Compare the2022 Kia K5VS 2022 Volkswagen Passat

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/04/29

Both the K5 and Passat 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 Passat’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 Passat doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia K5 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Passat doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Collision Avoidance in the K5 as “Superior.” The Passat scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

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 Passat doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The K5 1.6T offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Passat doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The K5 EX Premium/GT-1 has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Passat only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

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 Passat doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the K5 and the Passat have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems 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 Volkswagen Passat:

	K5	Passat
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28.5%
Neck Stress	180 lbs.	263 lbs.
Neck Compression	21 lbs.	61 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	1 inches
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	265 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	147 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	20/31 lbs.	173/49 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 Volkswagen Passat:

	K5	Passat
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	264 lbs.	316 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	202	249
Hip Force	687 lbs.	713 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	297	359
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	589 lbs.	720 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 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passat has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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 Passat’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Passat. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Passat ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 19 percent more Kia dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the K5’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the K5 has a standard 760-amp battery. The Passat’s 480-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 66 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 66 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 9 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The K5 1.6T’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (180 vs. 174) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The K5 GT 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 116 more horsepower (290 vs. 174) and 105 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 206) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia K5 is faster than the Volkswagen Passat:

	K5 1.6T	K5 GT 2.5T	Passat
Zero to 60 MPH	7 sec	5.1 sec	8.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.4 sec	5.5 sec	9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	13.7 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	106 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	128 MPH	12 MPH	116 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better mileage than the Passat:

			MPG
K5
	FWD	LX 1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/38 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
Passat
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/36 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the K5 LX’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Passat doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Kia K5, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Passat.

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 Passat doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	K5 GT	Passat
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	10.7 inches

The K5 stops much shorter than the Passat:

	K5	Passat
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the K5 GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Passat (245/40R19 vs. 235/45R18).

Suspension and Handling

The K5 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Passat’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the K5’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Passat (112.2 inches vs. 110.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the K5 is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Passat.

The K5 GT handles at .86 G’s, while the Passat pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The K5 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Passat R-Line (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the Volkswagen Passat.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the Passat is rated a Mid-size.

The K5 has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Passat (105.3 vs. 101).

The K5 has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front legroom and 1.1 inches more front shoulder room than the Passat.

The front step up height for the K5 is 1.6 inches lower than the Passat (14.2” vs. 15.8”). The K5’s rear step up height is .5 inches lower than the Passat’s (15” vs. 15.5”).

Ergonomics

The K5 EX/GT’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Passat doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The K5’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passat has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the K5 (except LX/LXS/GT-Line) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Passat doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the K5 GT-Line Premium AWD/EX Premium/GT-1’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Passat doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia K5 GT-Line/EX/GT has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Passat doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia K5 and the Volkswagen Passat, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia K5/Optima outsold the Volkswagen Passat by almost two to one during the 2021 model year.