2025 Kia K4 Review: The GT-Line Turbo Is Good, But It's Not The One I'd Buy

It's no stretch to say that Kia is on a roll. Its crossovers and SUVs may not be exciting, but they're aggressively priced and well-equipped. Electric models like the EV9 and EV6 are competing with rivals on range, style, and performance, without breaking the bank. Meanwhile, buyers on a strict budget aren't being told they have to settle for lackluster design.

Witness, by way of example, the 2025 Kia K4. A new nameplate for a familiar category, the K4 apes its bigger K5 sibling in forcing retirement upon a former mainstay of the Kia line-up. In this case, it's a fond(ish) farewell to the old Forte.

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Few people found themselves hot under the collar at the thought of the Forte, but that was hardly the point. Its sub-$20k starting price (albeit only before you added in the mandatory destination fee) was the big draw, a headline Kia gives up with the 2025 K4's arrival. It starts at $21,990 (plus $1,155 destination) in base LX trim.

From the outside, the impact of that extra spend seems pretty clear. Where the Forte was forgettable, the K4's design leans into the sleekly angular aesthetic we've seen Kia use to excellent effect elsewhere in its range. The amber daytime running lights, glowing like hooks of neon, are particularly pleasing; at the rear, the stretched lamp clusters add visual interest from both behind and from the side of the sedan. Strangers voiced their approval to me in parking lots (though they also thought it might be electric; for that we'll have to wait for the EV4).

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If there's a weak spot, it might well be in profile: the C-pillar, with its integrated door handle and complex intersection of angles, seems a little chunky. It also leaves the K4 looking like it ought to be a fastback, only instead of a convenient hatch there's a regular trunk lid. That still opens to reveal a capacious 14.6 cu-ft, mind, down only one cubic-foot compared to the K5, despite a roughly eight inch difference in length.

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That's not the only dimensional oddity worth noting in Kia's much-reduced sedan line-up. While the larger K5 has slightly more headroom, and more front seat legroom, the K4 is markedly better for rear legroom: 38 inches, versus just over 35 inches. Standard wheels range from 16-inch steelies on the base LX, through to 18-inch alloys on the higher GT-Line trims.

Inside, as well as being spacious, the K4's cabin feels like a huge step forward over the Forte's. Kia has kept things like easily-located physical controls for the key climate control features, and a dedicated volume control, but the overall feel is more modern and tech-savvy. All trims get a 12.3-inch center touchscreen — up from the Forte's 8- or 10.25-inch versions — running Kia's newer, improved software.

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LX and LXS trims have a 4-inch cluster display; that's upgraded to a 12.3-inch fully digital cluster on EX and above. Kia then adds a dedicated 5-inch "Climate Display" sandwiched between its cluster and infotainment screens; maybe it was just my preferred seat positioning, but I found the steering wheel blocked my view of most of it. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard across the board, as is SiriusXM, remote start, and the Kia Connect smartphone integration.

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Four USB-C ports — two front, two rear — are standard; EX trims and above add a wireless phone charger. An 8-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is optional on the GT-Line, and standard on the GT-Line Turbo.

Kia has two engine options for the K4, though most trims come with the familiar 2.0-liter inline-four. It pipes its 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to the front wheels. Unlike the K5, there's no all-wheel drive option here.

I've not driven the base engine K4 yet, but judging by my colleague Travis Langness' experience, I'm not missing out on any thrills. Like most base-engine examples of affordable compact sedans, it's nothing really above adequate. "Serviceable" is no bad thing, mind, and nor is the 2.0-liter K4's 33-34 mpg fuel economy rating on the EPA's combined test cycle. Would a hybrid make it even better? Certainly, but probably not without bumping up the price.

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Optional — and only on the 2025 K4 GT-Line Turbo (from $28,090 plus destination) as you see here — is Kia's 1.6-liter turbo-four. It also gets an eight-speed automatic instead of the CVT.

From behind the wheel, even with the turbocharged engine, the K4's enthusiasm doesn't live up to its aggressive aesthetic. In fact, I think I had a little more fun in the old Forte GT — which used a version of the same powertrain — and not just because that car was 200 pounds lighter and had a manual transmission option.

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For the K4 GT-Line Turbo, power is actually down slightly. The 1.6-liter turbo-four now pumps out 190 horsepower, compared to the 201 hp of before; torque remains at 195 lb-ft. Adding insult to injury, though, that peak torque actually arrives later than it did in the Forte GT: 1,700 rpm, versus 1,500 rpm.

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Only a 200 rpm delta, sure, but every detail matters when you're wringing the best out of a cheap'n'cheerful budget-GT like this. Even in Sport mode, the turbo K4 feels more leisurely than its predecessor, more grown-up rather than popping and fizzing like, say, a Civic Si. There are paddle shifters, but the 8-speed auto isn't as snappy as I remember the 7-speed DCT in the Forte GT to be.

At least the near-29 mpg I saw in my mixed driving matched the EPA's 29 mpg estimate for the turbo K4 (along with 26 mpg city, and 36 mpg highway). In most respects, the K4 is a welcome improvement over the Forte: better looking, more refined, more tech-savvy, and generally easier to live with.

This well-equipped K4 GT-Line Turbo, though — which, with the Technology package that adds ventilated front seats, Highway Driving Assist 2, and other niceties, comes to $31,445 including destination — is a tougher sell, specifically. A comparably-spec'd 2024 Forte GT was about $3k less. Assuming you can drive stick, I'm sending you to the Honda dealership to ask about that Civic Si instead.

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From $25,145 all-in, however, a K4 EX — in the middle of Kia's trim walk — feels far more convincing. Down on power versus the turbo, sure, but with most of the toys, the handsome styling, and frugal even if it's not super-fun. For the segment that's a lot to like, and while I might miss the oddly-attainable Forte GT, as an all-rounder there's no denying the K4 continues Kia's run of hits.