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2025 Nissan Sentra Review2025 Kia K4 Review
Kia’s all-new compact sedan is ready to hit the road. We take a look at fuel economy, interior quality and more to find out if the K4 is the right car for you.
2025 Kia K4 – kiamedia.com | Shop 2025 Kia K4 on Carsforsale.com
What’s New For the 2025 Kia K4
As the first model year in the much-anticipated successor to the now-defunct Forte, the 2025 K4 comes to us with a fully modernized interior, two engine choices, one efficient and one sporty, plus competitive features, trunk storage, and legroom. A standard 12.3-inch center screen and smart cruise control, and lane-keep assist from the base trim make it a real Civic and Corolla rival.
The K4 is a true-to-form direct successor to the long-standing Kia Forte. That makes nearly every aspect of the K4, from the drivetrain to the interior, new and exciting. In a sedan segment often overlooked, that means something.
Carsforsale.com Score
8.25/10
Powertrain
Score
8/10
Interior
Score
8.25/10
Technology
Score
8.5/10
Value
Score
8.25/10
The Breakdown
Exciting modern styling
Optional turbo engine
Very solid fuel economy
Lots of competition from the Civic
Base engine is a tad slow
No hatchback option
Great first car for those buying new
2025 K4 Specs
- 147 horsepower from base engine
- 132 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 5 available trims
- 14.6 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- Standard smart cruise control
- Standard 12.3-inch center screen
- 100,00-mile powertrain warranty
2025 Kia K4 Powertrain 8/10
Like a lot of compact sedans these days, the Kia K4 has two flavors of drivetrain. Most trims get the efficient variety, a two-liter, naturally aspirated variant of the Kia/Hyundai Smartstream four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. As much as that might seem like power figures straight out the mid-90s, the tradeoff is fuel economy of 30 city, 40 highway MPG. Even a short time ago, that was pretty good by hybrid standards.
The 1.6-liter Smartstream turbo four-cylinder engine to the GT-Line Turbo trim is even more impressive. At 190 horses and 195 lb-ft of torque, this barely 3,200-lb little scamp sprints to 60 in 7.1 seconds. That’s a full second and a half quicker than the rest of the range. With fuel economy figures of 26 MPG in the city and 36 on the highway, you’re not even giving up much in efficiency for pleasure.
YEAR MAKE MODEL Interior
The compact sedan form factor can take a lot of liberties with interior space, and the K4 is no different. The final generation Forte was well regarded in its day for its spacious rear seating area with 35.7 inches to work with as of 2024. The 2025 K4 bests that with 38 inches of rear legroom. That’s over three inches more than a 2025 Corolla sedan and a little over half an inch more than a 2025 Civic sedan. Trunk space is also solid at 14.6 cubic feet.
Given its price, it should come as no surprise that standard cloth seats are throughout most of the K4 lineup. That said, soft, plush SynTex vegan leather seat upholstery can be had starting as an option on the GT-Line and then standard on the GT-Line turbo. All around, it’s a fairly nice and comfortable place to spend a drive.
2025 K4 Tech and Features 8.5/10
New for 2025, the K4 sports a 12.3-inch center touchscreen with iOS and Android connectivity. Each trim from the EX onwards ditches a four-inch center instrument cluster for a 12.3-inch fully digital gauge cluster to match the screen of the same size to the right. The base trim makes do with a four-speaker stereo while everything else until the range-topper trim gets a six-speaker unit. Starting with the GT-Line as an option and the GT-Line Turbo standard, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo brings an extra layer of luxury to the party.
EX and above trims get a five-inch sub-screen dedicated to just climate control, and Kia’s brand of Smart Cruise Control comes standard even on the base trim, as is the rear occupant alert and driver attention warning system. Starting with the GT-Line, navigation-based Smart Cruise Control with highway driving assist becomes available and dedicated rear HVAC vents make their debut with the range-topper trim. With just $6,100 separating the base from the top trim, there’s a fair bit of ramp-up in features as you work your way up.
2025 Kia K4 Trims & Pricing
LX $21,990
A base trim in every sense. Cloth seats, four stereo speakers, three exterior colors, and 16-inch steel wheels. The base trim is sparse in many areas, but it does come with a 12.3inch touchscreen display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, smart cruise control, and lane keep assist features.
LXS $22,990
An extra thousand dollars over base price lets you ditch steel rims for nicer 16-inch alloy wheels. And adds blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and drive mode selection.
EX, $23,990
The EX trim adds a green and black TriCot pattern option for the interior seat trim. It’s also the entry point for one-touch-down automatic front windows on both sides of the cabin, plus dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charger, dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays, premuim seat trim and Syntex wrapped steering wheel. Exterior chrome accents and 17-inch alloy wheels help to dress the EX trim level a bit more than the lower trim levels.
GT-Line $25,190
The GT-Line turns up the luxury with a unique GT-Line SynTex vegan leather and Combi cloth interior upholstery. Interior upgrades include a navigation system, heated front seats,10-way power driver’s seat, highway driving assistance, and access to Kia’s AI assistant voice technology. Paddle shifters and optional Harman Kardon eight-speaker stereo dress this trim level up very nicely.
GT-Line Turbo $28,090
The K4’s halo trim ups the excitement with a 1.6-liter turbo drivetrain. You can even row through the gears of its eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters. It sure beats the CVT native to the rest of the range in the thrills department. If you wish to further dress up the GT-Line Turbo, Kia offers optional memory driver’s seat and side view mirror, ventilated front seats and optional upgrades for a surround view monitor, parking sensors, and a blind spot view monitor.
2025 K4 Overall Value 8.25/10
The K4 could be another watershed moment for Kia, the moment when it matches its rivals from Honda and Toyota. It’s got tech for days, good interior space, the option of a sporty drivetrain, and the benefit of a stylish, all-new platform. There’s not too much to complain about, though we’ll see if the K4 matches Toyota-level reliability in the years to come. If you do see yourself needing something a bit bigger, with the same great warranty, the Kia K5 might be worth a look.
2025 K4 Overall Score 8.25/10
2025 Kia K4 – kiamedia.com | Shop 2025 Kia K4 on Carsforsale.com
There are not many reasons at all to persuade you against buying a 2025 K4. It comes from a brand that’s on the up-and-up, has one of the best warranties in the business, and it looks and feels like a premium sedan without the premium price. What an effort on Kia’s part.
2024 Kia K4 FAQ
Is the K4 Electric?
No, but don’t be surprised if an EV with the K4s proportions is in the pipeline sooner than later.
Is there a Kia K4 Hatchback?
Not yet, but reports suggest one might be on the way.
Did the K4 replace the Forte?
Yes, the K4 is the direct successor to the Forte, whose production ended after the 2024 model year.
