According to the Korean automaker, the 2025 Kia K4 will be offered in five different trim levels: LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line, and GT-Line Turbo. The former starts at $21,990. For the LXS, EX, and GT-Line, interested parties are looking at a minimum of $22,990, $23,990, and $25,190, respectively. The top-of-the-line level has an MSRP of $28,090. All prices exclude the $1,155 shipping fee.
So how does it compare to the old Kia Forte? Luckily, we didn’t have to dig through old stories to find out how much its predecessor cost, as it’s still listed on the brand’s U.S. website. The range starts at $19,990 with the LX, then the K4 is $2,000 more expensive in base form. The LXS, GT-Line, and GT start at $20,490, $22,490, and $24,690, respectively, and the GT Manual is (or rather was) a steal at $25,390 before shipping and dealer fees.
Photo: Kia
Oddly enough, Kia hasn't released the car's full specifications for our market, saying only that its new four-door sedan comes with “approximately 30 inches of digital instrumentation.“It also gets the usual wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems, a digital key, heated and ventilated front seats for higher models, a sunroof, a Harman Kardon premium audio system and no less than 11 ADAS Systems features offered at no additional cost.
Well, we may not know the equipment offered and what each grade gets, but at least we know what powers it. The 2025 Kia K4 comes with a pair of gasoline engines. Lower models come with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated unit that produces 147 horsepower (149 ps/110 kW) and 132 foot-pounds (179 Nm) of torque, driving the front wheels through a IVT (Intelligently Variable Transmission). Upper models get a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The magic numbers here are 190 horsepower (193 ps/142 kW) and 195 pound-feet (264 Nm) of torque.
The first units of the all-new Kia K4 will start arriving at dealerships across the country next month (September 2024). After that, the 2025 K4 GT-Line will follow two months later (November 2024), and for the 2025 K4 GT-Line Turbo, we’ll have to wait a little longer, as this model is expected to arrive early next year. So, do you think the brand’s successor to the Forte is an attractive proposition in this class? And would you consider kicking that crossover out of bed for it?