2025 Kia K4: A Bigger, Bolder Forte Replacement and More Features
2025 Kia K4: A Bigger, Bolder Forte Replacement and More Features
After two attempts at landing on a successful nameplate for its compact sedan line in the US, Kia is replacing the popular Forte with the 2025 Kia K4. They don’t look like they’re pulling any punches with this thing either Sleek, modern, and now the largest in its class.
Kia has seen a lot of success with the Forte, which replaced the Spectra Way Circa 2010. In its third generation, the Forte offers value-oriented Shoppers a solid alternative to the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic.
When it was redesigned for 2021, aligning it with the global name that other markets have been seeing for years
The Forte has been getting known as the K3 in some markets, and the Sado in other markets got a refresh here a couple of years ago, but Kia didn’t change the name to K3.
The K3 name shifted down a size to the Rio position last year, Kia Mexico revealed the all-new K3, and their direct replacement for the Rio there left the Forte position needing a new K4.
Now, if you’re wondering about that Mexican K3, it’s worth pointing out that KIA America did file a trademark for the K3 name not that long ago, so there’s still hope that we might get a Rio replacement here known as the K3 giving Kia a three-pronged approach to the sedan lineup a K3, K4, and K5. There’s no official word on that just yet. Now let’s talk about the vehicle of the hour, and the 2025 K4 uses two carryover powertrains from the old Forte.
2025 Kia K4 Engine and Powertrain
The 2 L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder makes 147 horsepower, and the 1.6 L turbocharged 4-cylinder now makes a little bit less power than before 190 horsepower, versus 2011 in the Forte GT.
However, Kia is not talking about a K4 GT model at launch, instead, the replacement for the Forte GT is the K4 GT line turbo, and you can get the GT line without the turbo, but with the turbo, you do get a new transmission an 8-speed automatic replaces is the old 7-speed dual-clutch.
Unfortunately, however, the manual transmission option did not cut plus, Kia’s IVT continuously variable transmission with that base 2 L, and we do hope that a K4 GT is in the works, though could Kia fit that 2.5 Turbo from the K5 GT into this larger K4.
2025 Kia K4 Exterior
We’ll have to see on the outside, and the K4 does look like a hatchback, but it turns out it is a traditional sedan, albeit one with a pretty large trunk, It has 14 18.6 cubic feet of space, the car is 185.46 in wide making it the largest car in its class Kia says this gives rear passengers the most Headroom and leg room in that segment as well getting into that back seat now requires searching for the hidden door handle in the cellar.
The nose of the K4 does differ slightly between the gt-line models and the non-GT line models, and notice on the GT line, there’s more depth to it, and it has a more pronounced tiger nose look, but the regular K4 kind of Strays away from that traditional Kia look but both of them are good looking if you ask me there will be multiple wheel designs available with the maximum at launch being 18 in size, and if you get the 18-in wheels you also get acoustic tires Kia placed a pretty strong emphasis on noise vibration and harshness for the K4 so you will find an optional acoustic glass windshield as well.
2025 Kia K4 Interior
The biggest improvement over the outgoing Forte, this is the first model following the Ev9 to get Kia’s latest operating system, known as the connected car navigation cockpit, and they have heard complaints about the dual-function touch panel found in the ev6.
The Sportage and the most recently refreshed K5 Carnival in Sarento are nowhere to be found, you have a center panel in between the instrument cluster and the touchscreen, and this panel is static, so all the HVAC controls.
You don’t have to dig into menu menus or find different layers of the UI to get to certain functions, and the buttons for the heated and cooled seats up front over the doors, and there are physical controls for other various HBAC and media functions down below the touchscreen.
2025 Kia K4 Tech Features
The interior of the Ev9 system also has updated Graphics Wireless, Apple car play, and Android auto standard a hey Kia Voice Assistant with generative AI to help it improve its responses, as well as a digital key, and other notable things inside are the color choices on the ex-model.
You can get this slate green color, and on the GT-line, you can get this cool two-tone- white, the GT line exclusive three-spoke steering wheel design and non-Gt-line models get the two-spoke design you see here also exclusive to the Gt-line model is a multi-link-rear-suspension for improved handling.
2025 Kia K4 Safety Features
The K4 comes standard with safety features such as lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic alert, but you’ll have to pay extra to get forward collision avoidance.
The blind spot avoidance and camera system evasive steering assist Highway Drive Assist with a surround-view monitor or a parking distance warning system.
2025 Kia K4 Release Date
Kia Motors has not announced a release date, and it is complicated for us to gather detailed information, but some experts believe that the 2025 Kia K4 is expected to be launched last December 2024 or 2nd quarter of 2025, and we have no information about the booking date for 2025 Kia K4.
We will try to update you as per the company’s official information about the release date, For more updates, you can visit the Kia official page.
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