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MotorTrend
  • 7/23/2024
This is the reinvention of Kia’s entry level sedan with a new name and a new look. The 2025 Kia K4 is the successor to the Kia Forte but it also fills in as the most affordable vehicle in the lineup.

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Motor
Transcript
00:00I'm Alisa Priddle with Motor Trend and this is the 2025 Kia K4.
00:18If that name is not striking a bell, that is because it is the replacement for the Kia
00:23Forte.
00:24So we have a new name, we have a new look, and this is also the new entry model for Kia
00:31because the Rio, which was a subcompact, has been discontinued.
00:36The K4 will be offered as a sporty compact sedan and you can see it in the look.
00:41This is nice, this is sleek, this is sporty.
00:44It really doesn't look like the Forte that it replaces.
00:48We've got five wheel choices.
00:50These are 18-inch because this is a GT-line turbo version of the vehicle.
00:56So you have a glossy black 18-inch wheels.
00:59The wheels start from 16 and work their way up to 18.
01:02As for powertrain, it is a carryover of what we had in the Forte.
01:06So the base one is a two-liter, it's a four-cylinder, good for 147 horsepower, 132 pound-feet of
01:14torque, or you can upgrade to the 1.6-liter turbo four and that'll give you 190 horsepower
01:22and 195 foot-pounds of torque.
01:26With the turbo four, you get an eight-speed automatic transmission.
01:31The K4 becomes the largest compact in its segment and you can feel the room in here.
01:37We've got tons of headroom.
01:39The legroom is also very impressive.
01:43Our interior here is a two-tone black and white.
01:47If you go for the EX trim, which is a new trim for this model year, you can get a green
01:52interior and also to come a red and black two-tone interior.
01:56This is a 12-inch center screen, which is actually good given that many of the cars
02:02in this segment only have seven or eight inches.
02:04The other difference, in a Kia first, it has an AI voice assistant, which means that it's
02:09smarter and it's better able to recognize natural voice commands instead of keywords.
02:17The other fun thing is a retractable cup holder, just like the one in the EV9.
02:23You push the button and it pops out and when you retract it, then you've got a little more
02:28room for your sunglasses and other sundries.
02:31The K4 is about to go into production in Mexico and it will go on sale in the third quarter
02:37of this year.
02:38Pricing has not been announced, but it'll probably be a little higher than the just
02:43under $22,000 that the Forte was going for.
02:47And it will be initially only a sedan, but we have seen a concept of a hatch and we expect
02:53that to follow.
02:54Maybe not in the first model year, but for younger buyers, I think it's a safe bet.
02:59For Motor Trend, I'm Alisa Priddle.