Compare the2023 Acura TLXVS 2023 Kia K5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura TLX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia K5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

Both the TLX and the K5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Acura TLX is safer than the Kia K5:

	TLX	K5
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	143	295
Neck Injury Risk	20%	21%
Neck Stress	175 lbs.	180 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	258/267 lbs.	444/276 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	358	373
Neck Injury Risk	32%	50%

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 Acura TLX is safer than the Kia K5:

	TLX	K5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	188 lbs.	190 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	181	202
Spine Acceleration	53 G’s	75 G’s
Hip Force	539 lbs.	687 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Hip Force	484 lbs.	589 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the TLX, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.7% less likely to roll over than the K5, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

The TLX’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the K5 runs out after 100,000 miles.

Acura pays for scheduled maintenance on the TLX for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Acura will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the K5.

Reliability

The battery on the TLX is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the TLX’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The K5’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Acura vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Acura 1 place higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The TLX’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 92 more horsepower (272 vs. 180) and 85 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 195) than the K5 1.6T’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder. The TLX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 65 more horsepower (355 vs. 290) and 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (354 vs. 311) than the K5 GT 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Acura TLX turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

	TLX	K5
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.7 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.2 sec	4.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98 MPH	92 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the TLX Type S’ fuel efficiency. The K5 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the TLX’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Kia only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the K5 LX.

The TLX has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The K5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Acura TLX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the K5.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	TLX	TLX Type S	K5	K5 GT
Front Rotors	13 inches	14.3 inches	12 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13 inches	11.2 inches	12.8 inches

The TLX stops much shorter than the K5:

	TLX	K5
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the TLX has larger standard tires than the K5 (235/50R18 vs. 205/65R16). The TLX Type S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the K5 (255/35R20 vs. 245/40R19).

The TLX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the K5 LXS’ standard 65 series tires. The TLX Type S’ tires have a lower 35 series profile than the K5 GT’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the TLX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the K5 LXS. The TLX Type S’ 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the K5 GT.

The TLX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The K5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The TLX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The K5’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The TLX Type S handles at .97 G’s, while the K5 EX pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The TLX Type S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the K5 EX (25 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The TLX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The K5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the TLX’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The K5’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the TLX offers cargo security. The K5’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the TLX. The K5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 37% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

Ergonomics

The TLX’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the K5, and is not available on all models.

The TLX Advance has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The K5 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The TLX’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The K5’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the TLX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the K5 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The TLX’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The K5’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The TLX Advance/Type S’ standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

When the TLX is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The K5’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The TLX has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the K5 GT-Line AWD/EX/GT. The TLX Advance also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the K5.

Both the TLX and the K5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the TLX has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The K5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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