The 2025 Kia K4 Looks Like a Step Up from the Forte

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Kia is revamping its entry-level car. The 2025 Kia K4 will be revealed later this month at the New York auto show as a replacement for the long-running Forte. We won’t have full specs on the car until next week, but its styling and design mark a significant step forward for what will likely still be Kia’s most affordable model.


Like the larger K5, the K4 features sleek styling and unique lines with a futuristic look. Kia retained its signature “tiger nose” grille and gave the car vertical headlight units with large LED daytime running lights. The rear features vertical taillights and an integrated diffuser in the lower bumper.

Kia said it designed the interior with two themes in mind. The driver’s space is focused, with displays and controls oriented toward the seat, while the rest of the passenger cabin focuses on comfort and space. The car is available with a range of interior lighting options, and Kia retained physical controls for often-used functions like maps and the climate system. Kia also offers new interior colors, including green, gray, brown, and black.


We don’t have powertrain specs for the new car yet, but Kia’s expected to offer similar configurations to what was seen in the Forte. That would mean a standard four-cylinder engine with an available turbo. The automaker is also expected to develop a hybrid model and a small electric sedan called the EV4.

The 2025 Kia K4 will officially debut on Mach 27 in New York, so we don’t have long to wait for more information. Pricing details will likely wait until closer to the car’s release date later in 2024.


[Images: Kia]


Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

More by Chris Teague

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 26 comments
  • Danddd Danddd on Mar 22, 2024

    That rear quarter panel is just lazy design trying to interpret futuristic 60s. Who would approve this?

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Mar 24, 2024

    The 1986 Accord hatchback coupe has returned!

  • Jkross22 16/800. Something seems off with the number of people arrested. Way off.
  • Dave M. Welcoming news. During my latest acquisition I really liked the CX-5 but the mpgs weren't great. Hybrid option is overdue.
  • Klkrause I've thought that Cadillacs have at least been decent looking for the last decade or more, but their interiors have been quite lacking. The build quality and materials used in the interior seem like slightly upgraded Chevrolets instead of in the class of Audi, BMW, or Lexus.If I'm paying a premium for a luxury brand I expect to feel "pampered" when I'm driving or sitting in it.
  • MaintenanceCosts The Zoox cars are testing in downtown Seattle every day. Honestly, they seem pretty good, at least on their controlled loop. Under these conditions they aren't exceeding 25 mph, but I haven't seen one make such a hard stop that I would have any trouble reacting on a bike.I'm not too surprised to learn that this happened when they tried to operate in faster-speed environments, or to learn that a pedestrian crossing was probably involved. On higher-speed roads almost nobody stops for pedestrians even when required to do so by the traffic laws. If I had to guess, I'd guess that the Zoox cars stopped for pedestrians on those roads and the bikers weren't expecting it.
  • SCE to AUX It's a good thing automatic braking systems are being mandated. /s
Next