According to industry analysts Cox Automotive, the average new vehicle transaction price in November stood at a whopping $49,740. Yikes. While that sort of money gets you a nicer car than ever before, many of us simply don’t have that sort of cash to splash. Even among those of us who might, lots of us don’t want to wear a four-figure car payment around our necks, but you know how they say a rising tide lifts all ships? If you set a price cap of roughly half the average new car price, you can still find new cars that seem to offer rather compelling value. Take the Kia K4 EX, with its price tag of $25,165, for example.
This replacement for the Forte compact sedan isn’t a base model, it’s actually two steps up from the LX, which doesn’t even get a split-folding rear seat. That’s right, you can still buy a mid-range compact car for around $25,000, and thanks to industry-wide advancements in tech, toys, materials, and refinement, it’s a lot nicer than you’d expect. But can it handle more than a foot of snow? Let’s find out.
[Full disclosure: Kia Canada let me borrow this K4 for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: Two-liter naturally aspirated twin-cam inline-four, multiport fuel injection.
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission, open differential.
Drive: Front-wheel-drive.
Output: 147 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, 132 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm.
Fuel economy: 29 mpg city, 39 mpg highway, 33 mpg combined (8.0 L/100km city, 6.4 L/100km highway, 7.3 L/100km combined)
Body style: Compact four-door sedan.
Base price: $23,165 including freight ($25,845 Canadian)
Price as tested: $25,165 including freight ($28,595 Canadian)
How’s It Look?
From the plastic cladding to the hidden rear door handles to the unusual C-pillar treatment, the look of the Kia K4 is unique and certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. When I showed my parents a picture of what I was driving for the week, they proceeded to roast the styling non-stop for 15 minutes. Considering they used to own a Toyota Echo, that’s a little bit crushing, but that’s just one perspective.
Allow me to posit another: Kia is the new Pontiac. Aggressive styling, plastic cladding, a focus on technology. The K4 simply looks edgier than a Civic or Corolla, like it listens primarily to nu-metal and wants to have gauged ears. I kinda dig it, but I’ll also probably wear skinny jeans until the day I die, so your mileage may vary.
What’s The Interior Like?
Slide behind the wheel of the Kia K4 and you’ll be met with a cabin that punches way beyond its weight class while remaining almost entirely free of irritants plaguing cars that cost three or four times as much. The dashboard and tops of the door cards are covered in soft-touch vinyl, rich cloth door card inserts add a bit of punch, and instead of shiny black plastic, Kia’s largely gone with a satin grey that hides fingerprints better. Wise decision.
So how about comfort? Well, the K4 EX’s lovely soft cloth upholstery feels as luxurious as having Viennetta for dessert, but the front seats themselves are quite flat and hard. A bit more wedge to the bottom cushion for additional thigh support or a bit more rake to the steering wheel would be appreciated, especially with the Mazda 3 showing that better comfort is possible at this price point. The flipside is an enormous rear seat with 38 inches of rear legroom and plenty of headroom for reasonably sized adults. If you order a rideshare, you’ll probably wish for a K4 to pick you up.
As for other ergonomics, pretty much everything’s located where you want it to be. The button to cycle through drive modes is on the steering wheel, the button to bring up the backup camera feed while driving forward is conveniently located by the shifter, you have hard keys for important infotainment system functions, and the swiveling guides that let you convert the cup holder area into additional recessed storage are brilliant. Even the volume control on the steering wheel is a scroll wheel, because actually cranking the volume is far more satisfying than mashing buttons.
However, just because things are located well doesn’t mean they always make sense. The unusual vertical scroll knob for stereo volume mounted right in the center of the dashboard also doubles as an on-off switch. As such, it’s tricky to get the pressure right to raise the volume without muting the sound completely.
How Does It Drive?
Prod the starter button with a foot on the brake pedal, and Kia’s two-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine sparks to life with the aggressive normalcy of a gas stove. With 147 horsepower and 138 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, it doesn’t exactly provide swift progress, but the butt dyno says that the zero-to-60 mph time should be on the quick side of nine seconds, and the CVT does a pretty good job of keeping the revs low in most conditions. With regular port injection, it’s exactly the sort of engine a compact car needs, something that’ll get the job done without being too high-tech for its own good. However, there is definitely a delay between pressing the throttle pedal and accelerating from a stop, which makes it hard to take off from a light eagerly yet smoothly. If locals near you tend to drive like maniacs, you’re going to notice this initial flinch.
Initial lag aside, there’s lots to love here once you’re up to cruising speeds. The cabin of the K4 is reasonably quiet although not quite as hushed as a Honda Civic, the suspension is soft enough to soak up minor road imperfections but buttoned-down enough not to result in TV cop chase levels of body roll when you fly down an on-ramp far closer to the speed limit than the ramp advisory speed, and the pleasantly weighted steering is extremely predictable, if light on feedback. What’s more, you sit proper low, although the steering column could use a bit more reach adjustment.
Can It Conquer Snowmageddon?
I’d really love to tell you more about the normal driving characteristics of the Kia K4, but normal conditions were interrupted by a series of weather events that ought to be called the fuckening. Between Feb. 12 and 13, Toronto got nearly a foot of snow. Over the following weekend, it got nearly that amount again. With Tony Montana levels of powder on the ground, reports of lunatics skiing down Bloor Street soon surfaced, some crossover utility vehicle drivers learned the hard way that all-wheel-drive doesn’t necessarily equal all-wheel stop, and drivers across the city played a game of “Dude, where’s my lane?” Heavy snowfall doesn’t sound like the obvious environment for a compact sedan, but Kia wisely equipped this K4 press unit with a set of Continental VikingContact 7 studless winter tires. So how did this combo play out?
Fairly well, believe it or not. Kia’s fitted the K4 with three-stage stability control, and the intermediate stage proved crucial for forward progress at times. The VikingContact 7s tend to appreciate a little bit of slip, and with a fingertip touch on the wheel and knowledge of when to feather the throttle and when to let it eat, this compact sedan never got stuck. I wish it were possible to set off in a higher gear ratio, but CVTs are frequently like that. Sure, there were times when the main limitation was clearance, but inertia can be a great thing.
Inertia can also be a heartless bitch, which is why a sub-3,000-pound curb weight is a lovely thing to have. It gives you the ability to scrub speed in slippery conditions quicker than something heavier, it’s light enough to prevent the K4 from getting properly bogged down in deep snow, and it certainly helps when changing direction. Sure, the steering’s a bit numb, but all that friction modifier atop the asphalt is like bullet time for oversteer and understeer, and it helped highlight the adjustability of the K4’s chassis. Understeer is easily neutralized with a quick lift or a light brush of the brakes,
The yards of plastic cladding might look a bit unusual, but they’re padding for the sport of busting through snow drifts, and they’re sturdily attached enough that nothing will come loose should you need to get somewhere before the plows have really gone to work. Even through a foot of snow, the K4 is proof that winter tires beat all-wheel-drive and all-seasons when the going gets wintry.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Considering the K4 EX only costs around $25,000, you certainly get a fair amount of kit. I’m talking Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with excellent black levels, LED lighting, a pretty good backup camera, a wireless phone charger, four USB-C ports, and a litany of advanced driver assistance systems. Even the six-speaker stereo is pretty good, serving up more than adequate power, punch, and clarity for the price point. It’s not on the level of the standard system in a Mazda 3, but for the segment, it’s one of the most engaging non-branded setups.
Now, there is a little bit of a difference depending on which side of the Canada-U.S. border you sit on. I drove the EX trim, but not the EX trim America gets. See, the Canadian model trades a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and automatic climate control for heated seats and a heated steering wheel, but that’s really the extent of the changes. In practice, the button-only manual climate control setup is a bit fiddly at first, but once your muscles acclimate to the layout, it offers fairly easy eyes-off operation.
Three Things To Know About The 2025 Kia K4
- The seat fabric on the EX trim is incredibly soft.
- Having a scroll wheel as a steering wheel-mounted volume control is genius.
- The rear legroom’s capacious enough to make you wonder if you really need a bigger car.
Does It Fulfil Its Purpose?
Considering how making cars is hard and making inexpensive cars is doubly so, the Kia K4 has what it takes to be right in the mix of its competitive set. It’s not quite as refined as a Volkswagen Jetta or Honda Civic, but it’s substantially roomier than a Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla, comes with seamless tech, serves up great fuel economy, and comes in at a fantastically low price tag.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2025 Kia K4?
The Kia K4 is yet more evidence that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a nice car.
All photos and top graphic image by Thomas Hundal
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Honestly, aside from the excellent interior materials and lack of menu madness, the thing I love most is the horizontal steering wheel center w’ accents; it closely resembles 73-76 whale-size Caprices and Impalas. Kia really is the Chevy of our time, unlike…Chevy
As someone that will only experience those cars from the outside (not its fault, just that I’m team minivan), I liked the design a lot. Looks like a proper car, isn’t over styled (at least not by modern standards), and I hope it sells well enough to dilute the sea of unremarkable angry bricks on wheels that saturate the streets.
Come to think about it, it would look rather good in MPV format, so who knows what will happen once people wean off the SUV craze? Maybe this design language will still be around if/when Kia builds a seven seater.
For some reason these look so much better in person. A very compelling option, indeed.
I haven’t read Thomas’ review yet (but I’m sure it’ll be excellent as always) though I have watched a few videos on the K4. It’s interesting, and perhaps a good value, but I’m not sure I like that whole EVesque all-screen dash thing it’s got going on. I do like the square-design wheels though, and would like to see them on other Kias.
I will say that I think the hatch would be the way to go with the K4. I wonder if it comes in any good (aka real) colors?
Edit: only a CVT? I’d prefer an actual auto or (perish the thought) manual instead. Naturally aspirated, biggish (well, 2 liters) engine… that I approve of… always take that instead of a 1.3-1.5 liter turbo. But is it an interference engine? How much plastic? I mean, I can deal with plastic intake manifolds and even cam cover, but plastic oil pan? I don’t think so. Also, hasn’t Kia/Hyundai been having some ongoing engine/CVT issues over a variety of their smaller cars over the past few years?
Replying to myself now that I’ve read the review.
My above-stated concerns all stand, though the fact that the K4 engine has port injection is a good thing for potential longevity/maintenance since I gather they don’t build up carbon as badly as direct injection engines.
This is probably a good car overall for the price, but they probably charge just a bit more for the nicer looking hatchback version (haven’t checked) and since I don’t need a backseat, I’d probably opt to spend my sub-$30K on a Mazda CX-30, which is sort of a small, slightly lifted hatchback with goofy wheel arch trim. I’ve watched like a dozen reviews of it, and like its interior, 2.5 liter naturally aspirated four, and actual/traditional automatic transmission.
But I’d test drive a K4 hatch if I happened to be near a Kia dealership. 🙂
PS: the ‘square design’ wheels I mentioned I saw on the upcoming small Kia K3 EV (which I also find potentially interesting… like a Volvo EX30 but more cyberpunk looking and considerably less costly) and I sort of assumed they’d be an option on the K4, that’s all.
PPS: no hatchback K4 at all on the US Kia site! 🙁 Also, in the EX trim, there’s just one extra-cost red and one blue, along with the usual plethora of monochromes to pick from. 🙁 And on the lower trims, it’s JUST 3 shades of grey (one being black) and no colors at all! Automitive Monochromatic Dystopia AFAIAC.
So: the nicer hatchback version isn’t available in the states, and almost no colors AND only a CVT? No amount of interesting bodywork is likely to offset those negatives IMO. But I’m a grumpy bastard.
There’s been no announcements on the hatch yet other than, “here’s what it looks like and it’s coming eventually” – don’t know the expected sale date or pricing or anything.
GT Turbo will get you an 8-speed auto but with a 1.6T. H/K was late to the CVT game vs. everyone else, I don’t think that’s shown to have issues thus far. Actually their DCT has, which was paired with the 1.6T in a lot of applications before the switch to a conventional auto.
Thank you GFG. I think I got confuzzled there… I might have said K3 but meant EV3 (with the square-design wheels). There is a K3 and even a K2 also (way too small to come to the US I think), but the EV3 is pretty interesting (to me, anyway). There might be an EV2 as well, if I actually saw it on Youtube and didn’t just imagine that I did.
I think I drove the Hyundai DCT with the turbo 1.6 a few years ago in whatever the sportiest Elantra was at the time. It was fast, but I didn’t like the way the DCT shifted (not as jerky as some DCTs, but way worse than most regular torque-converter automatics). And being a curmudgeon (as mentioned) I’d always rather have the bigger, naturally aspirated engine as opposed to the smaller, turbocharged one.
But I’m almost never in a rush to be anyplace, nor am I still full of the youthful exuberance (and misplaced sense of immortality) that had be doing 3-wheel drifts in my A1 GTI anymore.
I think the EV2 announcement was the same time as the EV4. It looks like it’s Soul-sized but not positive. I like the look of the EV3 too but not sure we’re getting anything below the EV5; with all the EV_ models I’m taking a “believe it when I see it” type approach on what they actually bring, lol. Honestly it’s possible the K4 hatch doesn’t materialize but Honda’s sold a lot of Civic hatches, and Kia has always had some hatch or liftback in the class except the outgoing Forte we never got the hatch while Canada still did.
Yeah, it’s surprising they rolled the DCT out to as many cars as they did, after other brands moved away from it in ‘mainstream’ vehicles. Like, a lot of the prior Tucsons had a 1.6T/DCT which seems like a fast pass to get people to buy a Toyota again. Some of their hybrids still use one and that seems to have worked better so far, but I have a hard time seeing it as the best choice in a Sorento and Santa Fe.
Of course… you can’t count on anything showing up ’til its actually buyable. 🙂 It’d be a shame if Kia didn’t bring the EV3 to the States… the Volvo EX30 costs quite a bit more than the $35K it was supposed to, even if the software teething pains and Chinese origins aren’t an issue, having to pay closer to $50K in reality for their ‘entry level’ smallest EV crossover is a bit too much to bear (for me, anyway).
Yes, I’m not a fan of any of the relatively few DCTs I’ve personally sampled, and I’ve yet to read anything about them being great in this or that particular car actually.
And of course I agree re: Kia and hatches… after much car shopping a few years back, my sister ended up with an Elantra GT hatch, and it’s a very decent (if not tech-laden) small car, particularly fun if you’ve got a heavy foot (she does). The K4 looks MUCH better as a hatch (IMO) and (again, no surprise) I personally prefer the practicality of a hatch or small wagon to a sedan… even one with a commodious trunk.
I saw a video about the newest (’25 I assume) Suzuki Swift which of course we can’t have here either, but it’s in Mexico and European markets, and elsewhere. Not perfect, but still a damn appealing little car (with a naturally aspirated three cylinder engine… I presume they’ll fit a turbo on the sport model) for about $20K or so.
Call me crazy but I really do love the exterior design of this car. My cousin recently bought a Honda Civic Sport and considering usual Honda dealership shenanigans plus COVID supply chain issues she paid over sticker for it back in 2023 at around $30k. Looking at this ~$25k K4 and seeing how their equipment levels are basically identical, this is a really good value.
The forthcoming K4 hatch with the turbo powertrain is honestly something I could see myself buying.
You are not crazy, I liked it a lot as well, and I’m actually wondering why would this be crazyness – the car doesn’t look angry, overstyled or bloated, isn’t what we always say we want on a design?
I can’t see the point of the K4 with a boring 150 hp / CVT powertrain when a Corolla Hybrid is $24K. If you are going for boring why not add in fuel efficient too?
Not bad at all. If this thing had a hatchback it would be even cooler.
I think there is a hatchback variant coming
Well done Kia
If you actually like cars, and don’t just need/want a transportation appliance, I don’t get the point of something like this at all. You pay a heavy price for new and boring. And other than in the aberrational times of a few years ago, they depreciate like rocks falling off a cliff.
Five years ago, I bought a 2011 BMW 128i convertible for, at the time, an absolutely top-of-the-market price of $17K. Because it was in mint condition with 46K on it, “ramped and stamped” as the Brits say, with a full dealer service history, and being sold by the BMW dealer in Wichita Kansas. It’s worth about the same amount today with 72K on it so I have lost basically nothing in depreciation (not to say that is a normal state of affairs, but it is the reality of the situation). In those years and miles I have spent well less than $1000 on repairs and maintenance. The only actual “repairs” being last year when it needed rear shocks and the windshield washer pump replaced. I have done similar for 35 years – buying a nice car for less than the price of a cheap new boring car, and enjoying them immensely. If you just want an appliance, why are you even here? Consumerreports.com is a much more useful resource.
Don’t get me wrong, I have bought a BUNCH of new cars too (and would happily continue to do so if there were any worth buying anymore) – but none of them were boring little warts like this. I just can’t even imagine spending what would amount to nearly $30K by the time the taxes and fees are paid for something like this.
This car isn’t for you. This car is for people who need to get around, but don’t want to deal with used car issues. This is the easy choice for many people who don’t care much about performance, who never push the gas pedal past half way.
The people who would buy this car far outnumber those of us who are willing to take a risk on a used car that’s more interesting or performs better.
Just look around in traffic–most people aren’t driving anything exciting nor are they getting around quickly.
While I don’t want one of these things, I think it’s important that there IS a new car that is affordable and isn’t more than what it needs to be. Cars like this are honest and are a welcome contrast to the overblown nonsense that most manufacturers are pushing down everyone’s throats.
MOST people like that do not hang out on websites like this. Which is rather my point. Why waste time writing about boring dreck?
One look at the exterior and interior of this thing shows that it is *exactly* the sort of overblown nonsense I can’t stand, with a heaping side order of dull.
As I said, if you only look at cars the same way as dishwashers and washing machines, there is an excellent website out there for you – consumerreports.com.
And yet, here we are, not only reading, but contributing. Remember the purpose of a website is not to inform you, but to keep you there.
Having said that you never know what a car will be like till you drive it and a cheap car that is a hidden gem, pocket racer, rally starter or has some other quirk that will give it a cult following would be just what this site would love to find. Having driven it for the site, it needs a writeup, if for no other reason then to keep them cars a comin’! Because the next one down the pipe could be the game changer. If, as a lucky side effect, someone finds a good deal for their spouse, kid or self through the article, then good has been done in this world.
You take the useful with the not useful. This website generally IS engaging. But there are simply so many more interesting cars out there than this, so why bother with this sort of thing at all. As I have now said three times at least, Consumer Reports has this covered.
There is zero chance that a wildly overpriced me-too econobox with a mandatory CVT and a screens, screens, screens interior and a hack and slash exterior is ever going to have a cult following. Unless it’ because you can steal it in 15 seconds with a thumbdrive.
I think I get your point, but I disagree with you on this. I think honest, basic transportation is the most Autopian thing there is. It just so happens that “honest” is a relative term, and with prices up in the sky, this seems as honest as it gets.
This car seems to be competent enough on its job, all without the extra 500kg of fat that SUVs and crossovers have to haul around – the “basic” in “honest and basic” I mentioned before, which is more and more difficult to get.
Also, keep in mind that used buyers from the future will find this review when shopping around, and if what you said is true, this car will be a lot honester then after “depreciating like a rock falling from a cliff” 🙂
I don’t get the point of new shitboxes when the same money will buy you something great used. And shitboxes aren’t even cheap anymore, which just makes them all the more pointless. $26K is about what I paid for my ’14 Mercedes wagon two years ago, and it is roughly a billion times nicer than one of these. The ridiculous price of this makes it not at all an honest car.
But you do you. Even when I was a poor, I refused to do this. I’d rather wrench on something fun than be bored to death behind the wheel of something i never have to touch, and reality is I didn’t do all that much wrenching on my well-used VWs, Volvos, Peugeots, BMWs, and Saabs. Mostly just getting them up to snuff immediately after purchase, then they very rarely gave me any trouble.
Most people can’t/won’t/don’t want to “wrench on” something. Or they can’t afford repairs on something German. In my area, and many others, no one even knows how to work on Euro cars. You have to go 45 minutes out of town to a bigger city to even get a mechanic that can fix a BMW or a Mercedes. That’s horrifically impractical for a lot of people.
So buy a used Camry or Accord. Or whatever that isn’t a cramped, 138hp crapcan with a CVT. I happen to like German cars, but I can’t begin to imagine paying *$26K* for this car. There are simply so many better options out there for that kind of money, if you can stand to have someone else’s farts in the seats. For that matter, save a bundle and buy one of these used in three years as a CPO car with a warranty. There is no magic in buying a crapcan new – save that for cars where you actually have a choice in specification beyond 4-5 colors.
You must live in a very sad place.
As a buyer I agree, I always go second hand. Bonus points when our senior cars do laps around much younger ones because we did The Maintenance Work – guess who is always called to tow or rescue stranded friends on shiny SUVs? .
But used cars must start as new somewhere, and someone’s fourth hand 2001 shitbox was once a brand new car that you and me would never touch, but I’m thankful it left the factory.
Yes prices are high, but your ’14 Mercedes and my ’16 Zafira were good deals AFTER someone else took the depreciation hit. To put it in another way, I see reviews today of cars I might consider own five to ten years from now, if my current fatso ever bites the dust (God forbid).
Take this car for what it is, a sensible entry offering competing with other new (and more expensive) cars, that will be the wheels of someone like us (but younger and broker) in 2030.
I *loved* buying new cars and have bought a bunch of them. But none of the cars I bought new were generic shitboxes for WAAAY too much money.
I would have happily bought a NEW Mercedes wagon if they still sold them without the Outback treatment, just like I bought a new BMW wagon. I didn’t buy it used to save money, that was a bonus. I bought it used because they don’t make what I want any more so I had no choice.
There is just no point in buying something like this new. It is not a sensible offering at this price. Well sub $20K, maybe.
The interior is great, but good lord the exterior is deeply unpleasant looking.
Agreed. The K4 is one of the few new cars on sale that I think is genuinely ugly.
Love it, and the rear half exterior looks fresh and upscaler. The rims as always on Kias are head-scratching fugly. I’d throw in a new set of rims with the price, upgraded seats and you have a solid winner.
Obviously looks are subjective but the rear half is what really kills it for me on this car. Especially driving at it and seeing that rear end with its huge haunches just makes the whole car look so out of proportion
A very descriptive headline, as that design sure smells funky
How long will the engine last?
Hopefully because it’s naturally aspirated instead of a turbo, it might last for the long haul.
Is the Hyu/Kia NA 4 cylinder still melting down?
I think they are still using Theta 2 engine which is known for eating bearings for lunch. That’s why I asked if the situation improved, if not it is a disposable car.
For some reason I thought they had gotten rid of that engine.
Add a third pedal and it sounds compelling…
I’d be interested to see how these things age over the next few years. Never buy a first year car.
Is the theme of this week’s Sensible Car Reviews stupid door handles nobody asked for?
The rated mileage on this thing is pretty sad. I’m amazed it doesn’t do better, even without extra tech foolery. That better be regular gas…
I mean, the rear handles appear to still be mechanical? And it’s far from the only car to have that design. I also got confused getting into a Honda C-HR rideshare that had a similar rear door handle design.
39 mpg highway sounds pretty reasonable for a pure ICE vehicle to me. I get 38-44 mpg at different times of year on the highway in my Prius v.
I was going to say that my old compact car designed in the mid 2000’s got that fuel mileage and had about the same amount of power.
“With regular port injection, it’s exactly the sort of engine a compact car needs, something that’ll get the job done without being too high-tech for its own good.”
This is such a true statement, except for the “regular” port injection part. If you looked closer at the injectors you would have noticed two per cylinder. Dual multiport fuel injection is only sold on Smartstream 1.6L and 2.0L engines, so it is more of an incremental improvement of older technology that is still kind of new.
It works great except for how much gas ends up in the oil at low speeds and idling. Pretty much not an issue if you can put up with 4k oil change intervals.
I’ve had a couple of Kias, and they were fine but not great. For a little more than this, I’d rather have a Civic.
I notice you say “the button to bring up the backup camera feed while driving forward” as if that’s a normal thing that cars have. I’d love to be able to do that, though I can’t think of a good reason why. Is that a usual thing cars can do?
Side-note: I’d love to have a backup-camera-style bumper cam in the front, which activates under 5mph or something.
The “camera on-screen anytime you want” was an unexpected thing I got in my Prius v when I upgraded the head unit to get Android Auto.
Under normal circumstances I don’t use it, but if I have the car full enough that the rear-view mirror is useless, I turn it on. The wide angle actually makes it pretty good at covering the blind spots (although I do have stick-on convex mirrors on my side mirrors as well.
It’s typical on cars with 360-degree/birds-eye-view type cameras as you describe, which as it happens is an option on the tippy top K4. I’m guessing they just left the button for the camera in all models, even without the overhead view cameras. AFAIK that isn’t so common with just a “plain” backup camera, maybe it is on H/K models but it seems like they could blank out the button and save $0.02 cents a car since only the tiniest fraction of the range would be equipped with the full camera system.
Also some of those front cameras apparently will let you set it to come on automatically – Toyota’s under like 7mph, I found. Surprised regulations let that be a thing
Oh yeah, I forgot about the 360 cameras. That’s fancy; the geek in me really wants a birds-eye camera, so I can more efficiently critique my own parking..
My 2024 Forte GT has the backup camera button thing. It’s exactly as you said, something that’s nice to have without exactly being, you know, useful. I’m sure one day it will come in handy!
Hey, I /like/ the way the Toyota Echo looks.
It’s absolutely a vehicle of its era in that regard, mind you, but it’s hardly a Nissan Puke or the like.
The mass of this car looks too low and forward to me, but the front view is ok i guess.
Funny I just read earlier today this is one of the under $40k cars you don’t want to buy. Apparently reliability issues as well as noise issues are poor.
Now as far as $50k getting you a better car than ever before, what the hell $50k cars from the past are you comparing them to? If I could go back to the past with $50k and buy cars then and bring them back new, I could make millions. Not sure this KIA will ever age that well. For instance the original cost of a Shelby Cobra was just under $6k. Buy 8 of them bring them forward sell them cheap at $150k or $1.2 million dollars. Or buy this KIA for $50k transport it 60 years in the future and sell it for $50k. Now the Cobras in as new condition probably $1 million easy the KIA as new maybe get original sticker. So yeah cars as an investment are done.
An original Cobra was the equivalent of $63,000 today, inflation adjusted
And if somebody went back to the 1960s with crisp new bills, the series date would get them stoned to death as an alien or burned to death as a witch.
It’s the 1960s, not the 1560s, you’d either be laughed out of the showroom for trying to spend novelty play money, or arrested for counterfeiting, depending on how much of a dick the manager felt like being
They say they have a hatch back version coming. It’s basically a small station wagon. It wouldn’t happen but I think I would like that with a manual.
I am pretty sure you can buy a manual south of the border.
Stopped reading at “CVT”
Uh, we’re not dealing with Jatcos anymore. They’re getting more and more dialed-in as time goes on. And what’s not to love with the better fuel economy?
Complete lack of engagement. Disconnect between the right foot and the revs. A constant droning sound. No shift points. #SaveTheTorqueConverters
…except that the K4 is rated 7.9L/100km and my 2022 Nissan Sentra with a 6-speed routinely averages 5.0 – 6.0L/100km while driven normally.
I don’t get the whole CVTs are more efficient thing. Maybe than automatics…? But I’ve only driven standards and on my last ’09 Hyundai Accent hatch and my new Sentra, I generally still get better fuel economy than most non-hybrid CVTs do while driving normally….
Save the manuals!!!
I’ve seen these driving at night and been very confused by the lights trying to figure out what it is. Hyundai and Kia have a history of that though. Hopefully the dealers well sell it below $20k in the near future like 5 or 6 years ago when you could get the Hyundai and Kia sedan for $14k. Not sure they can come at the Corolla at that price but knock a few thousand off im sure people will bite.
That C-pillar is more of a C-wall. Makes the rear of the car look so heavy. There’s no sophistication or beauty in this design. It’s bad.
That C pillar is like nearly every fastback car in the 60s and 70s. In fact, there’s a lot of ’74 Celica Liftback in that shape.
Agree, it is awkward and ugly, would take a catfish mouth Hyundai Elantra over this. I do like the look of the interior. Though I have no experience with this particular car, did the author really complain about manual HVAC controls?
Pretty sure he was complaining about the physical HVAC controls being button-only and not the superior knob-style setup.