In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the K5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The K5 EX Premium/GT-1 has standard Parking Collision Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The A4 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The K5’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the A4 and is not available with Premium.
The K5’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the K5 and the A4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia K5 is safer than the Audi A4:
|
K5 |
A4 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
26% |
Neck Stress |
180 lbs. |
232 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
21 lbs. |
55 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
444/276 lbs. |
431/395 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.5 inches |
1 inches |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
20/31 lbs. |
324/341 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia K5 is safer than the Audi A4:
|
K5 |
A4 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
110 |
172 |
Chest Movement |
1 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
190 G’s |
219 G’s |
Hip Force |
264 lbs. |
308 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
202 |
277 |
Hip Force |
687 lbs. |
777 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
297 |
333 |
Spine Acceleration |
32 G’s |
47 G’s |
Hip Force |
589 lbs. |
666 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the K5 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 62 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A4 is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.