Kia Optima (K5) Towing Capacity

You can find 36 different trims/engines for the Kia Optima (K5) and their corresponding recommended towing capacity.

The years available stretch from 2001 through to 2022 and to view the towing capacity you just click to expand.

Formally known as the Kia Optima, the K5 was created in 2000 as a mid-sized family car. Since its creation, the K5 has had numerous nameplates which were location-dependent. In Europe and Canada it was called the Magentis, Lotze and K5 in South Korea and from 2021 K5, globally.

The K5’s predecessor was the Hyundai Sonata, and where it shared some similarities, it had markedly different styling and equipment.

It was originally built on the popular Kia / Hyundai platform with a 2.5-litre V6 automatic or manual engine. Just a couple of years after its first release, Kia upgraded the size of the engine to 2.7-liters and featured leather seats and alloy wheels as standard. Following an arguably slow start with sales, Kia launched an extremely successful marketing campaign which increased the number of units sold enormously.

The second generation saw a change to the platform on which the car was built on the ‘Z Global Platform,’ initially, it wasn’t sold in Northern America or Malaysia. Manufacturing remained in South Korea and shared the 2.4-liter, 5-speed automatic/manual transmission with the Sonata.

2010 saw a new push-button start and paddle shift gears. By the third generation, the platform had changed again, now sharing it with the Hyundai i40, and the aesthetic became sleeker with Kia’s trademark tiger-nose front grille. Three trims were available LX, EX & Sport SX. Extra safety features were introduced, including electric stability control, ABS braking system, Sirius Satellite Radio, cooler glove box, iPod connectivity and Bluetooth.

A fourth-generation was introduced towards the end of 2015, again, with a modernized look (designed by Kia’s chief designer Peter Schreyer). In 2019, Kia made the decision to take the sales global, changed the front running lights to a ‘Z’ shape and new textured grille. A new digital cluster was installed with 12 Bose speakers and Apple connectivity. There were two main engine options, 1.6-litre & 2.5.-litre turbo with all-wheel drive available on all.