Since 1992, the Nissan Altima has been a yearly contender for the top spot in the midsize sedan market. For 2023, the Nissan Altima pushes the envelope further with a brand new redesigned front fascia to coincide with the debut of Nissan’s new logo. With this impressive facelift, the Altima is looking sportier than ever. Gone are the days of the Nissan Altima finding buyers strictly on its low price point. The Altima is aiming for an entry-level performance sedan market, and it has the looks to be successful in this endeavor.

However, there is a new contender in the entry-level midsize-performance sedan market; the Kia K5. With the debut of the fifth generation Kia Optima, a drastic design change was put in place. Soft edges were gone, this new generation of Kia would be aggressive and modern with hard edges and angular body lines, and it would adopt a true Kia name worldwide; the Kia K5, putting it in line with other Kia model names in South Korea, which are all alphanumeric.

While the new Nissan Altima is impressive on paper, the Kia K5 offers some features and specs that are more impressive than the new Altima. Here are three reasons to choose the new 2023 Kia K5 over the new Nissan Altima.

Choosing the 2023 Kia K5 gets you more power under the hood

While both the Kia K5 and the Nissan Altima offer fairly low-power base engines that only offer 180 horsepower and 188 horsepower, respectively, the Kia K5 is available with an upgraded engine that’s as powerful as a fully-fledged sport sedan. 

In fact, according to Kelley Blue Book (KBB), Kia’s available 2.5-liter 290 horsepower turbo four-cylinder is impressive for its size and price point. “This powertrain is complemented by larger brakes, a firmer suspension, and sharper steering feel,” KBB added.

The Nissan Altima’s top trim, the SR VC-Turbo, does offer a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, but at 248 horsepower, it puts out less power than the Kia.

The new K5 boasts a spacious cabin for passengers and cargo

While midsize sedans typically don’t have a wealth of interior space, the Kia K5 offers more space overall for passengers and cargo compared to the new Nissan Altima, according to KBB. 

The Kia K5 has around an inch more headroom in the front and rear for passengers and nearly three inches more legroom for front passengers when compared to the Altima. It also has around half a foot more cargo volume than the Altima, and the car is about an inch wider and longer as well. 

The Kia stretches its available interior space without sacrificing its exterior image, too, with the K5 coming in shorter in height than the Altima, with just a slightly larger wheelbase.

The Nissan Altima’s warranty can’t compete with Kia’s warranty

While both of these cars have proven fairly reliable over the years, the Kia K5 offers a much more impressive factory warranty. The 2023 Kia K5’s basic warranty comes with 5 years and 60,000 miles of coverage. If you are concerned about having any drivetrain issues, the K5 also comes with a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The Altima still offers a solid factory warranty. In fact, this year’s model is standard with a basic warranty giving you 3 years and 36,000 miles of coverage. It’s also standard with a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. However, the Kia K5’s warranty truly gives you nearly double the coverage at around the same vehicle price.

There are plenty of reasons to stick with the 2023 Kia K5

While the new Altima looks exciting, the Kia K5 offers innovative styling, more power, more interior space, and a much better warranty than the Nissan Altima. If you are in the market for a new midsize sedan, give the Kia K5 a shot!