Kia K4 Review | A new family car that’s not electric!
Kia is on the attack. As if launching EVs
left, right, and center wasn’t enough, it’s now about to take on the VW Golf on home
turf. Big challenge. This is the K4. Not to be confused with the electric EV4, the K4
is a petrol only variant built in Mexico, already available to buy in many parts of
the world, and recently confirmed for sale in the United Kingdom. And it’s here where the
exit of the popular Ford Focus means there’s plenty of potential customers for Kia to mop up,
especially as the K4 is priced from just £25,995. And when you consider that the vast majority of
UK car buyers start with looks and then work their way back from there, the K4 is in a really good
place. Not going to say that it’s a pretty car, but it certainly doesn’t blend in with the crowd.
It actually looks quite individual. And although we’re not going to get the saloon version like we
have here in the UK, that’ll be hatch only. You still get some of the really nice design details.
And we’ll start with the front lights. So, you can see the DRLs have an almost perpendicular pattern
and that looks super distinctive when you see that coming up behind you. You’ve also got the new Kia
badge on the bonnet and this chrome strip which tastefully connects those lights and it also forms
the front of the tiger nose grill. Looks really smart. Work your way down the side and we’ve got
18-in alloy wheels. So, in the UK specs are still to be confirmed, but these are the kind of wheels
that you’ll probably get with the GT line car around that level of trim. And then working your
way further down, nice chrome on the wing mirrors. You’ve also got the door handle that’s integrated
into the rear door here. And then I know said that the saloon isn’t coming to the UK, but I’ve got
to mention it because I think for this price point under £30,000, this has to be one of the most
distinctive bits of design you will find anywhere. And I tell you what, it looks a lot better in the
flesh than it does in the pics. In some of the pictures that I’d seen before coming here, looks
a bit frumpy, bit too large maybe, but actually now it’s really quite angular and muscular and
it stands out. Yeah, I like it. The K4’s design isn’t just an optical illusion. It really will be
larger than the Kia Seed that it will essentially replace in the UK. That’s because the K4 will
confusingly sit on Kia’s K3 platform that’s shared with Hyundai and also forms the base of the Nero
and Hyundai Kona and is noticeably larger than the Ceeds K2 platform. It’s also set up to deliver a
lot more tech. So, climb into this fairly highspec GT line car and like most modern cars, you’ve got
a lot of screens. So, we’ve got a 12.3 in digital dash, a 12.3 in central infotainment screen, and a
5 in climate display. And I’ve heard that you can actually not quite see the full climate display
because the wheel gets in the way. And although there’s a little bit that’s chopped off the
side, what you can see and what’s important is the temperatures in the top left and the top
right and also the buttons for the defrosting on the front window and also on the back and the
recirculation for the air conditioning which are the important ones. But what’s crucial as well
is that you still get proper buttons in here. And when I say proper buttons, I mean it. They really
feel like very buttony buttons. There’s a really nice sensitive press to them. and they’re nice and
satisfying to use. And you can change the climate without having to go into the touchcreen or take
your eyes off the road, which is excellent. You’ve also got proper buttons and dials on the steering
wheel. So, just like the buttons down here, they’re nice and big. They’re well labeled. It’s
got a nice action to them. Gear shift paddles are of a good quality as well. They make a nice click
when you pull them. And the drive mode selector, I think this is a really good place to put
it. It’s down here just below the center of the wheel. And it reminds me of the uh the octa
button on the Land Rover Defender Octa, which we reviewed recently. Take a look at that. So yeah,
you can switch that between your normal and your sport modes. There’s not a billion drive modes
in this. It’s really straightforward. And also, as a design point, I like the way that you’ve got
the Kia logo slightly offset from the middle. That looks really smart. I’d say my main complaint
though about the steering wheel is it’s a little bit chunky. It’s kind of BMW M car chunky, which
is a bit of a shame. I’d like to see it a little bit thinner, but otherwise, yeah, really nice. The
K4 is on sale in the UK with three trim levels, namely Pure, GT Line, and GT Line S. And even the
base Pure spec gets the triple screen layout in the cabin. The infotainment is solid, easy to use,
and has enough features to keep you happy. So, as you can tell, I reckon Kia has got a really nice
balance between the amount of touchcreens in here and also the physical controls. But one thing that
really stands out literally is this gear lever. You do not see a gear lever this big and chunky in
2025 anymore. It’s either buttons or just a little switch that you toggle with your fingertips. But
this thing, I mean, I haven’t had it confirmed that it’s coming to the UK, but as far as I know,
it is. This thing’s huge. And I think a lot of people will really appreciate having something so
physical and almost old school in the car. I mean, yeah, let us know what do you think of it. One
thing it does do is take away storage space. So, usually there’d be a bit more space around this
area, but you’ve still got cup holders which can retract away, so you get a larger area there.
And you can actually put a bottle in there, too. There’s a wireless charging pad up here for
your phone. There’s good space under the armrest. door pockets. Maybe they could be a bit bigger,
but they’re still a decent size. And also, there’s the glove box on there, which you can see
there’s plenty of space there. So, overall, yeah, you’re not short of storage space even with the
big gear lever. Finally, the driving position. I think it’s pretty good. The seat goes nice and
low if that’s what you want. So, it feels like the bonnet is quite high and it’s quite a sporty
driving position. Or you can lift it higher up and in which case you get better visibility. The
A-pillars aren’t too big, so you’ve got a good view out. And also looking over your shoulder,
there’s various bits of glass house back there, which mean that in this saloon, you can see
what’s around you quite well indeed. As I said, the steering wheel could be a little bit thinner,
but otherwise, yeah, nice place to sit. Now, before I talk about practicality, I’m just going
to briefly expand on the standard equipment levels because in addition to the triple screens in the
front of the cabin, all cars get climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, cruise control, and a suite of active safety
tech. Now, onto the practicality. So, climbing the back of the K4 and first thing I notice is
I’ve got plenty of leg room. And I think that’s because the wheelbase is about 30 mm longer than
it is on the seat. So you can feel the difference there. I also like the seats that are in front
of you because they actually look quite small and it means that you’ve got a nice view out and
it feels a bit more spacious and airy in here. So that’s an unexpected nice touch. I would like to
see a bit more space under said seat for my feet, but it’s not the end of the world. In the middle
here, we’ve got the vents. We’ve got USB-C points. There’s two of those. And I believe on higher spec
cars, you’ll also get heated seat controls which will be nice in the winter. There is a central
tunnel because this is a petrol car. So you got to bear that in mind. There’s a cup holder down here
so you can put your beverages in there. And then headroom. Well, it’s a bit of an unfair test for
the UK market because this is the saloon and it means that that sloping roof line gives you less
space. And yet I am brushing the ceiling here. But with the hatch, I reckon it’ll be a lot better. So
overall, good strong practicality back here. Also, boot space in the hatch is 438 L with the seats in
place and 1,217 L with them folded down. However, if you get the mild hybrid powertrain, this drops
to 328 L seats in place and 1,17 L seats folded down. Without the mild hybrid, that’s better than
both the VW Golf and the outgoing Ford Focus. Now, some people might tell you that it
doesn’t matter how a car like this drives, and there’s probably a degree of truth in that, but I don’t think Kia is simply relying on it,
because actually the K4 is pretty good fun. First thing I want to talk about is the engine.
Now, you can get the K4 with a 1 L petrol with mild hybrid assistance, and that produces 113
brake horsepower. However, the one we’ve got here is a 1.6 L turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
that makes 147 brake horsepower. You can also get it with 177 brake horsepower, but I think this
version is perfectly good. It’s keen. It doesn’t mind revving. It’s got plenty of urgency about
it. It’s not the quickest thing in the world, but it does what it needs to do. And also, once
you do settle down, it’s pretty refined. There is a bit of an engine raw when you accelerate hard,
but from the outside, I think it sounds pretty good. And although the dual clutch gearbox,
it’s not as good as the DSG in a Golf. Again, 90% of scenarios, you’re not really going to
feel a difference. It’s mainly when you use the paddles to override that it’s just not quite
as snappy. One of the nice things about testing a car here in America is that when we drive cars
that we haven’t got in the UK yet in Europe, so in France and Spain and Austria, Switzerland,
the road surfaces are really, really good. They’re dead smooth. And it means that you kind of have to
really find some little bumps in the road to see what the ride comfort’s going to be like because
in the UK, roads aren’t great. But over here, yeah, the road surface is also pretty terrible.
So, it means that I can reliably say that the ride in this, I think, is good. Yeah, you’ll
feel some of the bigger bumps because you’ve got the low profile tires. Yeah, for the most
part, it’s really nice and settled. It doesn’t move around too much. You got a decent secondary
ride. And the refinement also not too much wind noise. As I said, the engine noise when you’re
under power could be a bit better, but otherwise, the steering is light, but there’s still some
feel. It’s direct without being overly sensitive, and there’s also an uncorrupted enthusiasm to the
way the front end changes direction. Again, it ain’t a sports car, but it does more than enough
for an everyday hatchback or saloon in this case. I think if you’re talking about longd distance
refinement, the VW Golf still has the edge because it does a really clever trick where if
you’re going hundreds of miles and you’re on high-speed roads, it starts to feel like a bigger,
heavier car and then when you get back into town, it feels smaller and lighter again. Whereas
with this, it always feels like more of a town car. It feels a bit lighter. It doesn’t
feel quite as suited to longd distance travel, but still it’s about 80/85% of the
way there. It’s not a huge difference. On the whole, the tech in this car works really
well when you’re on the move. I’m still a big fan of the physical climate control buttons. I
know I’ve talked about it before, but in 2025, it’s a treat. You don’t have to go into the touch
screen to change how warm or cold you are. So, that’s excellent. But I’m also a really big fan of
the fact that in this car you don’t need to look over your shoulder to check your blind spot. So if
I indicate now to move into the lane on the right, what I’ve got is a camera view in the digital
dash and that’s from a camera on the door mirror looking back and that shows me if it’s clear. So
my blind spot is completely covered without having to do the full look over your shoulder which
obviously means you’re not looking forward. So, that’s a really clever use of technology,
which to be honest, I think I’ve only seen in Hyundai’s and Kia, and now it’s on just a
regular hatchback, which is excellent to see. So, what’s the verdict? Well, the Kia K4 isn’t
going to be the most exciting car that you or I will probably drive this year. And also, it’s not
going to start off as your default choice for an everyday hatchback. The VW Golf still has that
crown simply because people buy what they know and recognize, but then that doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t look seriously at the Kia K4. Quite the opposite. At £26,000, it’s significantly
cheaper than the Golf. Plus, you’ll get more standard equipment and a 7-year warranty. It’s
not quite as polished in some areas, but given the starting price, that’s easily forgivable.
What’s more, it’s also nice to see an affordable, practical new model that isn’t electric, given
EVs aren’t suitable for everyone at this moment in time. For my money, the GT line model with the
non-hybrid 1.6-litre turbo is the pick of the bunch.
#Kia #K4 #KiaK4
We review the new Kia K4 to see what this petrol-powered family car is like ahead of first deliveries in the UK. Can it fill the hole left by the Ford Focus and take on the VW Golf?
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