2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: Midsize Sedan Battle

Automakers have been shifting their product lines to match America’s preference for the SUV segments as its people hauler of choice, but a few companies still have faith in the family sedan. Giants such as Honda, Toyota, and Nissan continue to invest in America’s once-cherished vehicle , and for good reasons.

These low-slung midsize four-doors offer excellent fuel economy, loads of space, decent tech, and strong value for your money. An indicator that these guys are here to stay is the numbers, where the Accord, Camry, and Altima dominate. Although U.S. sales figures for midsize sedans have eroded over the past decade, the segment is still substantial enough to fight for.

For this comparison test, we decided to pair up the chart-topping Toyota Camry with the Kia Optima reboot known as the K5. As tested, our 2021 Camry SE with front-wheel drive had a window sticker of $29,217, and the 2021 K5 GT-Line AWD checked in at $31,430.

2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: MT Numbers Test

During our track test, the K5 GT-Line performed marginally better than the Camry SE. We understand that consumers who are shopping for a well-furnished midsize sedan are not necessarily as concerned with tire-screeching dynamics as they are with  interior space, reliability, and value. That said, the K5 went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, a hair quicker than the Camry’s 7.5 seconds. In the braking and handling evaluation, the best 60–0-mph stop for the Camry happened at 122 feet, topped by the K5’s 116 feet. On the figure-eight assessment, which measures acceleration, braking, and cornering, the K5 completed the lap in 26.8 seconds at 0.64 g average. The Camry did it in 27.4 seconds at an average of 0.62 g. Much of this is attributable to the Kia’s ultra-high-performance Pirelli tires outperforming the Toyota’s grand-touring-spec Bridgestones. So, if fun-to-drive matters, go with the Kia.

2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: Interior Design

Both cars have a modern design and come well equipped for the price point; however, the K5 GT-Line has the upper hand as it is the most recently updated model. Also, because the Camry SE’s dashboard is so bulky, the K5 cabin feels airy, more refined, and exudes a livelier environment. Both midsize sedans lose a couple of points in the use of cheap plastics, particularly in the door panels and center console. In terms of space, the K5 offers an additional 4.0 inches of legroom in the front and has 16.0 cubic feet of cargo space. The Camry has 2.8 inches more rear legroom but loses nearly a cube of cargo space.

One grievance with the Toyota is its lackluster interior. The dashboard features leatherette surfaces, white stitching, gloss black trim, and a clean layout. The broad and plump seats provide plenty of support and are quite comfortable. On the other hand, everything feels bloated while also trying to convey sportiness. The outmoded infotainment interface and native software is behind the times. This Camry came value priced, and as such did not have a sunroof. For a midgrade trim, though, the Camry’s cabin has a premium appearance and does not feel as low budget despite all the plastics. It does a lot of things right, for the price.

“The interior is super bland, with not a lot of impressive materials on the inside. There is nothing fun or just done to look cool. It’s just all very utilitarian,” MotorTrend executive editor Mac Morrison said.

Whereas the Camry interior comes across as monotonous, the K5’s is refreshing and radiates energy. Red leatherette upholstery covers the seats and carries over to the door armrests, and the aluminum trim finish adds some pop. The seats are firm but accommodating and slimmed down compared to the Camry’s. Atop the center stack, the floating infotainment touchscreen connects to the instrument cluster and looks contemporary. However, the automatic shifter handle’s “T” design seems wacky.

“The K5 is the winner for its overall package of style, features, interior sportiness, and the way it drives,” Morrison said. “I’m placing a premium here on it being the freshest design and offering the most ‘wow’ interior.”

2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: Safety and Tech

As standard, the Camry SE comes equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen, synthetic leather seats with cloth inserts, auto climate control, Toyota Safety Sense, and support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection. The Safety Sense package includes lane keeping assist, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise control, and automatic high-beams. Among the added options on our test vehicle were the convenience package ($600), blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert ($680), and the all-weather rubber floor mats and cargo tray ($259). Another optional add-on that made the Camry look cool was the exterior blacked-out badges for the reasonable sum of $129.

Moving over to the K5 GT-Line, our tester sported the GT-Line AWD Special Edition package ($800), which includes the Wolf Gray exterior paint and red synthetic leather seating material. This bundle also upgrades the standard 8.0-inch infotainment screen to a 10.3inch touchscreen with navigation and adds Highway Driving Assist (HAD). Standard equipment on the GT-Line trim consists of a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, and a panoramic sunroof. Other things buyers will appreciate are the LED projection lights, smart cruise control with a stop and go traffic feature, and a heated steering wheel. Advanced safety features in the Kia Drive Wise package include forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and driver attention warning.

2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: Driving Impressions

Let’s talk powertrains and estimated fuel economy before we get to how these two midsize sedans drive on the road. The Toyota Camry SE is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four generating 203 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic sends power to the front wheels. The all-wheel-drive Kia K5 GT-Line has a 1.6-liter turbo-four good for 180 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque mated to an eight-speed auto. The K5 has an EPA-rated 26/34/29 mpg (city/highway/combined), whereas the Camry has a slightly higher EPA rating at 28/39/32 mpg. (Note that with front-drive, the K5 can roughly match the Camry with 29/38/32 mpg.)

Neither sedan absorbs road imperfections very well, and both could benefit from improvements to the suspension. At highway speeds, the K5’s cabin is not as noisy as the Camry’s, which can get annoyingly loud, and its unruly engine doesn’t help the cause. Steering on the K5 is somewhat vague, while it feels downright dead on center on the Camry. Neither showed tire noise to a noticeable degree and each handled pretty much every type of road (city, suburban, highway), as expected from a reasonably priced family hauler.

“The Camry ride quality is pretty good, although larger bumps tell you that the suspension isn’t very sophisticated. It wallows a bit,” senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said, damning with faint praise. “That said, it’s better to drive than it needs to be. Toyota could have done much worse.”

Whereas the Camry was too floaty, the K5 was too harsh. MotorTrend senior features editor Christian Seabaugh delivered this sting: “Unfortunately, the engineering team didn’t pull its weight. From the get-go, the K5 feels a bit Frankensteined together. The powertrain feels as if it’s out of a small economy car, the ride out of a hot hatch, and the steering from a luxo-barge. It doesn’t drive like a cohesive vehicle.”

2021 Toyota Camry SE vs. Kia K5 GT-Line: Camry or K5?

Based on our evaluations of each midsize sedan in this comparison test, the final vote count turned out to be a mixed bag. The majority of us liked the K5, while a few others were not so impressed, especially with a sporty appearance that wasn’t entirely backed up by its performance (which at least bested that of the Camry). Our views of the Camry, however, leaned more negative. In the end, we declared the Kia K5 GT-Line the better midsize sedan. It beats the Toyota Camry in several categories: modern interior, exterior design, tech and infotainment features, and is more fun to drive. Those are items that the Camry’s $2,083 price advantage cannot account for. The Kia still prevails.

POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS	2021 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD	2021 Toyota Camry SE
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD	Front-engine, FWD
ENGINE TYPE	Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head	I-4, alum block/head
VALVETRAIN	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT	97.5 cu in/1,598 cc	151.9 cu in/2,487 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO	10.5:1	13.0:1
POWER (SAE NET)	180 hp @ 5,500 rpm	203 hp @ 6,600 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)	195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm	184 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm
REDLINE	6,500 rpm	6,750 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER	19.2 lb/hp	16.6 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO	3.51:1/2.23:1	2.80:1/1.89:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR	Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar	Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO	13.3:1	13.8:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK	2.7	2.6
BRAKES, F; R	12.0-in vented disc; 11.2-in disc, ABS	12.0-in vented disc; 11.1-in disc, ABS
WHEELS	7.5 x 18-in cast aluminum	8.0 x 18-in cast aluminum
TIRES	235/45R18 94V Pirelli P Zero All Season (M+S)	235/45R18 94V Bridgestone Turnaza EL440 (M+S)
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE	112.2 in	111.2 in
TRACK, F/R	63.7/64.0 in	62.2/62.6 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	193.1 x 73.2 x 56.9 in	192.7 x 72.4 x 56.9 in
TURNING CIRCLE	36.0 ft	38.0 ft
CURB WEIGHT	3,449 lb	3,373 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R	59/41%	60/40%
SEATING CAPACITY	5	5
HEADROOM, F/R	38.4/37.4 in	38.3/38.0 in
LEGROOM, F/R	46.1/35.2 in	42.1/38.0 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R	58.0/56.1 in	57.7/55.7 in
CARGO VOLUME	16.0 cu ft	15.1 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30	2.6 sec	2.7 sec
0-40	3.8	4.1
0-50	5.5	5.7
0-60	7.4	7.5
0-70	9.6	10.0
0-80	12.6	12.6
0-90	16.1	15.7
PASSING, 45-65 MPH	3.8	3.9
QUARTER MILE	15.7 sec @ 88.8 mph	15.8 sec @ 90.4 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	116 ft	122 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.86 g (avg)	0.85 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.8 sec @ 0.64 g (avg)	27.4 sec @ 0.62 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH	1,250 rpm	1,500 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE	$30,185	$27,480
PRICE AS TESTED	$31,430	$29,217
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS	9: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, driver knee	10: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee
BASIC WARRANTY	5 yrs/60,000 miles	3 yrs/36,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY	10 yrs/100,000 miles	5 yrs/60,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE	5 yrs/60,000 miles	2 yrs/unlimited miles
FUEL CAPACITY	15.8 gal	15.8 gal
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON	26/34/29 mpg	28/39/32 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	130/99 kWh/100 miles	120/86 kWh/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.67 lb/mile	0.60 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL	Unleaded regular	Unleaded regular
*Regular fuel ratings; 93 octane raises Mazda to 250 hp @ 5,000 rpm and 320 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm; Nissan to 248 hp @ 5,600 rpm and 273 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

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