires, I have Michelin Blizzaks.
A v6 in a transverse mount doesn’t make sense to me, but whatever. Also if you out a v6 in it your fuel efficiency argument goes out the window. The 2.7t would make more than enough power for any C segment car based of the new Trailblazer.
They won’t bother doing anything with the Malibu. They’re clinging tightly to the truck market these days only because they make money hand over fist with them. That’s why the tahoe/Yukon/Escalade got a comprehensive update the Malibu can only dream about. GM’s given up on its sedans, except with Cadillac.
It’s probably better than killing Buick because you saw one Encore in your hard- to-find town.
GM won’t respond to the K5, like always, GM is a follower these days.
They lack people that truly want to make world class beautiful vehicles. They can care less about investing anymore money into the Malibu, just like what happened to the Impala. The lack of a refresh and or technological updates made these cars uncompetitive in the marketplace.
The Malibu sucks, I rented a 2019 last year that I took to Vegas. It got great gas mileage but the car didn’t ride all that nice, nor was it as comfortable or as quiet as my Impala.
I’ve driven a 2017 Kia Optima, and I found that car to be better than the Malibu. It was quieter, shifted smoother, rode much better over bumps and potholes had more power and didn’t have the slight engine vibrations like the Bu had.
The Koreans have surpassed the Domestic automaker’s when it comes to quality, innovation, style and cool factor. Hyundai and Kia are killing it right now with their designs.
I’ve never been keen on turbo charged 4 bangers and never will be. I agree with Scotty Kilmer on the fact that they wear out faster.
If you had driven the 2015, especially the 2.0T, your experience would’ve been wholly different.
My 2015 has even been in Tail of the Dragon 🐉. Just don’t try this with stock ‘Good for a Year’ tires. I’m a hard-core Continental Xtreme Contact kind of gal. What an experience! No oversteer (FWD only).
Even driving in the Dakotas, on a ‘track’, took it up to nearly 130mph, and you wouldn’t have noticed any difference from 80mph. Perfectly straight, at 80k miles, factory alignment, not a single vibration or shudder. It was like glass.
That car was so far underrated & under marketed that it’s shameful – on Chevy’s behalf. That 3LTZ 2.0T has seen at least 30 states and Canada.
The 2016 was a flop. Cheaper material, terrible trunk space, yet it’s somehow longer or wider? It reminds me of the 2014 Taurus and up to 2017 Explorer. Bloated!!
They pushed it too soon, and even decided to tune it to lower HP. That can be fixed. 😁
My ‘17 Premier 2.0T is pretty quick too. I think it was the last year before the detune. 0-60 is in the high 5’s.
I would prefer the 2.0t Fwd Regal or Malibu over the V6 AWD Regal GS for daily driver applications. In my opinion, the cost of maintain on the 2.0t and Fwd option will be much more affordable. The performance of the much more costly GS is only .2 seconds faster 0-60, so why spend like 10k or more on it. I understand that some people need to have awd in the winter, but I live New England and my sonic does just fine in the winter with proper tires.
What detune? The current Malibu with the 2.0t has been rated for the same power and torque from 2016-2020 with 250/258 figures. The only change was going from the 8 speed in 2016 to the 9 speed in 2017. The actual detune happened when they went from the old style 2013-2016 short wheelbase Epsilon to the new style 2016-2020 current longer wheelbase car. The old 2.0T had 259HP and 295 torque starting in 2014 and carried over for 2015. The new style Malibu’s ratings are as above. The big difference was that the old car weight nearly 300 LBS more.
Gives Mary Barra another excuse to kill off a sedan. KIA has been progressing at ever increasing speed and you can bet that, like Hyundai, an incredible amount of value is baked into the vehicle. Sad to see American sedans dying off. Still a sizable market that out Big 3 has abandoned.
Yep on the Detroit 3 giving up on cars while the Asian manufacturers remain committed: this new K%, the new Sentra, the new Sonata, the new Corolla, a new Elantra and Honda has a new Civic coming next year.
Yep there is still a market for compact/midsize cars, proof is the onslaught of new product from the Asians. Not everybody want s a SUV/CUV. The big 3 are just handing sales over to them. Did they not learn anything when they dropped mid-size trucks handing the market over to Toyota only to return and face an up-hill battle for market share.
Everyone has their own opinion.. Some like Chevy Malibu some like Kia. I like both.
The Malibu interior seriously is two Generations behind.
GM should keep all the Current Engines and 9 Speed. Utilize the same architecture but make a nice modern and bold design inside and out. Make LED’s Standard even on the Base Level car. Make the absolute best interior in materials and tech to leapfrog the Competition.
Not a fan of the fastback design. It works on the Ford Fusion but not on the Malibu or this K5 (which looks like a Malibu from the side).
Sorry, but neither the Buick or the Kia looks as good as my 19 Cruze.
This K5 will be far and away better than the Malibu. Hell, the Malibu doesn’t even compete with the Accord or Camry. It’s just sitting on dealership lots until GM slowly bleeds it out until 2023. Screw GM for giving up on the Malibu. Take a page out of Kia’s book and invest some R&D into the Malibu rather than giving it all to GMC and Chevy while they make hideous trucks.
So make less profitable cars? Since the Malibu been available since 16′ the Kia had to be better, making a cheap copies of fwd Asian shiitboxxes got GM further in the hole, as said before a sedan mimic of the Camaro would pick interest up in GM mainstream sedans again. Only Ford outsell GM in pickups, utilities not so much, the rest is benchwarmers.
Nice car, but its a Hyundai/Kia product so the cheap build quality will show in a few years.
LOL the best new Malibu being built will be available at your local Kia dealer. Sad but true. More powerful engines. Check. More std safety features. Check. More interior room and trunk space. Check. AWD. Check. A mid size sedan with a future. Check. GM strikes out again