Compare the2023 Kia K5 VS 2023 Genesis G70

Both the K5 and G70 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 EX/GT offers optional 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 G70’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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The K5 EX/GT offers optional Parking Collision Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The G70 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the K5 and the G70 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Genesis vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Genesis is ranked fourth.

The K5 GT 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 38 more horsepower (290 vs. 252) and 51 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 260) than the G70 2.0T’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the G70 2.0T 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	K5	G70
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	91 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better mileage than the G70:

			MPG
K5
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
G70
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.3 turbo V6	18 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
		3.3 turbo V6	17 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia K5 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The G70 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia K5 higher (5 out of 10) than the Genesis G70 (3). This means the K5 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the G70 every 15,000 miles.

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 G70 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The K5 stops shorter than the G70:

	K5	G70
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	146 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the K5 GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the G70 (245/40R19 vs. 225/40R19).

The K5 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The G70’s suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the G70’s (36 feet vs. 36.3 feet). The K5’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the G70 AWD’s (36 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 pounds less than the Genesis G70.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the G70 is rated a Compact.

The K5 has 9.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the G70 (105.3 vs. 95.9).

The K5 has .4 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the G70.

The K5 has a much larger trunk than the G70 (16 vs. 10.5 cubic feet).

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia K5 and the Genesis G70, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the K5 first among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The G70 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Kia K5/Optima outsold the Genesis G70 by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.