2021 Nissan Altima vs 2021 Kia K5

In name alone, the 2021 Kia K5 represented fresh skin for Kia’s new identity. Kia enthusiasts in the U.S. had been swapping out the Kia badge on their Optima sedans for “K” logos that the K5—the South Korean version of the Optima—wore in its home market. Soon, Kia was expected to replace its corporate logo as part of a total brand makeover. The automaker no longer made drab sedans like the first Optima or horrifyingly ugly sedans like the Amanti. It charged much more money now for really good sedans, and thus, the K5 was a symbolic break from Kia's not-too-distant past. Still, the Optima had been good since the 2011 model year and had gained solid recognition over the past decade. K5 might have sounded as memorable as insect repellant, but, at best, it was robotic.

One would remember a K5 the moment they saw one. It was a sedan in the fastback form, not entirely dissimilar to the much more performance-oriented Kia Stinger. Styled in the GT-Line trim with flat Wolf Gray paint and fire-engine red seats, the K5 appeared like an Audi A5 Sportback. Peter Schreyer, who led Audi out of the doldrums and was now chief designer for the entire Hyundai Motor Group, had styled it. The K5 shined with details, such as a long, ovoid-shaped rear window blending into the short tail and polished black trim wrapping around the thick D-pillars. Although it suggested a tailgate, it had a conventional trunk. The unique taillights with dashed LEDs meeting at opposing angles in one thin strip emphasized the K5’s width—an inch wider than the Optima.

Despite fake air vents on the fenders and fake exhaust tips, which were executed well, the K5 sported all the right proportions, making it sportier—lower and longer than the outgoing Optima, with an extra two inches at the wheelbase. The front was killer, with standard Z-shaped amber LED running lights tracing into the fenders and blending into a honeycomb grille. On the GT-Line, the grille was slimmer and full of textures, and the lower bumper featured stacked LED fog lights with black air fins surrounding them. At every angle, the K5 was a looker and utterly pleasing. However, the base 16-inch wheels made the K5 look dowdier than it appeared on Kia’s online configurator.

The interior aimed high as well. The dash was split between driver and passenger, with a divider by the passenger’s left leg and an angled center stack. The GT-Line featured red seats with black accents and piping, and a flat-bottom steering wheel that was delightful to hold. While the test trim had standard analog gauges and a smaller 8-inch touchscreen, it felt upscale due to polished black trim on the dash and quality materials throughout. The vinyl on the seats felt like leather, the door tops and dash were padded, and even the hard plastic in the lower areas had a good grain and finish. The K5’s interior exuded sportiness and quality missing from most GM and Ford interiors.

In contrast, the 2021 Nissan Altima established a strong family identity for its sedans and crossovers, starting with the bold V-Motion grille on the front of each model. The Altima wore a fine example, with chrome on some trim levels and dark chrome on others, tastefully adorned with the Nissan logo at the center. Its overall shape was attractive, with a sloping “coupe-like” roofline rather than a notch-back, giving a sleek, aerodynamic look to its profile. The sheet metal emphasized folds over curves along the body side, lending a taut, trim essence. Despite its mildly ungainly stance—a lot of Altima hanging out ahead of the front wheels and behind the rear wheels—it was not exceptionally old-fashioned, thanks to modern features like standard LED lighting and alloy wheels ranging from 16 to 19 inches.

The Altima’s plus side included exceptional fit and finish, with deep lustrous paint and rich chrome details available in nine exterior colors, including “Super Black” and “Sunset Drift ChromaFlair” with a premium price tag.

Inside, the Altima’s dashboard was uncluttered and intelligently laid out, with a standard 8-inch touchscreen display at the top of the center stack. The base Altima felt a bit stripped-down, but as one moved up the trim levels, the interior materials improved with added stitching to the dash and seats and a better overall hand feel. The result was a clear demonstration that you get what you pay for.

The 2021 Kia K5 did not drive with the verve suggested by the GT-Line’s aggressive styling. This particular model would get wiped by a Volkswagen GLI, one of its primary competitors, as it lacked paddle shifters. Its suspension had softer damping, and the Pirelli P Zero All-Season tires squealed in protest during tight turns. It was not a sports sedan. The FWD test car had good brakes and communicative steering, with an isolated and balanced ride. However, the GT-Line remained more of an appearance package falling short on handling.

The GT trim promised a better suspension and a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. Despite these big numbers, the power was still fed through the front wheels. While AWD was an option on the lesser-powered GT-Line and LXS trim levels, it was not available on the GT, contributing to potential handling issues. The standard engine was a 1.6-liter turbo-four that delivered 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, with an eight-speed automatic transmission that was quick but not always smooth. In terms of fuel economy, it achieved an EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined on FWD models. The AWD version saw slightly lower figures, but during the tests, it averaged an impressive 36 mpg over 750 mostly highway miles.

In comparison, the 2021 Nissan Altima offered a Jekyll-and-Hyde nature with its available powertrains. Most of the lineup got a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with direct gasoline injection, producing 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, connected to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT. FWD was standard, with AWD available on all trims except the base S. The AWD system leaned towards the front wheels but could send up to 50% of torque to the rear wheels when needed. This engine delivered fuel-economy ratings of 28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined with FWD, and slightly lower numbers with AWD.

The standout option was the VC-Turbo engine available in the Altima SR VC-Turbo trim. This turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, featuring variable compression (VC) technology, produced 248 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, offering a livelier performance despite its heavier weight at 3,425 pounds. The VC-Turbo engine was only available with FWD and achieved respectable fuel economy ratings.

All Altima models came with four-wheel independent suspension, with the VC-Turbo’s suspension being “sport-tuned.” However, there was no significant felt difference between the two. The electric-powered steering setup provided decent feedback and feel.

The 2021 Kia K5, despite its raked profile, comfortably fit two adults in the back. With scalloped roof portions and front seatbacks providing enough headroom and legroom for six-footers, comfort was decent, though the absence of rear air vents was a notable downside. The front seats were supportive and firm, ideal for long drives. Hard buttons for climate controls, stereo, and shortcut buttons surrounding the touchscreen were easy to find and use. The wireless charging pad, placed aft of the center cubby, provided a secure yet accessible location for smartphones. The infotainment system and central display were straightforward and user-friendly, with an optional 10-inch display. Trunk space was spacious at 16 cubic feet before folding down the rear seats.

In contrast, the 2021 Nissan Altima was equipped with Nissan’s renowned Zero Gravity front seats, which provided exceptional comfort for long drives. The upper trim levels offered power adjustment, position memory, leather appointments, and heated seats. The Altima's front cabin had ample storage and convenience features, including a large glovebox, center console storage bin, cupholders, open cubby at the center stack, and large door pockets. The rear seats were roomy for two adults and acceptable for three on short rides. They also folded flat in a 60/40 split, allowing trunk access. The trunk offered 15.4 cubic feet of space, slightly less than the K5.

Without factory navigation, the 2021 Kia K5 excelled with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, CarPlay had a minor glitch when re-establishing connection after walking out of range with the phone. Key features included LED headlights, auto high beams, dual-zone climate control, lane-keep assist, and manual seats on the LX trim. The LXS added folding rear seats, push-button start, proximity entry, remote start, and Smart Trunk functionality. The GT-Line added more upgrades like 18-inch wheels, fog lights, turn signals on the mirrors, rear USB ports, a power driver’s seat, and auto up/down controls for the front passenger window. The Premium package brought a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, triple LED projector headlights, and other interior upgrades.

The 2021 Nissan Altima included a comprehensive suite of standard tech features. Nissan Intelligent Key with push-button start, remote engine start, Bluetooth, cruise control, HomeLink, rear-view camera, Siri Eyes Free, Google Assistant Voice Recognition, and more were standard across all models. The base touchscreen display was 7 inches on the S trim and 8-inch on all others, while the higher trims included a 7-inch advanced Drive-Assist display. Higher trims also included more USB and USB-C ports and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Bose audio system and Active Noise Cancellation were standard on the SL and Platinum trims. Advanced features like Nissan Door to Door Navigation and NissanConnect Services were offered on higher trims.

The 2021 Kia K5 was too new to have safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but top scores were anticipated due to the stronger chassis and body shell. Standard features included rear side airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, and a driver attention monitor. Blind-spot monitoring with Safe Exit Assist, cyclist detection, and Junction Turning were additional features on higher trims.

The 2021 Nissan Altima offered comprehensive active and passive driver-assist and safety features under the “Nissan Safety Shield 360” brand. Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, and high-beam assist were standard on every Altima SV and above. ProPilot Assist, which offered intelligent forward collision warning, intelligent lane intervention, traffic sign recognition, intelligent driver alertness, and adaptive cruise control, was available for highway driving assistance. The Altima received a five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick + rating from IIHS.