Compare the2022 Kia K5VS 2021 Acura TLX

Both the K5 and TLX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 EX Premium/GT-1 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The TLX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 TLX 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 TLX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the K5 and the TLX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The K5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The TLX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Acura covers the TLX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the TLX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the K5’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the K5’s reliability 15 points higher than the TLX.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 49 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 13 places higher in reliability than Acura.

The K5 GT 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 18 more horsepower (290 vs. 272) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 280) than the TLX’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the K5 GT 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura TLX turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better fuel mileage than the TLX:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia K5 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The TLX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The K5 offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The TLX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the K5 GT’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the TLX:

The K5 stops much shorter than the TLX:

The K5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the TLX; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The K5 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The K5 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the TLX’s (36 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 800 pounds less than the Acura TLX.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the TLX is rated a Compact.

The K5 has 11.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the TLX (105.3 vs. 93.4).

The K5 has 3 inches more front headroom, 3.6 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear legroom, 2 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the TLX.

The K5 has a much larger trunk than the TLX (16 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the K5 LXS/GT-Line/EX/GT’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The TLX doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The power windows standard on both the K5 and the TLX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the K5 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The TLX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia K5, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Acura TLX isn't recommended.