Compare the2024 Audi A4VS 2024 Kia K5

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 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 A4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The K5 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Audi A4 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.

The A4 has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The K5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The K5 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4. But it costs extra on the K5.

Both the A4 and the K5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, 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 Audi A4 is safer than the Kia K5:

	A4	K5
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	236	373
Neck Injury Risk	25%	50%
Neck Stress	119 lbs.	147 lbs.
Neck Compression	47 lbs.	58 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 Audi A4 is safer than the Kia K5:

	A4	K5
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	75 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches

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

Warranty

The A4’s corrosion warranty is 7 years and unlimited miles longer than the K5’s (12/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Reliability

The Audi A4’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the K5’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the A4 has a 150-amp alternator. The K5’s standard 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 3 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The A4 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 21 more horsepower (201 vs. 180) and 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 195) than the K5 1.6T’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the A4 45 TFSI is faster than the K5 GT 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	A4	K5
Zero to 60 MPH	4.8 sec	5.1 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	13.7 sec
Top Speed	126 MPH	12 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A4 gets better mileage than the K5:

			MPG
A4
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/35 hwy
K5
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the A4’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.

Transmission

The A4’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The K5 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A4’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the K5:

	A4	K5
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.2 inches

The A4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the K5 are solid, not vented.

The A4 stops much shorter than the K5:

	A4	K5
70 to 0 MPH	149 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	105 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A4 has larger standard tires than the K5 (225/50R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The A4’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 A4’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the K5 GT’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A4 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the K5 LXS.

Suspension and Handling

The A4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the K5’s (59% to 41%). This gives the A4 more stable handling and braking.

The A4 Premium Plus handles at .97 G’s, while the K5 EX pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the K5 EX (25.3 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The A4 is 5.6 inches shorter than the K5, making the A4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A4 easier. The A4’s trunk lift-over height is 26.9 inches, while the K5’s liftover is 28.6 inches.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the A4 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 A4. The K5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The A4 has a 3968 lbs. towing capacity. The K5 has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the A4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the K5. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 31% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

Ergonomics

The A4 Prestige 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 A4’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 A4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows 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 A4’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The K5’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The K5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The K5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the A4 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The K5 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The K5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the A4 with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The K5’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The A4’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The K5 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The A4 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the K5 GT-Line/EX/GT. The A4 Prestige 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 A4 and the K5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the A4 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.

The A4 Prestige’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The K5 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A4 and the Kia K5, based on reliability, safety and performance.