The Kia K5 is one of the best-looking sedans on the American market today. Much of the company’s lineup has been stellar since the introduction of amber DRLs with the Telluride, but the K5 may have been the best overall — sleek, distinctive, and modern without ever looking overstyled or obnoxious. But it was the best, past tense: Kia announced a facelift today that changes things.
Among a bevy of small changes, the newly restyled K5 switches up that smooth line of amber running lights for something more jagged, like magma on the verge of bursting through a fissure in the Earth’s crust. It’s a departure from the previous car, one that’s going to take some getting used to.
Luckily, the running lights aren’t the only change with the 2025 K5. The newly restyled front bumper is an improvement on its predecessor, adding pointed shark teeth to the lower jaw of the lower grille, while the higher grille hugs more tightly to the bottom of the headlights. It makes for a nice look.
The rear, too, is an improvement over the outgoing car. While the original K5 had a fairly standard line of lights across its tail, the new car carries that line down into the bumper on the sides. It looks more up-spec than the prior K5, and will stand out even more on the roads.
Perhaps even bigger than the changes outside, however, are those within. The K5 ditches the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 base engine for a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4, netting a claimed 11 horsepower in the swap for a total of 191 hp. The top-tier GT with its turbocharged 2.5-liter four, though, doesn’t get the same bump — it still sits at a claimed 290 horsepower. All-wheel drive remains optional on some trims.
Kia’s midsize sedan also sees interior updates, like a simplified climate control control panel and a redesign display setup. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard across the range to match the wireless charging pad in the center console. More intriguingly, Kia claims the K5 is now capable of receiving over-the-air updates for software fixes.
The K5 still looks good, but the front end definitely feels like a downgrade from that beautiful pre-facelift car. Hopefully, it all means deals on the older cars as new stock starts to arrive at dealers later this year.
