The 2025 Kia K4 is a brand new compact sedan from the South Korean producer, changing the Kia Forte. It expands to 2 the variety of non-sport utility autos within the carmaker’s lineup.
4 years in the past, Kia launched the K5 to switch the Kia Optima because the model’s midsize sedan.
As siblings, the autos share appearances with angular headlights and different modernized options. The K4 additionally debuts as among the many few autos that look and drive effectively past their section designation and value vary.
With its tapered roofline, high-resting, flush rear door handles and protruding fenders, the K4 has sports activities automobile leanings. It expands its sporting really feel with a flat high and flat backside steering wheel within the reviewed GT-Line trim.
The Kia’s expanded size additionally corresponds to extra inside house, notably a number of inches extra of legroom for rear seat passengers. Its wheelbase is 107.1 inches, its general size 185.4 inches. The numbers should method the bounds of what defines a compact car.
In reality, with its elongated exterior orientation is the K4 actually a compact sedan or the approaching out of a modern sports activities automobile?
The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla have dominated compact sedan gross sales for a few years. With the Toyota Prius, Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra and Hyundai Elantra, Kia is hoping the K4 is a legit challenger in maybe probably the most aggressive market. It ought to be quickly, though Honda and Toyota each bought greater than twice as many autos within the section final yr than Kia.
The K4 is offered with two engine choices. A number of of the 5 trims are outfitted with two-liter, inline four-cylinder configurations with 147 horsepower, repeatedly variable transmissions and front-wheel drive.
The reviewed GT-Line Turbo trim includes a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It has 190 horsepower and an eight-speed, dual-clutch and sport-tuned transmission. Paddle shifters are steering-wheel mounted. And there’s a drive mode choose perform with Regular and Sport settings.
With its efficiency increase, the GT-Line Turbo accelerates from 0-to-60 miles per hour in 7.3 seconds, though it appears faster. Gasoline mileage averages are 26 miles per gallon in metropolis driving, 36 mpg within the freeway. The mixed 29 mpg is the car’s solely disappointment.
Kia equips its autos effectively. High-line K4 fashions embrace heated and ventilated entrance seats, a wi-fi smartphone charger, color-selectable LED ambient lighting and an influence sunroof with an influence sunshade. A 360-degree encompass view digicam system, 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights, rear air vents are additionally within the combine as are 10-way energy adjustable seats with futuristic-looking again and headrests. They’re normal solely on the GT-Line.
The GT-Line trims are barely smaller than siblings. However they’ve a compact-sedan plentiful inside of 95.8 whole cubic ft. Entrance passenger legroom is 42.3 inches, rearseat legroom is 38 inches. It’s as near a five-passenger car as a producer can legitimately declare for its compact sedan.
Expertise highlights embrace a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, the adjoining 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Commonplace is an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system.
Additional expertise is spectacular for a compact sedan: USB-C charger Entrance (2 ports, entrance heart console), USB-C charger rear (2 ports, rear heart console) and on energy outlet.
Security is a robust go well with all through the Kia lineup. The K4 features a back-up digicam, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, alarm, tire strain warning, stability management and pre-collision and post-collision security techniques. The Nationwide Freeway Transportation Security Administration (NHTSA) gave the sedan a 5 out of 5 stars score.
With its expertise bundle possibility ($2,200) and inland freight and dealing with cost ($1,155), the top-line 2025 Kia K4 is priced at $31,445. There’s no higher automotive worth.
