With the change of age, wealth, career, family, etc., many consumers have begun to consider upgrading to a mid-size car when buying a car. In the overseas brand mid-size car market, there are many products for consumers to choose from, their styles are different positioning, today Uncle Che has selected two joint venture medium-sized cars with different styles for everyone, they are Kia K5 Kaiku and Buick LaCrosse.
The 2021 Kia K5 Kaiku was launched in August last year, and the new car has a total of 4 configurations, with a price range of 16.18 to 205,800 yuan. The 2022 Buick LaCrosse was launched in October last year, and the new car has a total of 4 configurations, with a price range of 219,800 to 289,800 yuan.
Next, The car uncle will choose kia K5 Kaiku top version model and Buick LaCrosse entry-level model for comparison, the two after the terminal discount, the price of bare car maintained at about 190,000 yuan, let's take a closer look at their specific performance.
Exterior design
The new Kia K5 Kaiku has a very obvious change in the appearance design compared to the previous generation model, the front part of the car is a large number of flat lines outlined, creating a full sense of muscle, the overall style is more sporty, the visual effect is extremely sharp. The new car is equipped with Kia's signature Tiger Whistle grille, which has a designed interior structure and is layered by concave shapes, and the interior trim is fully blackened. The headlights on both sides are one of the main highlights of the entire front, and the polyline-shaped LED daytime running lights are lit at a frequency similar to the heartbeat, making the vehicle design more agile.
As a redesigned model, the new Buick LaCrosse will focus on the main focus of the adjustment on the configuration, and the entry-level 1.5T version of the model is back, which is the lowest priced LaCrosse model in the past decade. The new model follows the saic-GM brand family design language, the flying wing type middle net has a high degree of recognition, the overall flat shape makes the car have a more youthful visual effect, the middle net is decorated by heavy silver trim panels, and the two sides extend to the bottom of the light group, making the front face look more integrated. The left and right side headlights are equipped with LED light sources as standard, and have a series of functions such as automatic headlights and turn assist lights.
In terms of body size, the specific length, width and height of kia K5 Kaiku are 4980× 1860×1445 mm, and the wheelbase is 2900 mm. The body side of the new model adopts a sneaky back design that is rare in the same level of models, the proportion of the body after the lengthening is very coordinated, the line of the roof slide is more natural, and the silver decorative panel with the details makes the whole car look more stretched.
The specific length, width and height of Buick LaCrosse are 5026×1866×1459 mm, and the wheelbase is 2905mm, which is a certain degree of leading in all data. The new model's body side shape is relatively flat, making the whole car look more slender, the 17-inch rim is the only low-end sign in terms of appearance, and the 2.0T model is 18 inches except for the top version that provides 19-inch rims.
Kia K5 Kaiku rear directly copied the design of the overseas version of the GT model, the overall appearance has a strong sense of hierarchy, through the taillight is a highlight of the tail design, its internal structure compared to the Korean version of the model has been adjusted, the turn signal uses a breakpoint design similar to the width light, the style is more unified. In addition, the rear surround of the new car is also equipped with exaggerated bilateral four-out round hole exhaust, which is very intimidating in momentum.
Buick LaCrosse rear design is relatively young, embedded in the taillights of the chrome decorative strip is very designed, and the front face of the flying wing shape has a good front and rear echo, the beautiful roof line extended to the rear part of the trunk cover has a slight warp, as if the duck tail spoiler, to a certain extent to enhance the tail of the sporty temperament.
Interior design
The interior design of Kia K5 Kaiku is obviously converged in style compared to the appearance, the level of the entire cockpit is clear, and the control panel layout is regular, giving people a very refreshing feeling. The new car is not stingy at all in the use of materials in the car, there are large areas of soft materials and leather materials everywhere in the car, the texture is very outstanding, and the new car provides a variety of color atmosphere lights, breakpoint style and tail lights and air conditioning outlets and other design details echo, and the lights will change according to the style of playing music. The new owner is equipped with a flat-bottom steering wheel loved by domestic consumers directly in front of the driver, and the three-frame design plus matte trim and GT logo create a very good sports atmosphere.
The Buick LaCrosse center console adopts a symmetrical design, thanks to the existence of the central control display screen and the small number of central control physical buttons, the visual effect of the vehicle is relatively simple. The dashboard in the new car adopts the combination of pointer + 4.2 inch driving computer display screen, although the visual effect is not as high as the high-end version of the full LCD dashboard with a sense of technology, but the small size of the color screen is also very lined. The steering wheel directly in front of the main driver is a four-panel design with a leather-clad surface, and the entry-level model is equipped with a leather steering wheel, which is really surprising, and from the steering wheel we can also see that the entry-level model offers a series of functions such as cruise control and paddle shifters.
The Kia K5 Kaiku interior seats are wrapped in leather fabrics, which support the electric adjustment of the main passenger seat in terms of functions, and provide options for functions such as driver's seat power seat memory and rear adjustable buttons in the passenger seat. The surface of the front seats in the new model has been punched, which not only feels delicate, but also has better breathability than the general fabric, and the wings on both sides have obvious prominence, which can provide a good sense of wrapping and excellent comfort.
Buick LaCrosse interior seats are also wrapped in leather fabrics, functionally more than Kia K5 Kaiku more than the passenger seat height two-way adjustment, the front seat is heated. The interior padding of the new front seats is moderately soft and hard, and the length of the seat cushions is excellent, which can give the front passengers good leg support and good comfort.
The rear seats in the Kia K5 Kaiku car are wide and thick, and the sides have obvious inverted parts, which have a certain sense of wrapping. The length of the seat cushion is excellent, the support for the legs is very good, and the car does not use thin seat cushions in exchange for space, which is very commendable.
The rear seats in the Buick LaCrosse car are at the same level as the front row in terms of material use and workmanship, and the two sides are also inverted, and the middle bulge is obvious, but the internal padding is relatively soft and can be used for emergency use. In addition, the trunk volume of the new car is 525 liters, and the rear seats can be reclined in a 4:6 ratio, which is excellent in space expansion.
dynamical system
Kia K5 Is powered by a 2.0T turbocharged engine with a maximum output of 240 hp and a peak torque of 353 Nm. In terms of drivetrain, it is matched by an 8-speed manual transmission.
The Buick LaCrosse entry-level model is powered by a 1.5T turbocharged engine with a maximum output of 169 hp and a peak torque of 250 Nm. In terms of transmission system, it is matched by a 9-speed manual transmission.
Uncle Che summed up
As two completely different styles of joint venture brand medium-sized sedans, Kia K5 Kaiku and Buick LaCrosse have good strength, through the above two models of the same price comparison we can see that their advantages are different, of which Kia K5 Kaiku has a more comprehensive functional configuration, more aggressive internal and external design and better power system performance, while Buick LaCrosse is not too far behind in the configuration level, while having a larger external size. From the perspective of young people's car purchase and daily car needs, Kia K5 Kaiku is obviously more attractive to them, so in this round of duels, The car uncle recommended Kia K5 Kaiku.