2025 Kia K4 Debuts With Fastback Styling, Advanced Safety Features & Available Turbocharged Power

2025 Kia K4 Summary Points

• The all-new Kia K4 replaces the Forte in the South Korean automaker’s compact sedan lineup.

• The 2025 Kia K4 features a mishmash of styling cues from its well-designed brethren like the K5, EV6, EV9, and the defunct-yet-exceptional Stinger.

• “Succeeding in the compact segment means overdelivering on the features that customers want, and the K4 is designed to exceed expectations,” said Steven Center, COO and EVP of Kia America.

2025 Kia K4: What’s New?

The 2025 K4 replaces the value-packed Forte in Kia’s small car lineup, although it’s grown marginally to cement its intentions of challenging segment leaders like the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and its Hyundai Elantra stablemate.

It’s 2.7 inches longer and about two inches wider than the outgoing Forte sedan, resulting in what the automaker claims are best-in-class numbers for rear headroom (37.3 cubic inches) and legroom (38 cubic inches). Furthermore, Kia claims the sleek rear end delivers 14.6 cubic feet of cargo room.

However, the growth spurt takes a literal backseat to the small-car interpretation of the brand’s Opposites United design philosophy, the same artistic discipline that makes new Kias like the K5 and EV6 the head-turners in their respective segments.

“The creative tension that the Opposites United design language stresses allowed us to improvise on the traditional three-box form factor,” said Tom Kearns, Chief Designer of Kia Design Center America. “By juxtaposing the K4’s fastback roofline and wide stance, we split the difference visually between the compact and midsize segments.”

Sleek, Fastback Body

The 2025 Kia K4 is coming to U.S. dealerships in a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body style. Common to both are vertically oriented LED headlights and taillights inspired by the ones on an EV9 and a fastback rear, somewhat a salute to the high-performance Stinger.

Other unique design touches include hidden rear door handles and fancy lighting signatures in the front and rear. The sportier K4 GT-Line has gloss black exterior trim, a satin chrome beltline, black mirror caps, and 18-inch wheels. The K4 GT Line Turbo adds cube LED projector headlights, LED fog lights,