The 2024 Chicago Auto Show hosted the debut of refreshed Kias both big and small, with retouched designs, tech and powertrains for the automaker’s Carnival minivan and K5 sedan. Updates to the K5 for the 2025 model year are particularly subtle, but some quality in-person time spent with the mid-sizer on the floor of the 2024 Chicago Auto Show gave us a chance to poke around ahead of its production start.
Related: More 2024 Chicago Auto Show Coverage
Still a Handsome Design
The clearest visual clues you’re facing down the refreshed 2025 K5 are found up front, specifically in a new set of headlights and indicators mostly lifted from the South Korean-market car that debuted in the fall. In person, the zig-zag LED indicator design is striking; we’ll be adored by Kia and reviled by Lamborghini for the comparison, but the jagged, forked motif wouldn’t look out of place on Sant’Agata’s finest mid-engine weapon.
The K5 was already both popular and handsome prior to the rhinoplasty, so other visual tweaks simply accentuate the prior design. Sharper protrusions on the lower front bumper are straight out of the Kia EV6 GT’s playbook, as are the new squared-off portions of the taillights on the deck lid. The new wheel options are similarly aggressive, with two new 18-inch wheels for the EX and sportyish GT-Line.
Naturally, our inner enthusiast gravitates toward the line-topping GT trim, looking surprisingly mean dripped out in new 19-inchers with contrasting acid-green calipers. Kia says this most capable K5 rides on a specific suspension tune, but we’ll need to see it next to a non-GT K5 to determine if there’s any drop in ride height. Either way, it looks sharp.
Fresh Interior Tech
Speaking of sharp, the cabin is moderately upgraded over the prior car. Fresh tech is the biggest talking point, with a newly optional 12-inch digital gauge cluster complementing the novel 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen — now standard — that blends both screens into one partly divided, curved unit. It’s quite the segment showpiece in person, and while it can’t match some of the super-screens found in Cadillacs and Mercedes, that was never the intention. The new digital strip of controls toward the bottom of the center stack plays well with this new merged display, managing functions for both climate controls and audio; it brings the K5 in line with the brand’s newest product language.
We spent all of our time with the meaty GT and were fans of the (pleasantly) toxic-looking acid-green stitching and trim accents peppered through the top trim’s cabin. We also took inventory of the updated trim-specific accoutrement; we noted — but did not hear — the Bose sound system, futzed with the GT’s 10-way power-adjustable seat, warmed our hands with the trim-standard heated steering wheel, and activated the power-folding exterior mirrors just to make sure they worked.
New Base Powertrain
Along with the bespoke suspension tune and new wheels, the GT still rushes about with the familiar turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, returning 290 horsepower and a custard-thick 311 pounds-feet through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Same-same, but lower trims have ditched the standard turbo 1.6-liter four-cylinder for a free-breathing, turboless 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Power is up 11 hp to 191 hp, but no boost means torque drops 14 pounds-feet to a still “fine” 181 pounds-feet.
Because Kia kept the keys and the Chicago Auto Show frowns on joyriding display cars, we didn’t get to experience any of the GT’s delicious pounds-footage, so you’ll have to wait for our first drive. In the meantime, we suggest keeping an eye on your rearview mirror while stuck in traffic for sharp front indicators — it’s either a Lambo or the 2025 Kia K5.
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