The K4 serves as Kia’s replacement for the Forte. The new car is slightly larger than before, with increased passenger and cargo space. But what really struck us is how good this car is for the price, especially when you consider that the average new car costs twice as much as the K4 LXS we tested. Unlike many less-expensive models, which come with glaring tradeoffs for the savings, the K4 has few flaws.
Instead, the K4 punches above class standards when it comes to ride comfort, spaciousness, and its easy-to-use controls. It also doesn’t hurt that it gets great fuel economy, and that it achieved short stopping distances in our panic-braking tests.
In fact, not only is the K4 a major improvement over the Forte it replaces, but we think it’s one of the best small cars on the market, and its impressively high road-test score is a testament to that.
As one of our testers said, “This is a nice car at a great price, and it does a good job hiding its relative inexpensiveness. A lot of it is the design. It has some interesting details on the outside, such as the wild-looking head and taillights, and the unique window treatment. Same goes for the inside, too, with the high-tech-looking displays. I was also impressed by its overall quietness for the price.”
“It’s refreshing that you can still get a really decent vehicle for a reasonable price,” said another tester. “This car does almost everything well. It’s pretty quiet, has a good ride, decent handling, gets great fuel economy, and is easy to use and drive.”
Unfortunately, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning are not available on the base LX, although both of these proven active safety systems come standard on the second-tier LXS and higher.
We bought a 2025 Kia K4 LXS for $24,320—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The K4 is assembled in Pesquería, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Driving experience
Although the interior and exterior styling are all new, the powertrain is largely carried over from the Forte, and that’s a good thing. The base 147-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and together they provide unobtrusive operation. Unlike many vehicles these days, the K4 doesn’t suffer from any low-speed power delays; instead, it can actually be a bit abrupt leaving the line, especially if you’re aggressive with the accelerator pedal.
We like that the CVT performs simulated “upshifts” to help it behave more like a conventional automatic transmission. This goes a long way toward reducing the sky-high engine revs that often come with CVTs when accelerating with some purpose. You do have to press the gas pedal pretty far to get the K4 to move quickly down the road, but it can generate good speed, as shown by its competitive 8.6-second trot from 0 to 60 mph. If you need more oomph, the K4 is available with a 190-hp, 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission in the top GT-Line Turbo model.
We measured a commendable 32 mpg overall with our K4 with the base engine, which is good among compact sedans. However, that’s not as frugal as the smaller and lighter Forte, which managed 34 mpg overall in our testing. It’s also worth noting that, unlike the related Hyundai Elantra, Kia doesn’t offer a hybrid version of the K4.
The suspension soaks up all types of bumps and road imperfections very well—better than some more expensive cars. The steering has a nice weight to it, and the K4 turns into corners with some quickness. But the downside of its softer suspension is an earlier onset of body roll through corners than with some sportier-handling compact competitors. We also noticed a trace of floatiness at highway speeds. But the car acquitted itself very well at our track, with a commendably high speed through our accident-avoidance maneuver, along with a short dry stopping distance in our panic-braking test.
The cabin is relatively quiet for the compact class, with well-controlled road and wind noise. Even the engine stays mostly in the background, especially when driving casually. Wring it out for a burst of speed, though, and the noise gets elevated and a bit buzzy up around 4,500 rpm.
Cabin comfort
A quick look around the interior makes it obvious that Kia skimped on the quality of the cabin materials to keep the price low. There’s hard plastic everywhere, even on the upper dashboard, which is rare these days. In fact, the only padded parts in the car are the armrests and seats. That said, it still feels well put together, and items like the high-tech dashboard screens and the nice look and feel of the steering-wheel stalks keep the car from actually feeling “cheap.”
We had mixed feelings about the K4’s driving position. On the one hand, there’s plenty of headroom, and the left footrest is nicely sized and positioned. But the manually operated driver’s seat left some without enough leg support, and several of our drivers found that the steering wheel rim blocked some important information at the top portion of the instrument screen when the wheel was adjusted to a lower position. The armrests also suffer from overly firm padding.
We found the front seats offer reasonably good comfort. They’re well-shaped with ample seatback side bolsters that do a good job holding you in place through corners. But some drivers found that the top of the seatback was too narrow, digging into them a bit. The rear seat is generous among small cars, beyond a limited amount of headroom. There’s lots of knee room, some space to squeeze your feet under the front seats, and decent under-leg support. However, the K4’s extremely low stance and hard-to-find rear door handles make getting in and out a challenge.
For a car this size, the trunk has a lot of room for packages and luggage. We fit three large suitcases and two overnight duffel bags inside, which makes it one of the most generous cargo holds in the class.
Controls and usability
There’s little to find fault with the K4’s intuitive, easy-to-use controls. They are highlighted by a well-organized center infotainment touchscreen that has a logical, clutter-free layout. Key functions, such as media and phone, are easily accessible, with frequently used features available as widgets for added convenience. Physical shortcut buttons beneath the screen provide quick access to common functions. The climate control buttons are easy to use, and we appreciate the conventional gear selector.
“The K4’s controls are really good,” said one of our testers. “Things are well-labeled and straightforward, and usable by feel. A person trading in a car from the 1990s would have no problem getting in and using the controls.”
Be aware that you have to step up to the third-tier EX to get an automatic climate system rather than manual air conditioning like in our test car. As such, some drivers found the manual climate system tedious to use due to the lack of a neutral setting between hot and cold.
Active safety & driver assistance
All K4s come standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Unfortunately, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning are not available on the base LX, although both come standard on the second-tier LXS and higher.
We’re happy to see that a rear occupant alert comes standard. This system is designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat when they turn the K4 off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. But it’s disappointing that a rear belt minder isn’t available. The LXS trim and up also come standard with a Safe Exit Warning system, which can sense if a vehicle or bicycle is approaching from behind or alongside the K4 when parked on a city street, and an occupant is about to open a door into traffic.