2021 Subaru Impreza vs 2022 Kia K5

The 2021 Subaru Impreza adopted a more conservative design compared to its predecessors, which had featured bold styling elements like large round headlights and box fender flares. Despite this shift, the Impreza maintained a handsome appearance. Both the sedan and hatchback versions sported sleek headlights and taillights, enhancing their width impression, and a nicely-tapered front end. The body sides featured some scalloping for visual flair, and the previously awkward wheel arch sheetmetal was toned down. The Impreza Sport models stood out with specific styling touches, including 18-inch alloy wheels, while base models came with 16-inch steel wheels.

The Impreza shared the Subaru Global Platform with other models like the Legacy, Outback, Forester, and Ascent, contributing to its overall refinement. Inside, the design was typical of compact cars, with the infotainment touchscreen splitting the dashboard and various forms of plastic throughout. The Impreza Sport added contrast stitching, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminum pedals, while the top-tier Limited trim featured standard leather upholstery and LED headlights.

The 2022 Kia K5 was available in LX, LXS, GT-Line, EX, and GT trim levels, all equipped with turbocharged engines. The LXS and GT-Line offered an optional all-wheel-drive system. Base prices ranged from $23,790 to $31,190, excluding the destination charge. The test car, a K5 EX with front-wheel drive, extra-cost paint, the EX Premium option package, and floor mats, had an MSRP of $33,945, including destination. This pricing was attractive compared to the median average transaction price for new vehicles in the U.S.

The K5's design was striking, with a low, long, and sleek profile that suggested a luxury sports sedan rather than a practical family car. The test car's Glacial White Pearl paint was paired with Ash Blue synthetic leather over a black interior, featuring matte-finish fake wood trim and polished metallic accents. Despite some hard plastic surfaces, the cabin felt upscale. The K5 exuded quality, with solid-feeling controls, a secure transmission shifter, hefty door release handles, and refined steering wheel stalks. The switchgear and air vents operated smoothly, and the cabin lacked panel flex, contributing to a sense of care in construction.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza featured a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine producing 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. This engine's unique design allowed it to be mounted lower in the chassis, lowering the car's center of gravity. Most Impreza models came with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), while a five-speed manual transmission was available on the base sedan and hatchback, as well as the Impreza Sport hatchback. The Sport trim also had model-specific suspension tuning and a torque vectoring feature for the all-wheel-drive system.

The Impreza was a pleasant daily driver, offering a solid and refined ride, though it lacked the engagement of competitors like the Honda Civic or Mazda 3. The Sport trim's suspension tuning struck a good balance between ride quality and handling, and torque vectoring provided a neutral balance. However, the steering was noncommunicative, and the engine's power was relatively modest, preventing the Impreza Sport from being a true driver's car.

The 2022 Kia K5 GT was the performance leader in the lineup, with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine generating 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. However, the GT was the most expensive and least efficient K5 variant and lacked all-wheel drive. The standard K5 engine was a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder producing 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission.

Despite the modest power figures, the K5's standard turbo-four offered linear power delivery with minimal low-end lag, thanks to the availability of torque between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm. The Drive Mode Select system allowed drivers to calibrate the powertrain with Normal, Sport, Smart, and Custom settings. The K5 EX also featured Active Sound Control, which piped in a simulated engine note. During testing, the 1.6-liter turbo proved well-matched to the car, providing adequate power for daily driving and merging onto freeways, though passing power was limited.

The K5 EX returned 29.1 mpg during testing, slightly below the EPA's combined rating of 31 mpg. The car allowed too much road noise into the cabin, and the suspension struggled with small road imperfections, affecting ride quality. However, wind noise was minimal, and the car handled speed bumps well. Outward visibility was excellent, except for the high rear deck, and the EX Premium package added a surround-view camera system and bumper sensors for easier parking.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback offered reasonable legroom, though headroom was below average. The sedan's trunk space was limited to 12.3 cubic feet, but the standard 60/40 split-folding rear seat helped accommodate longer items. The hatchback provided 20.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place, more than the Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla hatchbacks but less than the Honda Civic hatchback. With the rear seats folded, the Impreza offered 55.3 cubic feet of cargo space, surpassing the Civic. All hatch trims except the base model had standard roof rails.

Higher trim levels of the Impreza included an All-Weather Package with heated front seats, a heated windshield, and heated exterior mirrors. The Sport trim added keyless entry with pushbutton start, while the Limited trim featured a six-way power driver’s seat and automatic climate control. A power moonroof was available as an option on most trims.

The 2022 Kia K5 prioritized comfort, with all trims featuring dual-zone automatic climate control. The test vehicle had a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and rear air conditioning vents. A panoramic glass sunroof provided natural light, and the power sunroof shade operated smoothly. However, the low-slung design made entry and exit more challenging compared to higher-riding SUVs.

The front seats were comfortable, and the SynTex synthetic leather was a convincing alternative to real leather. Rear passengers had ample room, though the hard plastic front seatback panels could be a drawback if the front seats were reclined too much. The controls were logically laid out, blending style with utility, and the traditional analog gauges were a welcome feature.

Storage space was generous, with a roomy bin under the center armrest, a dedicated smartphone charging slot, a tray forward of the shifter, and integrated trays in the door panel armrests. The K5 had a 16 cubic-foot trunk, expandable by lowering the 60/40-split folding back seat. However, the trunk lid lacked an interior handle for closing, and the Smart Trunk feature automatically released the trunk lid when the key fob was nearby.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza came with a 6.5-inch touchscreen on the base and Premium trims, featuring Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and Bluetooth. Higher trims had an 8-inch touchscreen, with an option package for the Limited trim adding TomTom-based navigation and a Harman Kardon audio system. A secondary display above the main touchscreen showed information like estimated range, though it seemed redundant given the small LCD display in the gauge cluster. Overall, the infotainment system was user-friendly, with large icons and minimal menu digging required.

The 2022 Kia K5 offered two infotainment systems. The LX and LXS trims had an 8-inch touchscreen with large stereo volume and tuning knobs, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Starting with the GT-Line trim, the K5 featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen but lost the tuning knob and required a cable for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This system included satellite radio, Kia Connect subscription services, a Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, and Sounds of Nature ambient noise tracks.

Most trims had a wireless smartphone charger, and the Premium package added a 12-speaker Bose audio system and Active Sound Design technology. The test car also had a Leading Vehicle Departure Alert system, which reminded drivers when cars ahead started moving. The K5's infotainment graphics were purple, which might not appeal to everyone, and the voice recognition technology was subpar, making Apple CarPlay or Android Auto preferable.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback received an IIHS "Top Safety Pick" award, with the highest "Good" score in all crash tests. However, they missed the "Top Safety Pick+" award due to "Marginal" standard headlights, though the Limited trim's headlights received a "Good" score. The NHTSA gave both body styles a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in all crash tests.

Subaru's EyeSight safety tech was standard on CVT-equipped models, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and lead vehicle start alert. A rear-seat reminder was also standard, while blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and steering-responsive headlights were available as options.

The 2022 Kia K5 excelled in driver assistance systems, bundled within the Kia Drive Wise collection. The test car had forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-following assist. Additional features included automatic high-beam headlights, a driver monitoring system, a rear-seat reminder, and Safe Exit Assist.

The EX Premium package added cyclist detection, Junction Turning Assist, navigation-based adaptive cruise control, Highway Driving Assist, front and rear parking sensors, automatic rear braking, a surround-view monitoring system, and power rear child locks. The K5 achieved the highest IIHS rating of Top Safety Pick+ and a five-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA.