Not your average (compact) car: 2025 Kia K4 GT Line Turbo Limited

Kia’s lineup has grown extensively over the years. It now sells a wide range of vehicles with a variety of drivetrains.

Conventional gasoline engines appear in the Seltos, Sportage, Niro, Carnival, Sorento, and Telluride. The Sportage and Sorento can also be had with hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrains.

Kia also offers a trio of pure electric vehicles as well – EV6, Niro, EV9.

A disappearing breed

Buried amidst this wide variety offerings, is the K4, the only car the company sells.

After week-after-week of driving utes and pickups, it’s a real treat to drive an actual car, especially one of the new generation small ones. This is a disappearing breed.

Many manufacturers have all but abandoned cars, especially small ones. General Motors and Ford for example, are no longer producing four-door cars of any size.

Spending some quality time with the K4 was a reminder of how much more enjoyable it is to drive something that sits closer to the ground and responds to steering inputs with an alacrity and immediacy missing from taller vehicles.

Kia K4 GT Line Turbo Limited: Stylish, state-of-the-art and safe

New for the 2025 model year, the K4 replaces the Forte in that company’s lineup. Stylish, modern and packed with value, the K4 looks and acts larger than the shadow it casts.

It is available in LX, EX, EX+, GT Line Turbo and GT Line Turbo Limited. The tester was the latter, a top-of-the line GT Turbo Limited. It was loaded with the full range of state-of-the art comfort, convenience and safety features.

Value is a key part of the Kia genetics. Even the entry level LX trim, at less than $27,000 including freight, comes with smart cruise control, a host of driver assistance systems, a 31-cm screen with access to a range of infotainment features and heated front seats.

Four steps up the trim and price ladder, at $47,000, the tester boasted 18-in alloy wheels, Forward, Blind Spot, pedestrian, cyclist, and junction turning function collision avoidance, front, rear and side distance alert, heated steering wheel, faux leather seats, sunroof, heated rear seats, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, wireless over-the-air updates, heated washer nozzles (!) and Digital Key 2.0.

Digital Key 2.0 connects the Kia with your smartphone or watch through Apple, Samsung or Google Wallet. You can use them for a variety of commands: lock/unlock/start the car and share the digital key remotely with family or friends. The car unlocks as you approach with the smartphone or watch with you.

So here we have the feature-laden modern compact car capable of all kinds of wizardry. What’s it like to drive?

Enjoyable.

Lower trim levels come with a normally-aspirated 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine that produces 147-horsepower and 132-lb. ft. of torque – sufficient for a 1,500-kilogram vehicle.

The GT Line replaces that with a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, putting 201 horses under the hood and 209 -lb. ft. of all-important torque. The base engine is coupled to a continuously variable automatic transmission. The turbo pairs with a conventional eight-speed automatic.

Hybrid drivetrain and all-wheel-drive are not available.

Turbocharged K4s get larger brakes and a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension instead of a solid rear axle in lesser versions.

The GT-Line is responsive and certainly outperforms the non-turbo version and much of the competition. But not all of them, especially those with turbocharged engines.

Smooth, silent and fairly frugal, it is capable of reaching 100 km/hr from rest in less than seven seconds.

The K4 is larger than the Forte it replaced but is still a relatively small vehicle. It rides remarkably well considering the light weight and compact wheelbase.

Inside, features that punch above price point

Like the exterior, the interior design is current with unique features that bely the price. The rectangular steering wheel is an example. Behind lie a pair of 31-cm displays housed in a single array. The one on the left is a configurable instrument cluster for the driver. The other is a touch-sensitive infotainment unit for functions like navigation and climate control.

Much appreciated are the inclusion of traditional physical controls.

One downside of the low stance is a low roofline, making entry more difficult.

The front seats are well padded and provide excellent support for long stretches at the wheel. Rear seat space is impressive for the size of the car and there are more than 410 litres of easily accessible cargo space.

Goods inside and out, a smooth and efficient powertrain, oodles of modern tech and features, the Kia K4 has a lot to offer.

FACTS & FIGURES – 2025 Kia K4 GT-line turbo Limited

PRICE

Base: $34,495

As tested: $46,695 including freight

SAFETY

LED headlights, Forward collision avoidance assist with car/pedestrian/cyclist and junction crossing functions, Lane-change side and on-coming vehicle warning, evasive steering assist

INFOTAINMENT

31-cm infotainment screen, Harmon Kardon audio system, navigation

STANDARD EQUIPMENT

18-in alloy wheels, faux leather seats, heated front/rear seats and steering wheel, ventilated front seats, sunroof, 31-cm driver information cluster, dual zone automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, surround view camera, digital key, parking assist. heated front seats

SIGNIFICANT OPTIONS

none

MECHANICAL

Turbocharged 1.6 litre four-cylinder, 201-horsepower, 209 lb.-ft. of torque, regular fuel, eight-speed automatic transmission, NRCan rating (litres/100km city/highway): 9.2/6.6

DIMENSIONS

Length, 4,710 mm; width, 1,850-mm, wheelbase, 2,720, weight, 1,490 kg

COMPETITION

Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla