Kia K5 - an owner's experience after 50,000 km

Assalamualaikum,

It has been two years since I became a proud owner of a Kia Optima K5.
I wrote a mini review on my K5 roughly a year or so ago. You can read it from the link below......

http://pondokajip.blogspot.com/2013/07/im-in-love-with-koreankorean-made-car.html





Fast forward to today. That car ages well. Still noticing people glancing at my K5 at traffic lights, on the streets, at petrol stations etc. I travelled more than 50,000km with this car of mine. Going up north, and down south of the Peninsula, as well as heading out both to the east and west coast. Predominantly, I spend the bulk of driving time with my K5 in the state of Pulau Pinang. So today, I want to do a short sharing with respect to that car of mine for the benefit of future buyers as well existing owners of the K5. I will try to cover issues that I have with that car, fuel consumption and other things that I encounter during those time. Before we start, I want to let you know that my car is the 2.0 Nu engine version. For the earlier 2.0 Theta engine version, you might need to search elsewhere in the web for some review or feedback. And mine is the pre-facelift version. Here goes.....

Fuel consumption

When I bought the K5 back in 2012, I do not know what to expect in term of fuel consumption. It was still new on our shores, therefore, any information on the fuel consumption was hard to come by. But I'm making a calculated guess that the fuel consumption will be around 8km/l to 10km/l, typical fuel consumption for a 2.0 liter, D segment car.

After 50,000 km, I'm delighted to say that I'm getting a total average of more than 12km/l out of my K5. 12.25km/l to be exact.


I'm using Fuel Log 3 app to log my fc from day one. Shown above is the fc I'm currently getting after more than 50,000km of driving.

Why am I delighted with the fc? Let's compare it to my previously owned cars, the Suzuki Swift and the Nissan Grand Livina. The former is a 1.5 liter car and the latter is a 1.6 liter car. What is there not to like when my K5 is off by only 2km/l in comparison to those cars.



I have a bigger smile on my face when I read an article in Paul Tan website on the new Vios. Vios has this aura or perception as a frugal car in terms of fuel economy. But, when I'm able to better the fuel consumption using my K5, which is a 2.0 liter car in comparison to the Vios's 1.5 liter engine, I must say that I am ecstatic. Frugal, and a good looking car? A big plus if you ask me...The link to that Paul Tan article is here.

Issues

My first issue with the car is whenever I apply the brake, a second or two before the car comes to a complete stop, I can hear this annoying sound emitting from the brake. I complained to Kia regarding this annoying sound, and they replaced the disc for me (for free of course). The pad was replaced at the same time as well (pad was not free since it is subjected to wear and tear...crap). But, even after replacement, the annoying sound is still there. Is it inherent? I hope not. The sad part about this is how long Kia took to react to my complain. It was nearly a year before they agree to change  the disc. How annoying was that? Their reason was that the sound is normal. I totally do not agree with their argument since my sister's Kelisa, a way cheaper car than the K5 makes no such sound. I wrote countless letters to Kia highlighting my predicament. I will keep on complaining to Kia, since I believe that this may be related to supplier issue. My thought is that those discs and pads are dual sourced. One supplier might be supplying a problematic parts while the other may not. Well, I'm only guessing here. It may or may not be true. Do you have the same issue with your K5? Let me know.....


I actually have a solution though. I've been spraying this liquid onto the discs and pads and the sound will disappear. It is a cheap solution (I cannot remember the price though, but it does not exceed RM20) and a single can will last for months, depending how much you apply it. But forking out my own money to solve the issue, when the car manufacturer is happily claiming that the issue is normal does not bode well with me.

But, being a smart consumer, I will keep the complain rolling in...If I don't complain, how will they improve? Right?.....

My second issue is with the fuel lid. It will not open whenever I push the fuel lid button (the one located on the driver side door). It happened to me a couple of times at the petrol station. Luckily for me, Kia design a second mechanism to open the lid, in the form of a mechanical lever placed inside the car boot. I complained for the first time, Kia fixed it but the issue popped up again. Made a second complain during 10,000km servicing and they fixed it again, but that was the last time that it need fixing because no more issue faced afterwards. So that one has a happy ending to it.

Other than those two issues, I do not have anything else to say, issues wise on the K5. Going strong.....

On a different note, I have a colleague that once told me that Kia is a lousy car in term of quality, so lousy that within a year the printed words on the knobs and controls will wear off. After 2 years, everything is still pristine. Sorry to disappoint you......




Tyre

When I bought the K5, it came equipped with Nexen tyres. I do not have any issue with them. Serve me well during the dry as well as during the wet rainy days. The best part about the stock Nexen tyres were the high treadwear value (it was rated to 400). I believe that it can go well beyond 60,000km if I take good care of it. I made the mistake of not regularly rotating the tyres. So, I end up needing to replace them at 50,000km. Here was how the tyres' condition prior to replacement.


I opt for Continental MC5 as the replacement. I initially searched around to try and get the same Nexen stock tyres. But, it was difficult to get them. So, I opt for the MC5 instead. 




After searching in 2 different states for the best offer on MC5, I settled with a shop in Perai for RM490 each. How is it? I honestly do not feel any major difference to the stock Nexen. But, I can feel that it is a tad softer in comparison to the Nexen. I'm currently pumping in Nitrogen into the tyres. Let see whether in the long run it will help with wear or not.

In the future, I probably want to try Vikings ProTech PT 5 tyres. Those black donuts are cheap! RM360 each. One good thing about the Vikings is that they are being produced by Continental in their Alor Setar factory. So, to have that Continental DNA is a plus point here. Until that time comes for another replacement, I'll stick with the MC5.

Features I like on the K5

There are 2 features that I like with this car, and both coincidentally linked to night time driving. 

I personally like the ECM (electric chromic mirror) on the K5. Driving at night is much pleasant when the ECM is in action, reducing glare from the car behind. So good that sometimes I did not notice drivers giving me the high beam.

I also like the bright fog lamp on the tail light. When drivers tailgating my K5 at night, I will turn on the rear fog lamp. With it being so bright, those tailgaters will keep their distance. A good feature to annoy people. Put a smile on my face.

A special mention to the rear view camera. The display is placed within the rear view mirror. Saved me countless time from potential fender bender.

So that's it. A small sharing on my K5. Let me know your thoughts......
Happy driving.

Comments

  1. how about the engine? does it still drives well? performance wise does it maintain or reduced? how about the suspension as suspension deteriorates, more bumpiness?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Adam....the engine is still doing fine. I do not hear any odd or strange noises from the engine.
      The car still drives well. I do not notice any performance related issues. Still planted to the road when at high speed i.e. highway driving.
      My K5 does not show any excessive bouncing and swaying at low speed, which means that the suspension is still ok.
      Hope that these info helps.

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  2. Heard ppl comment the NVH is noisy and engine under powered. What's your comment? Considering to purchase

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    1. Hi Liew....Tyre noise is noticeable especially on the stock Nexen tyres. But it was less noticeable with the MC5. When idling, I hardly hear the engine noise. So that was a plus.
      For engine under power, I found it adequate on my day to day driving. But, I'm not sure how you intent to drive it. But one thing for sure, the K5 is not a sports car, it is a family saloon.

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  3. Hi, thanks for sharing. I'm doing some survey before making my kind to buy this k5. Heard some issues with steering mechanism and aircond. Did u had anything like this?

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    Replies
    1. Hi there,
      I did not face any issue with the steering mechanism. But I do have issue with the aircond. Whenever I'm stucked in traffic, the aircond will start to blow in hot air. It will get warm inside of the car. So, that is an issue to consider when you plan to buy this car....

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    2. hi Raziff, is this issue solveable? I dont think we can live with hot air blowing in our weather!

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    3. Hi Deven,
      When the car starts to blow in hot air, what I typically will do is to lower down the thermostat. That will helps. Say, for example I set it initially at 23oC, I will lower it down to below 20oC when I'm stuck in traffic. It is an inconvenient, but I can live with it. Just check this issue out when you are test driving the car.

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  4. There is really a lot to be said for how far Kia's cars have come over the last ten years or so. They have improved in quality, performance ratings, and design as well. Along with that, their reputation has been a lot better in recent years too. Your idea about using the fuel logs to keep track of performance is great.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks jeromy. Kudos to kia for willing to change.

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  5. Hi Raziff. Would you mind to share your thoughts/experiences on MC5 tires?
    Thanks in advance.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Faiz,
      In comparison to the stock nexen tyres on the K5, the first things I noticed when I switched to MC5 is how much softer the tyre was. The Nexen was hard, while the MC5 was softer. It gave a more comfortable ride. In term of noise, it was the same with the nexen. Other than the slightly softer feel, the rest was basically the same with the nexen.
      Hope this helps.
      Thank you for stopping by my blog.

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  6. Hi Raziff,

    Great review and writing. Just wondering, I understand from mechanics that the K5 spare parts are expensive due to the lack of dealers around. I wish to ask for your opinion if this is true.
    How much per service maintenance? What was the most expensive part that you had changed? At this time of writing, I am considering a 2013 Kia Optima. Your thoughts would help.

    Marco

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  7. Hi Raziff, Is it worth to buy 2nd hand k5 year 2012?. Any big issues until now?.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Adib,
      I recommend that you pull along a KIA mechanic when viewing the 2nd hand car. Just to make sure that it is still in working order.

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  8. waht is the original tyre for kia k5, i wonder whether can use economy tyre like viking for kia car?

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    Replies
    1. The original stock tyre was nexen tyre.

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    2. viking is local manufacturer tyre or overseas one? never heard abt this brand. izzit a new brand tyre?

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    3. Viking tyre is a brand from Continental. It is essentially in the same family as Continental. You can check them out in their website.

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  9. Hi Raziff,

    Just curious..is the maintenance for this car high? If something breaks down..would the parts be expensive and in what range would the price be? Are parts easy to find?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Sorry for the late reply. Maintenance cost can be provided by the service center. You can ask them to show you the cost table. As for parts, since the car is not manufactured in Malaysia, to get parts in case you are in a fender bender, I'm guessing that it will take time to order parts from Korea.

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  10. parts to order from korea? that means hv to take more time to repair the car. so normally which brand of tyre u use to replace the original nexen tyre?

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    Replies
    1. Yup, this is a Korean car, therefore spare parts are from Korea. For the tyre, I used Continental Contact MC5 to replace the stock Nexen.

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  11. Assalamualaikum and hai, baru terbaca review sebab tengah survey for 2nd hand KIA K5. Now dah 2020, if still pakai k5, keretanya still dalam keadaan terbaik atau macam mana?

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    Replies
    1. W'salam. Maaf ya saya lambat reply. Saya dah jual K5 saya. Jadi susah sikit saya nak komen. Nanti lepas PKP/MCO saya sarankan supaya test 2nd hand Kia K5 tu dulu dan ajak mechanic dari service center Kia untuk datang check condition. Kalau mechanic cakap tak ada concern, boleh la angkat.

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  12. Hai, ya sekarang 2012/2013 K5 sangat murah. Tapi selalu rosak kan? spare parts pun mahal

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