New Look Compact Sedan
The 2025 Kia K4 has changed the Forte, which had a great 14-year run as Kia’s smallest sedan. The K4 is wider, longer and decrease than the Forte and, as Kia advised us, “it has the widest and largest footprint within the compact sedan phase.”
Discussing the significance of a compact sedan to Kia, Russell Wager, VP advertising for Kia America, stated “This phase is among the highest quantity for Kia, and it’s a solution to get folks into the model and transfer them up. It is extremely vital because it introduces folks that have by no means been in a Kia earlier than and see they’ll get all this expertise, security options, nice design and efficiency for an inexpensive value.”
Clear Fleet Report was invited to Austin, Texas, to drive the K4 via rolling hills, on freeways and in metropolis visitors. The route was chosen to showcase the driving, consolation and efficiency of the 2 trims of GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo.
This Flash Drive is an summary of the K4, with a full Street Check assessment coming in 2025.
Efficiency
The 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line trims are provided with these engines and transmissions (that are the 2 provided all through the K4 lineup, carryovers from the Forte with some modifications).
GT-Line
2.0-liter 4-cylinder
147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque
Intelligently Variable Transmission or IVT with paddle shifters
Drive Modes: Regular and Sport
Gas Financial system: 29 mpg metropolis/39 freeway/33 mixed
GT-Line Turbo
1.6-liter 4-cylinder
190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque
8-speed automated transmission with paddle shifters
Drive Modes: Regular and Sport
Gas Financial system: 26 mpg metropolis/36 freeway/29 mixed
Exterior
The 2025 K4 is obtainable in 5 trims—LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line, and GT-Line Turbo. The 2 GT-Line trims have look components that add cred to their sportiness. The GT-Line has gloss black bumpers and window trim, and gloss black and satin chrome on the outside mirror caps and facet molding. Both 17” or 18” wheels can be found primarily based on the trim chosen.
The eight exterior colours give the chance to personalize the K4 with Aurora Black Pearl, Currant Pink, Deep Sea Blue, Interstellar Grey, Snow White Pearl, Metal Grey, Wave Blue and Morning Haze, which is the colour we examined in Austin.
Inside
The K4 feels and is roomy inside, providing spectacular rear leg and head room. Trunk house can be good, making the K4 a critical consideration even in case you are pondering of going up a category to a midsize sedan.
Seat trim choices are TriCot material, SynTex (a man-made leather-based) or mixture of material and SynTex that is available in 5 completely different, two-toned colours. The GT-Line entrance sport seats have “GT” embossing and are heated and ventilated, with the motive force getting 10-way energy changes and reminiscence.
The 60:40 split-folding rear seat comfortably seats two full-size adults, three for brief journeys, and has a folding middle armrest with cup holders. The rear passengers additionally get local weather vents and two USB-C charge-only ports.
Know-how is middle stage with screens for the instrument gauge cluster that seamlessly connects to the 12.3-inch touchscreen (for a complete display screen space of 30”) to entry the leisure, navigation, apps, and car system settings.
Leisure comes from the usual 4-speaker infotainment system or the out there 8-speaker (with two tweeters) Harmon Kardon Premium audio system that features AM/FM HD and SiriusXM radio, wired and wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Bluetooth is for streaming music, hands-free phone and the Kia Generative AI Voice Assistant.
This final characteristic is usually a journey advisor, play video games, get native data on factors of curiosity, give foreign money conversion and even entry the proprietor’s handbook. Utilizing conversational language, for those who maintain it pretty easy, you possibly can ask follow-up questions with outcomes near an actual back-and-forth dialog. There isn’t any price for the primary three years, then it turns into a subscription package deal for $19.99 month-to-month or $199 yearly. After utilizing it for 3 years without charge, it could be too onerous to surrender. Have your Kia gross sales consultant present how you can use it and see the way it can improve your driving expertise.
Security and Comfort
The 2025 K4 comes customary with an impressively full suite of superior driver help programs (ADAS). These embody entrance and rear seat-mounted, driver knee and full side-curtain air baggage. Customary security options additionally embody ahead collision warning and avoidance, lane departure and driver consideration warning, lane maintain help, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross visitors collision and parking distance warning, pedestrian ahead collision avoidance and plenty of extra.
Extra security and comfort options embody a dual-zone automated local weather system, acoustic entrance windshield, encompass view digital camera, push button begin/cease, distant keyless entry with a Digital Key, energy sunroof with shade, a tire stress monitoring system, digital stability management and a compact spare.
Hitting the Street
First up was the K4 GT-Line with the two.0L non-turbocharged engine and the IVT (Kia engineers’ tackle the repeatedly variable transmission), which gives higher gasoline financial system of the 2 fashions we examined in and round Austin. Efficiency was about 8.1 seconds 0-60 mph. The dealing with was tight, the experience and seats comfy, however because of the grooved concrete roads there was noticeable inside noise. Not horrible, however there at occasions. This might be a superb consideration for a price commuter sedan.
The K4 GT-Line Turbo with the extra energy and the 8-speed automated transmission felt sportier and was good for about 7.2 seconds, 0-60 mph.
The MacPherson strut entrance, multi-link rear, and the dual tube shock gasoline absorbers with water-filled hydro bushings, did a great job holding each the GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo agency and flat in gradual to medium tight cornering, with acceptable physique roll when pushed onerous. We preferred the heft of the steering wheel, and the way the digital steering was tuned so there was no disconnect from the street.
Head-turning Exterior
The K4 design is all-new and has a novel look that many may say it’s head turning. The glossy look begins with the slender entrance grille that presents an aggressive look, particularly when turning-on the LED projector headlights and amber LED daytime working lights. The working lights additionally double as flip alerts, and LED fog lamps are built-in with the headlights.
The LED tail lights sit extensive on the rear fenders. Probably the most engaging components are the rear door handles which are hidden within the C pillar, making the K4 seem like a coupe.
Pricing
The 2025 K4 sedan is available in 5 trim ranges. All are front-wheel drive. These base costs embody the $1,155 vacation spot cost. Costs signify a couple of $2,000 bump from the Forte.
- LX $23,145
- LXS $24,145
- EX $25,545
- GT-Line $26,745
- GT-Line Turbo $29,645
Warranties
- Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
- Primary – 5 years/60,000 miles
- Roadside – 5 years/60,000 miles
Observations: 2025 Kia K4
Some auto producers are getting out of the compact sedan enterprise aiming their sights at crossovers, SUVs and vehicles. Kia will not be a type of corporations. Whereas the consequence could also be fewer selections, the sedans in your native vendor are very good, and the 2025 Kia K4 presumably is among the many finest primarily based on our temporary time with it.
The K4 is greater than a substitute for the Forte, which had been Kia’s compact sedan stalwart since 2010. The utterly reimagined K4’s design benefitted tremendously from what Kia realized from its prospects, which embody those who owned the now-departed Stinger.
The K4 gives engine and transmission selections, model, high-30s gasoline financial system, respectable efficiency, sturdy customary security programs and the very best guarantee within the enterprise (which is matched by sibling manufacturers Hyundai and Genesis.) The 2025 Kia K4 is a wonderful selection as an on a regular basis commuter, or when searching for some cornering enjoyable and further efficiency. K4s are at Kia sellers now.
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Story by John Faulkner. Photographs by John Faulkner and Kia.
Disclosure
Clear Fleet Report is loaned free take a look at autos from automakers to judge, usually for every week at a time. Our street checks are primarily based on this one-week drive of a brand new car. Due to this we don’t tackle points similar to long-term reliability or complete price of possession. As well as, we are sometimes invited to producer occasions highlighting new autos or expertise. As a part of these occasions we could also be provided free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our greatest to current our unvarnished evaluations of autos and information irrespective of those inducements.
Our focus is on autos that supply the very best gasoline financial system of their class, which leads us to emphasise electrical vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and different environment friendly powertrains. We additionally characteristic these environment friendly gas-powered autos which are among the many high mpg autos of their class. As well as, we purpose to supply opinions and information on superior expertise and the choice gasoline car market. We welcome any suggestions from car homeowners and are devoted to offering a discussion board for various viewpoints. Please tell us your views at [email protected].
