2025 Kia K4 First Drive Review and Video

Small sedan sales continue to trend in the wrong direction, but that hasn’t stopped Kia from launching a sleek new entry meant to satisfy shoppers who remain committed to the compact car.

The 2025 Kia K4 might not be the affordable option the market so desperately needs, but it’s in keeping with the cool new designs the brand has rolled out in recent years. While it would be even better with a hybrid drivetrain, there’s plenty to like about this stylish little sedan that fills a fairly large hole in the brand’s Canadian lineup.

Bigger, But Still Small

The K4 is a replacement for the Forte, although in Canada it’s also filling the void left by the larger K5 that’s no longer sold here (it’s still available in the United States and elsewhere). Given the responsibility this sedan bears, its expanded dimensions compared to its compact predecessor broaden the K4’s appeal.

To be clear, it still finds itself well within the small car segment, but the K4 has been stretched and pulled a few different ways to provide more space inside for both people and stuff than the Forte. By the numbers, it measures 4,710 mm (185.4 in) from bumper to bumper compared to the Forte’s 4,640 mm (182.7 in). It’s also wider — 1,850 mm (72.8 in) versus 1,800 mm (70.9 in) — and its wheelbase is slightly longer at 2,720 mm (107.1 in).

Notably, the Honda Civic’s wheelbase is longer still at 2,735 mm (107.7 in), which would normally be a boon to rear-seat legroom. But it’s the K4 that comes out on top, with a maximum of 964 mm (38.0 in). In reality, that’s barely more than what’s in the Civic — 950 mm (37.4 in) — but it makes it quite a bit bigger than the Forte’s rear seat, which measures 906 mm (35.7 in).

Their trunks are nearly identical, although in this case it’s the Honda’s that has more space, with 419 L compared to 413 L in the K4. Just how marginal is that difference? There’s effectively enough extra space to stick three more big bottles of pop in the back of the Civic.

While the rear end almost has a liftback look akin to the since-discontinued Kia Stinger, the trunk is conventional like a sedan’s. While designing it with a liftback would add more complexity — and, of course, cost — it would make this small sedan more useful overall. Rear-seat headroom is also limited at least a little by the sloping roofline, but there’s still plenty of space for passengers to fit comfortably inside.

A Genuine Head-Turner

The rake of the rear end is only part of what makes the K4 stand out amongst its shrinking pool of peers. The future-forward aesthetic is perfectly suited to these small proportions while also providing an appreciable family resemblance to the likes of the updated Kia Carnival, as well as the Sorento crossover.

The same sort of exterior lighting has been applied here to great effect, with the fang-like motif in the back a particular stylistic highlight. Those help make the rear haunches look even more pronounced than they are, while the front end boasts similarly styled headlights to go with a slim upper grille. Add it all up, and it’s safe to say the closely related Hyundai Elantra has been dethroned as having the most daring design in the segment.

The interior is a perfect aesthetic pairing for what’s happening outside, with bold lines and chunky controls galore. From the door handles to the climate switches and the steering wheel itself, there’s a cohesiveness to what Kia’s designers have cooked up here. Of course, the cabin looks better as the asking price increases (more on that shortly), but even in the EX trim tested here the grey upholstery is a nice touch next to the black or beige that’s more common in the segment.

Mechanically, Mostly the Same

The K4 is built on a different platform than the Forte was, although most of the mechanical components carry over to this new car. That includes the base 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes the same 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque as before, as well as the automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT) it’s paired with. (Kia calls it an intelligent variable transmission, but it’s little more than a marketing term for the automaker’s CVT.)

Opting for either of the two GT-Line trims swaps that setup for a 1.6L engine that, while smaller, uses a turbocharger to boost output to 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. That’s slightly less power than the Forte made with the same engine, although the torque count remains the same. More importantly, the problem-prone dual-clutch transmission has been ditched in favour of a conventional eight-speed automatic.

This test focused on the base engine that’s quick to prove itself adequate — no more, no less. While it struggles at times with passing and merging manoeuvres, with the CVT protesting loudly in response to deep presses of the throttle pedal, the K4 performs as expected for a car like one. Besides, the turbo trims can provide extra punch for those who crave it.

The name of the game here is efficiency, and while the hybrid drivetrain that’s available in the Elantra would be welcome here, the 2.0L does reasonably well on its own. While its combined consumption rating of either 7.0 or 7.3 L/100 km, depending on wheel size, is slightly more than the Civic’s (6.7 or 6.9), this test through the Texas countryside saw the indicated average drop well into Honda territory.

Comforts, Creature and Otherwise

Without the turbo motor, the K4 is also saddled with a torsion beam suspension — a basic setup that sees each back wheel bolted to either end of a solid bar. It’s certainly less refined by design than the independent suspension that the GT-Line trims use, although ride quality is more than reasonable.

The front seats, too, proved themselves comfortable during this truncated test, which often isn’t the case for Kia. Where the chairs in some of the brand’s other models are stiff and flat, these ones are soft, supportive, and decently contoured. They’re also heated across the lineup, and ventilated in the most expensive trim.

Every version of the 2025 Kia K4 comes with a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as subscription-based satellite radio. There’s a whole host of advanced safety features, too, although the cheapest version skips blind-spot monitoring. Even so, lane departure warning and keeping assistance, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control that works in stop-and-go traffic is all included.

Cheerful, But Not Cheap

But then there’s a literal price to pay for the extras that have been added to the K4 compared to the Forte. The cheapest version of this new compact kicks off at $25,845 before tax but including an $1,850 freight charge — a $2,900 price hike compared to the 2024 Forte. Yes, there’s more stuff for the extra spend, including adaptive cruise control, but it’s a far cry from the sub-$20,000 starting prices that used to come with cars like this one in the not-too-distant past.

In fairness, the 2025 Honda Civic is more expensive still, with the cheapest version stickered at $29,370. The 2025 Hyundai Elantra, meanwhile, starts at $24,074. All prices include freight.

To add features like a heated steering wheel, wireless phone charger, two more speakers for a total of six, blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, and alloy wheels means moving to the EX trim tested here that’s $28,345 before tax, while the EX+ is $1,500 more and comes with a sunroof and synthetic leather upholstery.

Meanwhile, Kia is charging $33,345 for the more powerful K4 GT-Line Turbo, which also includes a more immersive 12.3-inch instrument display, as well as heated rear seats. And finally, the GT-Line Turbo Limited and its extras like ventilated front seats and upgraded eight-speaker stereo rings in at a whopping $36,345. For what it’s worth, that’s almost as much as the 2025 Civic Si that isn’t as feature-rich but will handedly outperform this Kia for its $37,630 asking price.

Final Thoughts

In a strictly practical sense, the 2025 Kia K4 feels a bit bigger than a compact car — and that’s because it is. It also feels a bit overpriced, and that’s because, again, it is.

While it’s unfair to make affordability any one automaker’s responsibility, this is a brand that was built on exactly that. And while the price creep at Kia — and across the industry as a whole — has been in the works for a number of years now, the K4 marks the latest example of this endemic issue.

Beyond that dollar-figure dilemma, this sedan is a sort of leaps-and-bounds progression for Kia in the compact space. The Forte was fine, but the K4 is better in just about every way. Spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped, there’s a lot to like about the last sedan standing in Kia’s Canadian lineup. If only the asking price was more compelling.