As many car companies forgo the conventional passenger car in favor of the more popular crossover SUV, Kia still offers a four-door sedan lineup, starting with the new K4. Formerly known as the Forte, the K4 is all-new for the 2025 model year, with styling and features that align with its larger sibling, the K5.
Kia invited me to Austin, Texas (covering my travel, lodging, and meals), to spend time behind the wheel of the new K4, testing both the standard and turbocharged variants.
Photo: Perry Stern
The 2025 Kia K4 is available in four trim levels: LX, LXS, EX, and GT-Line; the latter is also available with the more powerful turbocharged engine. Prices range from around $23,000 to around $30,000, including the destination charge.
For this review, Kia provided a 2025 K4 GT-Line Turbo with the optional Technology package. The total manufacturer's suggested retail price was $31,445, including the $1,155 destination charge to ship the sedan from its Pesqueria, Mexico, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Perry Stern
There will be no mistaking the new Kia K4 for its predecessor. Wider and longer than the Forte, the K4 features a fastback design with a low hood, a sleek roofline, and a narrow grille. Vertical headlights with signature LED daytime running lights give the K4 a unique style at night, while the angular LED taillights provide the Kia with a broad look.
The 2025 K4 may be an entry-level model, but it feels more like a higher-end vehicle when you climb into the spacious cabin. Highlighting the dashboard are dual digital displays—the gauge cluster and infotainment system—presented on a single large screen. A climate control screen fits between the two displays, but unfortunately, the steering wheel mostly blocks it from the driver's view.
Physical buttons below the display provide quick shortcuts to the Home screen, navigation, and media, with volume control in the center. Toggle switches below adjust cabin temperature and fan speed; however, the defroster and automatic climate settings are on the display screen.
The K4 is not a large vehicle, but the cabin has good storage options. Oversized cupholders in the center console have retractable barriers, so they work for drinks or storage of other items. Ahead of the gear selector is another cubby with a wireless phone charger and multiple USB ports. Bottle holders in the doors and the bin under the center armrest provide additional storage.
Front seats get a stylish cloth material on entry trims, but my test vehicle featured the premium two-tone SynTex synthetic leather. Not only do the seats look good, but they also offer good support. I felt no fatigue or soreness after spending the day behind the wheel.
The rear seats are a bit stiffer than those up front, but the legroom and headroom are more than adequate for two adults to ride in relative comfort. With a slight hump in the floor and a narrow cushion, the middle rear seat is best for small children—or people you don't like. One thing to be cautious of is the rear doors. The exterior sheet metal extends out to a point, and more than once, I hit myself while opening the door.
The new K4 has the shape of a hatchback, but it is a proper four-door sedan, complete with a trunk. With 14.6 cubic feet of space, the K4's trunk easily accommodates multiple suitcases or a week’s groceries. The automaker has announced that the K4 will get a five-door hatchback version, arriving late in 2025.
Photo: Perry Stern
Kia has always had one of the more intuitive infotainment systems, and the K4 is no exception, featuring the brand's newest offering. Referred to as the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC), the new system has a faster processor for quicker response and stays current with over-the-air updates.
You can easily configure the Home screen to show your most used features, and it's just a swipe to the left to bring up additional functions represented by large, easy-to-read tiles. Voice interaction is also available, activated by saying, "Hey, Kia." The system worked well; I changed the cabin temperature and located the closest car wash via voice commands.
Kia is also adding a new AI assistant that can provide more detailed answers. With AI, my query: "What are good places to visit in Austin this weekend?" provided suggestions of events and showed what the weather would be like. It can also pull answers from the owner's manual if there are questions about vehicle functions or maintenance.
The high-tech features in the K4 aren't just about information and entertainment. The small sedan has the Drive Wise suite of advanced driver assistance systems. Features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, lane-centering assistance, and lane-keeping assistance are standard. However, the blind-spot warning system, blind-spot collision-avoidance assistance, and the surround-view camera are only available on the top-level trims.
The GT-Line Turbo I drove had all these optional features, plus the navigation-based adaptive cruise control and Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA2), which give the K4 semi-autonomous driving abilities on certain limited-access highways.
While my drive did not entail a freeway to enable the complete HDA2 system, I did test the adaptive cruise control heading west out of Austin, TX, on US-290. This is a 55-mph four-lane road, but there are periodic stoplights. With the cruise control set, the K4 provided steering assist throughout the drive. When the vehicle ahead slowed to a stop for the red light, the K4 smoothly stopped behind it. When the light turned green, I provided a bit of throttle, and the system re-engaged, taking me back up to the set speed.
Photo: Perry Stern
The 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo gets a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine delivering 190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. That's a healthy bump from the standard non-turbo powertrain that puts out 147 hp, and the difference is quite noticeable. Power goes to the front wheels via an updated eight-speed automatic transmission.
Many may look at the K4 as basic transportation. After all, it is the entry-level model in the Kia lineup. But the small sedan is quite enjoyable to drive. The K4 Turbo gets moving quickly with more spritely acceleration, and even at highway speeds, there's enough oomph to get around slower vehicles.
My test drive route took me through some rather twisty two-lane roads west of Austin, and the K4 handled very well. Steering was precise with good feedback, and the car felt agile when pushed hard through the corners. Selecting Sport mode kept the RPMs high for the best performance, and while I don't typically use them, sampling the paddle shifters resulted in a quick response from the transmission for added engagement.
I also had a chance to test the non-turbo K4 GT-Line. While it felt a bit sluggish compared to the Turbo, it still offers adequate power. Like the GT-Line Turbo, driving dynamics were still excellent, making it an enjoyable vehicle even with less power.
While the K4 is quiet and smooth on newly paved roads, noticeable road noise permeates the cabin when the road surface gets coarse. The engine can get loud when pushed hard, adding to the cabin noise.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency), the 2025 Kia K4 gets an estimated 34 mpg combined for the non-turbo version. Moving to the more powerful Turbo only slightly decreases fuel economy—by one mpg. During my drive in the GT-Line Turbo, the trip computer indicated 34.6 mpg—impressive efficiency for a fun-to-drive, non-electrified sedan.
The 2025 Kia K4 is the perfect example of how an entry-level sedan doesn't have to feel entry-level. Boasting a stylish new design and a premium cabin to match, the new K4 is available with a range of high-tech infotainment and safety features and a potent turbocharged engine. It may not be as well-known as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, but the 2025 Kia K4 would be my choice over these popular rivals.
Perry Stern has worked in the automotive industry for over 30 years and has always been a car enthusiast. Driving almost every new car on the market, Perry has written for multiple publications in addition to his work for JDPower.com. Recently relocated to southeast Michigan, Perry is still crazy about cars, especially his 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
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