What Has Changed in The 2021 Kia Optima K5 from Its Predecessor

Less than a week after teaser drawings were released, Kia revealed the exterior images of its new 2021 K5, which is the Kia Optima in the United States. In South Korean market this midsize sedan will be called K5.

Kia has given the car more aggressive, I would say an angry look. It matches the previous renderings closely, but is still clearly an Optima. At this point we don’t know the car’s specs and Kia has not yet released K5’s interior images.

The car will be on sale in Korea in December. Global markets will follow after that.

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Reviewing the exterior design of the 2021 Kia Optima we can say that the look is sporty, moder and the car has a bold character. The front of the car is uses Kia's "Tiger nose Evolution" characteristic, which integrates the grille and headlamps more organically than the previous designs of Kia Optima.

If you look at the 2021 Kia Optima from a profile you can see that has a greater sense of muscularity than previous Kia Optimas. The body of the K5 is slightly narrowing at the midpoint between wheel arches.

What’s new in 2021 Kia Optima

The all-new K5 is longer and wider than its predecessor. The length of the new model has been extended by 50mm to 4,905mm and the width by 25mm to 1,860 mm. The wheelbase is extended to 2,850mm providing a stable driving character. A 20mm drop in height to 1,445mm creates a low-slung sporty profile.

The back of the K5 has a new rear-combination lamp design which provides a sporty silhouette. The unique rear light signature mirrors the slender ‘heartbeat’ motif found at the front of the car, while the flash of chrome from the roofline loops around the base of the rear screen, unifying the side and rear profile.

The K5 will be available with a range of new 19-, 18-, 17- or 16-inch machine-cut aluminum alloy wheel designs with from gloss black to dark gray and light gray.

I like this car very much, but do you find similarities here between the 2021 Kia Optima and the new Hyundai Sonata? Let us know what you think in the comments please. See you in my previous story discussing Sono Motor's Sion: the unique solar car at a bargain price.

Also check out my recent story discussing the 2021 BMW i4 details, speed and the range.

Reference: Kia News Center

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.