{"id":1660,"date":"2025-04-17T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2025-04-29T14:16:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:16:51","slug":"the-kia-k4-transcends-the-rental-car-stereotype-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/17\/the-kia-k4-transcends-the-rental-car-stereotype-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kia K4 Transcends the Rental-Car Stereotype: Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Cars are about to get a lot more expensive. Thankfully, affordable vehicles like this Kia K4<\/a> GT-Line Turbo still exist\u2014and they\u2019re still really good. With a sticker price of $31,465 fully loaded (for now), this Kia might soon be all the car you can afford. But it\u2019s also quite possibly all the car you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The K4 is Kia\u2019s replacement for the outdated Forte. It\u2019s also the brand\u2019s answer to perennial favorites like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and its Hyundai sibling, the Elantra. It\u2019s not our favorite car in the class, but it carves out a nice niche for itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Quick Specs<\/td>\n2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Engine<\/td>\nTurbocharged 1.6-Liter Four-Cylinder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Output<\/td>\n190 Horsepower \/ 195 Pound-Feet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transmission<\/td>\nEight-Speed Automatic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fuel Economy<\/td>\n26 MPG City \/ 36 Highway \/ 29 Combined<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Base Price \/ As Tested<\/td>\n$29,265 \/ $31,465<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Kia K4 is one of those cars that feels great as soon as you get inside. The interior is high quality and logically laid out, with\u2014praise be\u2014physical controls for basically everything. The infotainment system is also easy to get the hang of.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re on the move, it\u2019s just as easy to be impressed by the K4. Despite the “GT-Line” moniker, this sedan is definitely aimed more for comfort than sporty driving. But that\u2019s fine! Who\u2019s buying one of these to tear up their favorite country road, anyway?\u00a0<\/p>\n

With a relatively low curb weight of under 3,300 pounds and nice suspension tuning, the K4 handles the great roads south of San Francisco with ease. With a supple, well-damped ride, it excels in everyday driving. Special mention goes to the steering, which has a lovely, natural weight build-up off center. Whoever tuned that really knew what they were doing.<\/p>\n

\"2025
\nPhoto by: Chris Perkins \/ Motor1<\/p>\n

\"2025
\nPhoto by: Chris Perkins \/ Motor1<\/p>\n

Pros: Extremely Well Equipped, Great Design, Logical Interior<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder makes 190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, and pairs with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It\u2019s not quick, as you\u2019d expect, but this drivetrain does help the K4 transcend its economy-car roots. (Lesser K4s have a 147-hp naturally aspirated four-cylinder and a continuously variable transmission.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Civic Si this is not, but the K4 has enough power, torque, and refinement here to justify making the jump to the Turbo model. And, the transmission is even pretty responsive when you flick the paddle shifters, so you can enjoy some spirited driving.<\/p>\n

Our tester also had the $2,200 Technology Package, which includes everything from heated and cooled seats to Kia\u2019s excellent driver-assist technology. There\u2019s even a surround-view camera system! In a car that\u2019s barely more than $30,000!<\/p>\n

\"2025
\nPhoto by: Chris Perkins \/ Motor1<\/p>\n

Cons: Not Very Sporty, No Hybrid<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My abiding feeling is that this thing is nice for the money. Compact sedans have long felt like rental cars, and while you may get that sense in the $23,000 K4 EX base model, this GT-Line Turbo transcends its class. Or at least, popular expectations for its class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many faults with the car itself. I wish its driving dynamics lived up to its sporty styling, and the weird touch display for climate controls between the gauge cluster and infotainment is expertly blocked from view by the steering wheel. But perhaps the K4\u2019s biggest issue is what it isn\u2019t\u2014a Honda Civic Hybrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Motor1<\/em>\u2019s Best of the Best award winner last year, the Honda Civic Hybrid, is nearly perfect. Fun-to-drive, incredibly efficient, affordable, and easy to live with. This gas-powered Kia isn\u2019t quite as good to drive and doesn\u2019t offer nearly as great fuel economy\u201429 miles per gallon vs 49 miles per gallon combined\u2014and it costs about the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"2025
\nPhoto by: Chris Perkins \/ Motor1<\/p>\n

The Kia counters the Civic with a certain design panache and lots of big-car niceties that the Honda doesn\u2019t offer. But personally, they don\u2019t add up to quite enough. I wouldn\u2019t talk someone out of a K4 GT-Line Turbo, but I would actively recommend the Civic Hybrid.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, it\u2019s good that we have great options like this K4, in which buyers aren\u2019t penalized for going with a small, sensible car. Because they may soon have no choice.<\/p>\n

Competitors<\/h3>\n

Honda Civic<\/a>
\nHyundai Elantra<\/a>
\nNissan Sentra<\/a>
\nToyota Corolla<\/a><\/p>\n

Competitor Reviews<\/h2>\n

The 2025 Honda Civic Is a Love Letter to Hybrid Cars<\/a>
The 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Under-Promises and Over-Delivers: Review<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Engine<\/td>\n1.6-Liter Turbocharged Four-Cylinder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Output<\/td>\n190 Horsepower \/ 195 Pound-Feet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transmission<\/td>\nEight-Speed Automatic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drive Type<\/td>\nFront-Wheel Drive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Seating Capacity<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cargo Volume<\/td>\n14.6 Cubic Feet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Efficiency<\/td>\n26 MPG City \/ 36 Highway \/ 29 Combined<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n3,283 Pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Base Price<\/td>\n$29,265<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
As-Tested Price<\/td>\n$31,465<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
On Sale<\/td>\nNow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Cars are about to get a lot more expensive. Thankfully, affordable vehicles like this Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo still exist\u2014and they\u2019re still really good. With a sticker price of $31,465 fully loaded (for now), this Kia might soon be all the car you can afford. But it\u2019s also quite possibly all the car you need.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1672,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions\/1672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.salemmusicdiscoverycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}