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There’s a new hatchback in town – it’s stylish, subtle… and South Korean. Kia has unveiled its new K4 hatchback model – a move that puts it latest car up against Volkswagen’s dominant premium Golf small family car. The K4 is a five-door model that ‘blurs the line differentiating the C-and D-segment’ and fills the gap left by the popular Ceed hatchback that was discontinued in Europe this summer.
The classy and sleek executive hatchback isn’t a direct replacement for the Ceed though, and is ‘designed to meet the needs of modern drivers’. And among the tidal wave of EVs arriving, the K4 stands out for being offered in a choice of petrol engines, with a hybrid arriving next year. We don’t know pricing yet but we do know the K4 will arrive in showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2025.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the K4 is a D-segment executive car. At 4,440mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,435mm tall it’s certainly a medium-sized car masquerading as a hatchback. In comparison the VW Golf is around 4,282mm, 1,789mm wide and 1,483mm tall. The entry K4 comes with a 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol engine and there’s also a 1.0-litre with optional mild hybrid technology which produces 113bhp and comes with either a six-speed manual or some seven-speed automatic matchbox.
The 1.6-litre T-GDi petrol engine offers either 148bhp or 178bhp and is matched with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The full hybrid option will arrive next year. Out of five powertrains on offer in Europe, two are electrified. But it’s inside the K4 that the influence of Kia’s current EV push can be seen: The new hatchback draws huge inspiration from the EV4 hatchback, with the same large dual 12.3-inch touchscreens (that blend into one panel) mounted on the dash.
The infotainment comes with Kia’s Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC), A-powered voice assistant (‘Hey Kia’), Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a Harman Kardon audio system. Physical buttons for climate functions, audio and hazard lights can be found in the centre of the dash. ADAS functions include Blind-Spot View Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance to prevent accidents when reversing, Surround View Monitoring and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist.
Kia also promises that the K4’s interior will deliver huge practicality: it has maximised legroom (1,074mm 1st row and 964mm 2nd row) and headroom (991mm 1st row and 973mm) and 438 litres of boot space in the ICE variant and a 328-litre boot in the mild hybrid. The K4 will be built in Mexico, as the new EV4 hatchback is taking the production place of the outgoing Ceed in Slovakia.
Prices are yet to be confirmed but the Ceed started from just over £25,000 and the VW Golf starts from just over £28,000 so it’s likely to hit a price point between the two. There’s a possibility that an estate version of the K4 could arrive after an extended version was spotted testing in Germany, but this remains to be seen.
#Kias #executive #hatchback
