The Kia K4 burst onto the compact car scene last fall, looking to throw an even harder punch than the Forte ever did at rivals like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. It’s a tall order in a hotly contested segment; the Forte wasn’t a bad product by any means, but it just lacked the character, interior space, and style required to compete with the incumbents here in North America. This 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo continues to change all that, while also adding something lower-end K4s desperately need: more power.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Looks are subjective. What I think is pretty might not be what you think is pretty, and that’s alright. To that end, I’d classify the K4 as good-looking but polarizing. It has more presence than the Forte ever did, stretching about seven centimetres longer and five centimetres wider than the model it replaces. This alone gives it more visual substance; the sharpened lines and edgy styling move the K4 even further away from its predecessor’s bulbous proportions, while the headlight and tail light design tie in nicely with other, equally new Kias like the EV9 and Carnival. Every bit of the K4 looks as though it’s designed by a computer; I’m not sure that’s a good or bad thing, it looks modern and clean overall.

This GT-Line in particular has more aggressively styled front and rear fascias compared to the standard K4, and the unpainted bits on the standard car are gloss black here. The lighting elements are pleasingly intricate and look striking both day and night. I particularly liked the tail lights, with a similar shape to the headlights and nicely integrated into the boxy rear end. That being said, I think the K4 looks best head-on and rather good from most angles but the rear three-quarter view. The C-pillar looks to visually heavy and bloated, like the K4 started as a liftback but turned into a sedan. It’s not overly offensive, but it’s the one part that gives me slight pause with this otherwise handsome and adventurous design until I eventually came around to it. At least Kia attempted to inject some fun and tried something visually different in an otherwise ho-hum segment.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

Kia gets it pretty right here too, save for the use of some cheap plastic in certain spots. Design-wise the cabin is clean, visually uncluttered, and feels airy with a great glass-to-dash ratio adding to the excellent visibility all around. , with very little clutter to speak of.  The whole cabin has an airy feel to it, with a great glass-to-dash ratio making for good visibility all around. Leather wraps the comfortable front seats, the typically flat-and-forgettable rear bench, and the steering wheel—which is mildly reminiscent of a Range Rover in design. It feels comfortable in hand, and features physical buttons to match the rest of the physical switchgear throughout. [And it’s a squircle! Your favourite! —Ed.] Thank you, Kia. It’s the little things.

Space is rather generous, with the rear seat offering best-in-class legroom and a good amount of headroom. Trunk space is equally generous, with 413 litres besting even the 410 litres of the Honda Civic.  And if you’re thinking the Honda has the Kia beat with the Civic hatchback, know that a K4 hatchback is coming next year.

As is the norm for Kia, the K4 is loaded with features you wouldn’t normally expect in this class. Our tester is the top-of-the-line Limited trim, fully loaded up with a premium (but slightly boomy) Harman Kardon audio system and two 12.3-inch screens split with a permanent climate control display occupying what would otherwise be a five-inch dead zone between the two main displays. The double-screen thing is derivative, but Kia’s impementation is top-notch, with fast responses, an easy-to-use and clutter-free user interface, and a perhaps too simple digital gauge cluster.

Will it keep me and my little ones safe?

It’ll certainly do its best, with essentially every active safety feature checked off. The GT-Line Turbo Limited comes with Kia’s full suite of assists, including forward collision warning that can detect not only other cars, but also pedestrians and cyclists; thankfully, I didn’t need to test this. A 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control that all work together rather well.

How fast does the 2025 Kia K4 go?

Propulsion comes in two flavours. The standard, normally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder and CVT combo won’t win any races, but the GT-Line and GT-Line Limited trims shrink displacement down to 1.6 litres but bolt on a turbocharger. The turbo-four puts out 190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque as low as 1,700 rpm, and this powertrain ditches the CVT in favour of a traditional eight-speed automatic. It won’t raise the hairs on the back of your neck, but the GT-Line has much more of a spring in its step compared to the base K4, and against its rivals, it performs just as well as it shows. The turbo does come with a fuel economy hit; my very tame driving returned a 9.3 L/100 km, much higher than most of its rivals. If you’re looking for a fuel-sipper, opt for the standard engine or look elsewhere.

Suspension and steering are both on the softer side of things, making for a comfortable highway cruiser save for the road noise at speed. Part of this may have something to do with the winter tire setup, but it’s obvious there’s been some cost-cutting measures when it comes to sound deadening. On the highway, the hum of tires is much louder than we expected, and bumps providing a louder-tha- expected thud reverberating through the cabin. It might be nitpicky and doesn’t ruin an overall excellent package, but it’s hard not to notice the delta between more mature rivals.

Is the K4 worth it?

Kia hardly ever fails to offer value for dollar. Although the K4 isn’t perfect, it still delivers admirably on that front.  The well-equipped base trim starts at $23,995—pricier than the Forte, but still some thousands less than most rivals—and our tester rings in at $34,745, including Kia’s $250 upcharge for any colour that isn’t black. The 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo moves entirely away from the rather forgettable nature of its predecessor, and comes in swinging for the top spot in a hotly contested segment. I’m looking forward to the hatchback—and secretly hoping Kia eventually gives us a red-blooded K4 GT packing the Elantra N’s running gear.