I got into an accident where someone rear-ended me, and now my car is totaled. I’m trying to choose between two cars. I’m thinking about the 2024 Honda Accord EX or the 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD. My last car was a 2020 Honda Accord EX. Both cars are priced similarly, but the K5 seems to have a lot more features. My main concern is whether the K5 will be reliable in the long run. I’ve seen mixed reviews about problems, but I know there is a 10 year warranty on the powertrain and 5 years on the regular warranty. If anyone can share their experiences with the K5 and if they’ve had any issues, that would be great.
Another question I have is whether the Premium Package is worth it. I realistically don’t use a sunroof and I’m mainly interested in the 12 Speaker Bose system, but I know I could upgrade that separately if needed.
I’ve done a lot of research on mid-size sedans and it’s between the Accord, Camry, K5 AWD, or Sonata for me.
To be honest, the Sonata just doesn’t stand out in my price range. I bet you feel the same way about the K5 after looking at its features. The K5 looks really nice and has great options. I’m also wondering how the new 2.5 engine will perform over time. I don’t know much about their engines to compare with other models. I wish the GT was AWD because that would make my choice easier.
The Camry is nice, but I didn’t like the feel of the interior when I checked a few at work. I work at an auto auction, so I see a lot of different cars.
As for the Accord, I think it looks a bit ugly now. It seems like it’s trying to copy the HR-V’s design. The heads-up display in the touring model is cool, but it’s not exactly new tech. I remember there being a Corvette with that feature ages ago, so it’s not groundbreaking. I wonder if the 2025 has it?
I used to own a 2021 Civic EX and now have a 2024 CR-V EX. I love Honda cars, especially the Civic. I wish I had kept it.
If reliability is important for you, Honda has a good reputation. My CR-V is solid and gets decent mileage. It looks good, though I’m not really into SUVs anymore. I miss driving sedans.
Hyundai and Kia have really improved and are catching up. I wish the Stinger was still in production because that would be my dream car from them. The K5 keeps catching my eye every time I see one. I notice them a lot! The mechanics I know now recommend Kias. They say that models from 2018 and later are pretty reliable if taken care of well, just like any car.
@Hayes
I own a GT and got snow and ice tires for it and I’m planning some trips up to the mountains. It handled well in town even during an ice storm with the stock tires before I switched them out.
I considered the GR Corolla and the TRD Camry, but the interiors just didn’t appeal to me. Plus, the Camry was slower, and Toyota doesn’t usually offer great APR rates unless it’s a sales event.
I didn’t really consider Honda much either. The new Accord designs feel cheap when I get into them through Lyft rides.
Hyundai had a 1.5% APR promotion when I was shopping, so they almost made the cut. The Elantra N looks great, and the Sonata N is similar to the GT.
Hayes said: @Griff
Wait, the Stinger isn’t discontinued? I don’t see it on the website.
They might have stopped production, but even before, it was a $20k price jump to get a Stinger with AWD compared to a K5 with FWD, and the Stinger had fewer luxury features than the K5.
@Griff
In 2023, the base price for a Stinger was around $38K, and all 2023 models came with AWD. The base model was about $37K. If you wanted the twin turbo, you’d go for the GT2, which raised the price to around $47K. I think in 2018 to 2021, the most expensive version was just under $52K.
Most people get hit with dealer add-ons, so I’d estimate the average price of a Stinger between 2018 and 2023 was about $43K.
For the K5, the base starts around $28K LXS, GT-Line FWD is about $30K, GT-Line AWD sits at around $32K, GT is $35K, and EX is $37K. There’s definitely room to argue if that price difference is justified or not.
Just so you know, I’m just joking about being an AI Bot. I’m actually a person, but my reply sounds robotic, so I had to mention it haha.
@Hayes
I haven’t really looked into the Camry. For the new Accords 2024, there are two trims that are not hybrids (LX and EX), while the other four are hybrid. I was aiming to get the regular EX, not the hybrid. My issue is that unlike the K5, it doesn’t come with leather seats, wireless CarPlay or Android Auto, or a wireless charger. It also doesn’t have a bigger screen compared to the hybrid options. A lot of these features I can live without, but if the EX is a mid to high-tier trim, why aren’t these included?
For reference, my dealer quoted me about $34k for the EX and around $35k for the K5 GT-Line AWD, which includes the premium package. I really hesitate to pick the K5 purely because of reliability concerns. The 10-year powertrain warranty makes the K5 a lot more attractive.
Hoping to hear from others on their experiences with the K5.
Have you had a chance to drive the new Hondas? We wanted to prefer them and tried talking ourselves into it, but we found the K5 a better fit in terms of driving experience.
The warranty really influenced us since we plan to keep our cars until they wear out, so that 10-year warranty felt like a good deal. We did get the extended warranty for electronics worries, just for peace of mind.
So, regarding Kias:
We have a 2010 Kia Forte I truly love. It’s my main ride. I bought it with 30k miles back in 2013. It’s been great with no big repairs. I use a trusted shop for everything, except for recalls from the dealership. My Forte hasn’t had major issues and is just over 60k miles.
Every car can have recalls and issues, even from the well-known reliable brands. It can feel like a gamble at times. With any luck, the warranty will help if any problems arise.
@Fynn
I haven’t tried the new Honda Accords yet, but they looked good. My 2020 Accord EX was nice, but now I’m worried that the features in the 2024 EX aren’t worth it compared to the K5.
@Hayes
We did our research in 2023 and chose the 2024 K5 AWD.
I mentioned it before, but the K5 just felt better to drive than the Honda. We wanted to love the Accord but the Kia felt right. Plus, with the warranty and space for both a shorter and taller person, it worked out for us. It’s a little larger than I want, but most cars today are bigger than they used to be.
I’ve had a 2010 Forte that I love, it’s mine for life. I never intended to become a Kia fan, but here I am.
I’m at around 17k miles on my 2022 K5 GT-Line AWD. The only problems I’ve encountered are that the OEM tires wear out quickly, and I’ll need to replace them by fall. The new ones will cost about $1300 for CrossClimate2s. The second problem I’ve had is the brake rotors, which seem to warp easily.
Otherwise, it’s a solid car. For a midsize sedan with AWD, I’m getting over 41 mpg on road trips and low to mid 30s for commuting. I love driving it.
@Paxton
I agree with you. The car is solid and I’ve had no problems. I barely got 26k from the OEM Pirelli P-Zeros. I replaced them with Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires, and I have some light warping on the rotors. The brakes are still at 80%, so I’ll wait to replace them until they wear down. I’ve taken it on two trips to Florida and New Orleans, and I’ve gotten over 40 mpg on those trips and low 30s for local driving.