2020 Honda Civic vs 2021 Kia K5

The 2020 Honda Civic was the crown jewel of Honda's lineup, offering buyers a choice between sedan, coupe, and 4-door hatchback body styles. Despite being a compact car, its sharp design attracted attention with its svelte roofline, sleek body panel creases, and wide, arcing headlights that accentuated its low and wide stance. The Civic’s rear was equally striking, with sweeping LED taillights. The 2019 refresh carried over to the 2020 model, bringing new front and rear bumper designs, wheels, and matte-black 18-inch wheels for the Si sedan. The interior of the Civic featured high-quality materials, a straightforward center stack, and a pleasingly symmetrical design accented with gloss-black trim. Simple yet refined, the Civic's interior also included three new dash accents for the hatchback and red bands for the Si sport seats.

The 2021 Kia K5 aimed to redefine Kia’s image with its modern fastback design. Borrowing some stylistic cues from the sportier Kia Stinger, the K5 GT-Line trim received flat Wolf Gray paint and eye-catching red seats, making it resemble an upscale Audi A5 Sportback. Design highlights included a long rear window blending seamlessly into the trunk, taillights fashioned with unique dashed LEDs, fake air vents, and exhaust tips executed with sophistication. The K5 was wider and lower than its predecessor, the Optima, with Z-shaped amber LED running lights and a textured honeycomb grille defining its aggressive front. Although the base wheels might have seemed underwhelming, the higher trims elevated the K5's visual appeal.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a range of engines and transmissions across its lineup, all front-wheel drive. The base LX and Sport trims had a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The more advanced trims came with a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine delivering 174 hp and 162 lb-ft, with hatchback variants producing up to 180 hp. The 1.5-liter engine was favored for its mid-range acceleration and responsiveness. The Civic Si featured a boosted 1.5-liter engine with 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, while the Type R offered a staggering 306 hp and 295 lb-ft. The suspension in the Si ensured minimal body roll and a balanced, sporty drive, although it was stiffer compared to the non-Si models.

The 2021 Kia K5 did not quite live up to the sporty promise suggested by its GT-Line trim. The suspension was softer, and the Pirelli P Zero All-Season tires struggled during tight turns. However, the GT trim offered a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine generating 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The standard engine for the K5 was a 1.6-liter turbo-four producing 180 hp and 195 lb-ft, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. While it performed well under normal driving conditions, it lacked some punch at mid-range and highway speeds. Fuel economy was commendable, with an EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined for FWD models. AWD models saw slight reductions in fuel efficiency.

Inside, the 2020 Honda Civic boasted improved features such as a volume knob and better cupholders since the 2019 model. It had sound insulation improvements in the hatchback floor, trunk, and wheel wells. The Civic accommodated rear passengers comfortably in all body styles except the coupe, though it lacked rear air vents. The Civic sedan offered 15 cubic feet of trunk space, while the coupe had 12 cubic feet. The hatchback provided more room, with 26 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 46 cubic feet with them folded down.

In the 2021 Kia K5, despite its raked profile, rear passengers enjoyed ample headroom and legroom thanks to scalloped areas in the roof and front seatbacks. However, rear air vents were notably absent. Front seats were both supportive and firm, ideal for long drives. The K5 trunk offered 16 cubic feet of space, which was quite roomy. The layout and technology inside the car, including a wireless charging pad and a simple infotainment system, made it user-friendly. The dash was attractively designed, though heated seats were not standard on all trims.

The 2020 Honda Civic came with a somewhat outdated 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, standard on all models except the LX. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were included, bypassing the sluggish factory interface. Top-end trims featured Garmin-based navigation. The Civic Si added Active Sound Control, although many drivers preferred to turn it off in favor of real engine sounds. The system included a 450-watt, 10-speaker stereo and LaneWatch, which provided a live feed of the blind spot. Automatic climate control and Honda Sensing were standard features, with leather seats available on higher trims.

The 2021 Kia K5 featured wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a major convenience despite occasional connectivity issues. Standard features included LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, lane-keep assist, and a driver attention monitor. The LX trim fell short with non-folding rear seats and lack of push-button start. Higher trims added features like a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, and advanced infotainment options. The GT trim brought paddle shifters and more performance-oriented hardware. The K5’s infotainment allowed for voice commands compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The 2020 Honda Civic came equipped with Honda Sensing, which included forward collision warning, emergency forward braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The updated LED headlights contributed to its Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS for all body styles except the Type R. The Civic received the highest "Good" rating in all six IIHS crash tests. The NHTSA awarded it five stars in all categories, except for four stars in the passenger frontal crash rating for the coupe.

The 2021 Kia K5 boasted a stronger chassis and included several standard safety features. All trims had rear side airbags and a driver’s knee airbag, a rarity even in more expensive vehicles. Electronic safety aids such as forward emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and a driver attention monitor were standard. Higher trims offered additional features like blind-spot monitoring with Safe Exit Assist and Junction Turning. However, the K5 had yet to be rated by the NHTSA or the IIHS at the time.