New Look Compact Sedan
The 2025 Kia K4 has replaced the Forte, which had a good 14-year run as Kia’s smallest sedan. The K4 is wider, longer and lower than the Forte and, as Kia told us, “it has the widest and largest footprint in the compact sedan segment.”
Discussing the importance of a compact sedan to Kia, Russell Wager, VP marketing for Kia America, said “This segment is one of the highest volume for Kia, and it is a way to get people into the brand and move them up. It is very important as it introduces people that have never been in a Kia before and see they can get all this technology, safety features, great design and performance for a reasonable price.”
Clean Fleet Report was invited to Austin, Texas, to drive the K4 through rolling hills, on freeways and in city traffic. The route was selected to showcase the driving, comfort and performance of the two trims of GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo.
This Flash Drive is an overview of the K4, with a full Road Test review coming in 2025.
Performance
The 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line trims are offered with these engines and transmissions (which are the two offered throughout the K4 lineup, carryovers from the Forte with some changes).
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: Normal and Sport
Fuel Economy: 29 mpg city/39 highway/33 combined
GT-Line Turbo
1.6-liter 4-cylinder
190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque
8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
Drive Modes: Normal and Sport
Fuel Economy: 26 mpg city/36 highway/29 combined
Exterior
The 2025 K4 is offered in five trims—LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line, and GT-Line Turbo. The two GT-Line trims have appearance elements that add cred to their sportiness. The GT-Line has gloss black bumpers and window trim, and gloss black and satin chrome on the exterior mirror caps and side molding. Either 17” or 18” wheels are available based on the trim selected.
The eight exterior colors give the opportunity to personalize the K4 with Aurora Black Pearl, Currant Red, Deep Sea Blue, Interstellar Gray, Snow White Pearl, Steel Gray, Wave Blue and Morning Haze, which is the color we tested in Austin.
Interior
The K4 feels and is roomy inside, offering impressive rear leg and head room. Trunk space is also good, making the K4 a serious consideration even if you are thinking of going up a class to a midsize sedan.
Seat trim options are TriCot cloth, SynTex (an artificial leather) or combination of cloth and SynTex that comes in five different, two-toned colors. The GT-Line front sport seats have “GT” embossing and are heated and ventilated, with the driver getting 10-way power adjustments and memory.
The 60:40 split-folding rear seat comfortably seats two full-size adults, three for short trips, and has a folding center armrest with cup holders. The rear passengers also get climate vents and two USB-C charge-only ports.
Technology is center stage with screens for the instrument gauge cluster that seamlessly connects to the 12.3-inch touchscreen (for a total screen area of 30”) to access the entertainment, navigation, apps, and vehicle system settings.
Entertainment comes from the standard 4-speaker infotainment system or the available 8-speaker (with two tweeters) Harmon Kardon Premium audio system that includes AM/FM HD and SiriusXM radio, wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Bluetooth is for streaming music, hands-free telephone and the Kia Generative AI Voice Assistant.
This last feature can be a trip advisor, play games, get local information on points of interest, give currency conversion and even access the owner’s manual. Using conversational language, if you keep it fairly simple, you can ask follow-up questions with results close to a real back-and-forth conversation. There is no cost for the first three years, then it becomes a subscription package for $19.99 monthly or $199 annually. After using it for three years at no cost, it may be too hard to give up. Have your Kia sales representative show how to use it and see how it can enhance your driving experience.
Safety and Convenience
The 2025 K4 comes standard with an impressively full suite of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS). These include front and rear seat-mounted, driver knee and full side-curtain air bags. Standard safety features also include forward collision warning and avoidance, lane departure and driver attention warning, lane keep assist, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross traffic collision and parking distance warning, pedestrian forward collision avoidance and many more.
Additional safety and convenience features include a dual-zone automatic climate system, acoustic front windshield, surround view camera, push button start/stop, remote keyless entry with a Digital Key, power sunroof with shade, a tire pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control and a compact spare.
Hitting the Road
First up was the K4 GT-Line with the 2.0L non-turbocharged engine and the IVT (Kia engineers’ take on the continuously variable transmission), which offers better fuel economy of the two models we tested in and around Austin. Performance was about 8.1 seconds 0-60 mph. The handling was tight, the ride and seats comfortable, but due to the grooved concrete roads there was noticeable interior noise. Not horrible, but there at times. This would be an excellent consideration for a value commuter sedan.
The K4 GT-Line Turbo with the additional power and the 8-speed automatic transmission felt sportier and was good for about 7.2 seconds, 0-60 mph.
The MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear, and the twin tube shock gas absorbers with water-filled hydro bushings, did a good job keeping both the GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo firm and flat in slow to medium tight cornering, with acceptable body roll when pushed hard. We liked the heft of the steering wheel, and how the electronic steering was tuned so there was no disconnect from the road.
Head-turning Exterior
The K4 design is all-new and has a unique look that many might say it is head turning. The sleek look begins with the narrow front grille that presents an aggressive look, especially when turning-on the LED projector headlights and amber LED daytime running lights. The running lights also double as turn signals, and LED fog lamps are integrated with the headlights.
The LED tail lights sit wide on the rear fenders. One of the most attractive elements are the rear door handles that are hidden in the C pillar, making the K4 look like a coupe.
Pricing
The 2025 K4 sedan comes in five trim levels. All are front-wheel drive. These base prices include the $1,155 destination charge. Prices represent about a $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
Basic – Five years/60,000 miles
Roadside – Five years/60,000 miles
Observations: 2025 Kia K4
Some auto manufacturers are getting out of the compact sedan business aiming their sights at crossovers, SUVs and trucks. Kia is not one of those companies. While the result may be fewer choices, the sedans in your local dealer are very nice, and the 2025 Kia K4 possibly is among the best based on our brief time with it.
The K4 is more than a replacement for the Forte, which had been Kia’s compact sedan stalwart since 2010. The completely reimagined K4’s design benefitted greatly from what Kia learned from its customers, which include those that owned the now-departed Stinger.
The K4 offers engine and transmission choices, style, high-30s fuel economy, respectable performance, robust standard safety systems and the best warranty in the business (which is matched by sibling brands Hyundai and Genesis.) The 2025 Kia K4 is an excellent choice as an everyday commuter, or when seeking some cornering fun and extra performance. K4s are at Kia dealers now.
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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Kia.
[See image gallery at cleanfleetreport.com]
Disclosure
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
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