2025 Kia K4 First Spin

As we get to the end of each year, I reflect on the cars I’ve driven, what I’ve liked, what I haven’t liked, and what the most significant and important vehicles of the year are. I think about cool technology, drivability, user experience, driving position, practicality and, of course, price. When I roll all those things together, there are usually a few standout vehicles from at-home tests and media programs. As 2024 rolls to a close, and I’m sitting in Austin, Texas, as I write this, I think I just experienced the most significant vehicle I’ve driven in 2024: The 2025 Kia K4.

2025 Kia K4

While I absolutely loved the Dodge Charger Daytona I reviewed last week, and the new VW ID. Buzz is clever and cool, their price tags are just a bit stiff to make them the most significant vehicles I’ve driven this year.

The 2025 Kia K4 GT-line Turbo, however, starts at $29,245, including destination. Combine that with the fact it has decent ride and handling for a vehicle in this class, and you have a winning combination as well as a very significant vehicle.

What is the 2025 Kia K4?

To better align with global strategy, Kia has started renaming its vehicles in the U.S., ditching actual words in favor of an alpha-numeric code. So, the Optima midsize sedan became the K5, and now the Forte becomes the K4. It’s still a compact sedan, but its proportions do grow a bit. It’s about 3 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the outgoing Forte.

It will come in five trim levels: LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo, and the base price will be $23,145, including destination. The base engine will be a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that delivers 147 horsepower, and it’s mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) — or as Kia likes to call it an “intelligent variable transmission.” The uplevel powertrain is a 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder turbo mated to a conventional 8-speed automatic transmission.

It will get standard features such as a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smart key with passive entry and remote start, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and automatic high beams. Up-level features will include heated-and-cooled seats, the 30-inch display that goes from gauge cluster to infotainment, a digital key, AI voice assistant, 360-degree camera, premium Harman Kardon-brand audio, Google points of interest and MyQ garage door app integration.

Non turbo versus turbo powertrains

This media preview in Texas focused on the GT-Line models with all the premium accents, and our test vehicles were tricked out with the available Premium and Tech packages. The as-tested prices were $28,345 for the GT-Line and $31,445 for the GT-Line Turbo.

So, was the $3k price difference worth it?

I’m going to say something that will probably put me in the minority: No. In terms of the powertrains, I really liked the base 2.0-liter engine better. It was more evenly and consistently powered, and I didn’t notice any lag or lack for my driving maneuvers–and I’m on the more aggressive side of the spectrum. Sure, the extra 43 horsepower is nice, but the tradeoff is a little lag. And I hate lag.

Another unpopular opinion: I didn’t hate the CVT. It didn’t feel loud or whiny to me, and I think it is well-paired with the base engine. Keep in mind we’re talking about a compact vehicle that has a base price under $25k. This is a great powertrain for that price point.

If you want to bring fuel economy into it, the 2.0-liter engine delivers 33 mpg in combined driving, whereas the 1.6-liter turbo gets 29 mpg. The EPA estimates that’s about a $200 savings between these two powertrains.

One curious thing I noticed about the 2025 Kia K4: Neither powertrain came with automatic stop/start functionality. Can I get an “Amen,” here? I hate this feature, and it often has a clunky implementation, especially in lower-cost vehicles. The fact K4 doesn’t have auto stop/start is a huge selling point in my book. And it doesn’t appear fuel economy suffers because of it.

Driving dynamics

The 2025 Kia K4 is a plucky little vehicle. While I wouldn’t call it sporty, it is easy to drive as well as maneuverable. I played around with the two drive modes, Sport and Normal, and the primary change is to throttle mapping. So, vehicle stays in lower gears longer to aid with quicker accelerations when passing on the highway. But there are no suspension or steering tweaks.

I essentially spent six hours behind the wheel of the K4 in a single day, and it didn’t matter if I was on surface streets or the highway, it was comfortable for the long haul. I liked the seats, I liked the ride and handling, and I enjoyed the drive. While the GT-Line trims do get a multi-link rear suspension to aid on-road comfort, the general drivability will be similar throughout the lineup. Plus, the power output is the same from LX to GT-Line, and as previously stated, it’s really good.

The price points

With the average transaction price of a new vehicle hitting the $48,000 point, the pricing of the 2025 Kia K4 is very significant. Especially since the number of vehicles that are priced less than $25,000, including destination, is less than 10. That’s mind boggling. But the K4 is one such vehicle, and it has two well-equipped trims priced below $25,000.

Here’s the breakdown, including destination:

LX ($23,145):

This includes safety tech such as automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control as well as features like a 12.3-inch touch-screen display, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a smart key with passive entry and push-button start and LED exterior lights.

LXS ($24,145):

This adds blind spot monitoring, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear cross traffic alert, 60/40 split folding rear seats, drive modes and a 6-speaker audio system.

EX ($25,145):

This adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital cluster, dual-zone automatic climate control, upgraded interior materials and a wireless phone charger.

GT-Line ($26,345):

This adds a multi-link rear suspension, GT-Line exterior and interior styling, 18-inch alloy wheels, two-tone seats, power driver’s seat, heated front seats and navigation.

GT-Line Turbo ($29,245):

This adds the 1.6-liter engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch black alloy wheels, LED projection headlights, synthetic leather seats, sunroof, Harman Kardon premium audio and acoustic glass on the windshield.

While most of these trims are WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), there are two packages on the GT-Line models. A GT-Line Premium package ($,1,100) adds the Harman Kardon audio, synthetic leather seats, memory driver’ seat and mirrors, ventilated front seats and acoustic windshield. The GT-Line Turbo Tech package ($2,200) adds more uplevel forward collision avoidance tech, blind view monitor, memory seats and side mirrors, ventilated front seats, ambient lighting and the Digital Key 2.0.

Our take

Though this was just a quick first spin, it was long enough to understand this is a significant vehicle – both in terms of pricing and amenities. This is an economy-class vehicle with some nice upgrades. As the Kia execs said during the media presentation: This is everything a compact sedan owner needs and much more than they expect.