Kia K4 Hatchback Evaluate: So Shut To Greatness

Kia has been actually good at taking dangers over the previous decade. It created a sports activities sedan out of the blue, pioneered in actually crowded segments, and largely led the cost (put meant) with EVs. So, when Kia introduced it was constructing a small, low cost hatchback, individuals questioned if Kia was able to conquering that section, too.

The hatchback section has been shrinking for a while now. Manufacturers like Ford, Basic Motors, and Hyundai have all pulled out throughout the previous few years. But, that did not cease Kia from bringing the K4 Hatchback to market to compete with business giants just like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. However can it?

The K4 Hatch is a really handsome automobile. It takes all of the bizarre stylistic decisions of the sedan and largely fixes them. I’m nonetheless not offered on the rear door deal with implementation on the C-pillar, and we wish some extra “GT” badges, given that is the GT-Line Turbo trim. However these are actually our solely knocks in opposition to the K4 relating to the outside. The roofline is low, the tailgate seems to be nice, and the sunshine trim in opposition to the gray exterior of the automobile contrasts nicely. All of it feels very “appropriate.”

Contained in the K4 GT is the place issues get actually particular. Kia spent a number of time and vitality making its interiors really feel new and tech-forward, particularly in comparison with the Japanese manufacturers. You get a 12.3-inch touchscreen show, in addition to a digital driver’s show. Regardless of the massive screens, there are nonetheless buttons for all of the essential options. No fumbling by menus for HVAC controls or to alter the music. 

Picture by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

What’s extra, visually, the pink and black leather-based seems to be prefer it punches above its weight in comparison with the Civic or Corolla. However we use the time period “punches above its weight” as a result of, regardless of the seems to be, not all the supplies are as much as par. Whereas the heated and ventilated leather-based seats are nice, there are some fairly nasty plastics scattered all through the cabin. The doorcards really feel significantly flimsy, and a few components of the middle console, in addition to the inside controls, really feel ripped out of a Kia from days of yore. 

That’s a disgrace, as a result of for a automobile that provides a lot, like radar-guided cruise management, a 360-degree digital camera, and park-collision avoidance, it appears like the cash went into placing as a lot stuff as potential in your face to distract you from the continued high quality points that Kia has confronted through the years. And, sadly, it occurs within the inside, the place you’ll spend all of your time.

Pictures by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

Pictures by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

Nevertheless, the K4’s again seat is on no account a foul place to be. The rear affords loads of legroom even with the entrance seats pulled far again. There may be an okay quantity of rear headroom—38.3 inches—however don’t anticipate to be tremendous comfy in case you’re taller than 6 toes 2 inches. It definitely does, from an gear and stylistic perspective, clear its rivals out of the water.

The Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo hatchback is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making 191 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Energy is shipped to the entrance wheels by a constantly variable transmission with a guide shift mode. 

Picture by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

Regardless of having a small engine, the K4 drives like one thing extra highly effective. If you happen to had advised me that the K4 had 220 horses, I might have believed you. The throttle is punchy, and the most likely pumped-in engine noises trick you into considering you’re going sooner than you actually are. Even the CVT isn’t that unhealthy—good job, Kia.

The dealing with can be spot on. The steering is sweet and heavy in Sport mode, and the suspension is tuned nicely sufficient to make the K4 hatch really feel extra excessive than it truly is. It’s very refreshing in comparison with the less-than-spritely nature of a few of its rivals.

The trip is well the most important draw back to the K4. Whereas freeway driving is usually clean, the K4 remains to be stiffer than its rivals. This could be acceptable if it had extra energy to match no matter Kia did to the suspension, however 191 horsepower just isn’t sufficient to justify it using like a Civic Sort R. Consider it like a Hyundai Veloster N, simply with out all the stuff that makes it a correct scorching hatchback.

Pictures by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

Pictures by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

As a result of the K4 has such a small engine, its gasoline economic system is stable. Within the nearly 500 miles I drove within the automobile, it averaged 31.5 miles per gallon, and that’s with driving it like we stole it. The automobile reached nearly 34 mpg on the 200-mile freeway drive from Baltimore to New York. 

The K4’s different Achilles’ heel within the powertrain division is the dearth of a hybrid choice. Regardless of the Hyundai Elantra, the K4’s sister automobile, having a hybrid choice (together with nearly each different compact automobile on the market within the US), the K4 is under no circumstances pretty much as good a hypermiler as the superb Civic Hybrid is. 

Kia K4 Hatchback Verdict

Picture by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

The Kia K4 hatchback begins at $24,995 earlier than the $1,250 vacation spot price. This makes it $2,700 dearer than the equal K4 sedan. The mannequin we drove, the top-of-the-range GT-Line Turbo, was simply $32,770. That is about $1,500 lower than a top-trim Honda Civic, however $3,900 greater than the most costly Toyota Corolla Hatchback. 

The K4 GT-Line is so, so near being wonderful. The worth proposition of this automobile is healthier than that of most of its rivals, full cease. If you’re searching for essentially the most quantity of automobile for the least amount of cash, that is your trip. However, regardless of all the bottom Kia has made within the high quality management and reliability segments, there are simply too many blemishes. 

What’s extra, the dearth of a devoted scorching hatch, or no less than a higher-powered mannequin, to construct on how nicely the K4 drives is irritating. A hybrid choice would even be an enormous addition. We simply want Kia would decide to the bit just a little bit extra. 

However Kia has not, so the K4 can’t be what it actually needs to be. 

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