Subaru WRX vs Kia K5

Subaru's image is centered around rugged station wagons, outdoor activities, and cute dogs, but the automaker also has a sporty side—exemplified by the 2023 Subaru WRX.

The WRX first appeared in the 1990s as a homologation special for the World Rally Championship (WRC), which at the time required cars to be closely related to production models. Subaru viewed rallying as the perfect way to show off its all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles so, after a trial with the Legacy midsize sedan, it launched the Impreza-based WRX with the goal of becoming more competitive. It worked: Subaru has won multiple rally championships and the WRX has endeared it to car enthusiasts.

Subaru didn't begin selling the WRX in the United States until the 2002 model year, but it's remained a fixture of the automaker's U.S. lineup every since, competing against other sporty compact cars like the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Jetta GLI, and other derivatives of those models.

The current, fourth-generation WRX was introduced for the 2022 model year, so there are no changes to report for 2023. The lineup includes base, Premium, Limited, and GT trim levels. For this review, we drove the WRX GT, which sits at the top of the range.

If you can overlook the real-world fuel economy and unimpressive crash-test ratings, then a 2024 Kia K5 is a steal of an automobile. (Don’t worry, it has an engine immobilizer system to prevent theft.) It comes in LXS, GT-Line, EX, and GT trim levels, and the only change for 2024 is standard heated seats for the GT-Line trim. Turbocharging is standard, and you can get all-wheel drive if you live where the sun often doesn’t shine.

Verdict: It’s a shame Kia doesn’t offer the K5 with a hybrid powertrain, and its performance in new, tougher-to-pass crash tests is worrisome. But there is no doubt the 2024 Kia K5 is a stylish, comfortable, enjoyable, and technologically advanced midsize car. And the price is undeniably nice.