Kia looks poised to kill off the current Optima nameplate in the United States and re-badge the new model as the 2021 Kia K5 – the same name it uses in Korea.
When select members of the motoring press sampled the new Kia K5 in Korea last year, the car manufacturer hinted that it could drop the Optima badge Stateside. While searching through the EPA’s fuel economy website, Motor Trend recently discovered the 2021 Optima has been listed as the ‘K5,’ seemingly confirming the name change.
For the record, we reached out to Kia for a comment, but they haven’t responded yet.
Just a single model is listed on the EPA website. It mentions a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels.
Watch Also: New 2021 Kia Optima (K5) And Hyundai Sonata Compared Side-By-Side
While the website doesn’t provide any specifics about how powerful this engine will be in the K5, this same engine is rated at 180 hp and 191 lb-ft (259 Nm) in the existing Hyundai Sonata sister car. Fuel economy figures reveal the 2021 Kia K5 is rated at 26 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined.
While no other engines are listed by the EPA, we do know that the K5 is available with a host of different powertrains, depending on the market. In certain countries, it is sold with two 2.0-liter engines, the first of which delivers 150 hp and 142 lb-ft (192 Nm) while the second is rated at 158 hp and 145 lb-ft (196 Nm) of torque. There is also a 2.5-liter GDi engine on offer with 191 hp and 181 lb-ft (246 Nm) of torque.
Sitting atop the North American range is expected to be a K5 GT model that uses a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine good for 286 hp and 311 lb-ft (422 Nm) of torque. It remains unclear when this variant could launch.
