The cars are still good, my friends. The cars are still good. Earlier this week, Thomas posited that America might get the Kia K4 Wagon. I just saw it and it’s better than I imagined in almost every single way. Well, every single way but one, but we’ll get there.
Let it be clear that the K4, as an affordable small car that’s actually nice, is right in this site’s wheelhouse. The world needs more good cars that don’t cost two arms, a leg, and your dog’s tail. The K4 in sedan form costs a touch under $22,000 before delivery, so about $25,000 when you get fully into it with a few options.
I’m a fan of the sedan’s angular, slightly angry bug rear-end, but it’s not for everyone. You know what solves the problem of a controversial four-door? A fifth door! This thing rules.
What’s interesting from this perspective is that you can see it’s slightly shorter than the sedan, which is perhaps why Kia calls this a “hatchback.”
If you want to know how big the storage area is, here’s a quick photo of a guy slipping a camera in before the car’s handlers can push the flat-ish folding seat back up. In total, there’s 22.2 cubic feet of space in the hatch area.
The rear is interesting because it clearly borrows some of the angular taillight look from the larger Telluride.
As with the K4, there are a couple of options for powertrains. There’s a 2.0-liter that makes 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque paired to an “intelligently variable transmission (IVT),” which is like a CVT with a marketing account. The one you’ll probably want is the 1.6-liter turbo, with 190 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft. matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission in the GT-Line Turbo.
What we don’t have is a real price, but the range for the 2.0-liter sedan is $21,990 to $25,190 for the top-of-the-line GT-Line FWD, and $28,090 (pre-destination) for the 1.6-liter turbo. Assume a $2-3k premium, and that’s sub-$25k up to maybe $30k, though I’ll be happy to be wrong about that.
My one issue with the vehicle? They call it a hatchback when, as Jason would tell you, it’s really a wagon. It has glass over the cargo area, I think the roof covers more than half of the cargo floor, and it’s obviously a two-box design.
If this is the only issue with the K4 we have, I’ll live. Call a bratwurst a “wet finger” and I’ll still eat it.
Call a bratwurst a “wet finger” and I’ll still eat it.
Now I’m hungry for “wet fingers”. I bet I could eat five of them, aka a “clammy hand” or in some areas a “moist fist”.
I guess what I am saying is I like this car whether it is called a wagon or a hatchback or a “5-door”.
We call them “damp digits” here because we’re cultured!
Something something callback to Torch and his wet meat?
For the record, this sounded less dirty in my head than it looks when I see it written out…
I’m starting a metal band. It shall be named “Moistfist”. One word, not two. Albums will indeed be called “Wet Fingers” and “Clammy Hand”. And despite the obvious double entendres, the songs will be about eating street vendor food and carnival snacks.
This isn’t the hero we need, but the one we deserve. It’s affordable, stylish, exceedingly practical transportation for the masses. The market is absolutely aching for cars like this and it’s going to do well for Kia.
I just hope they get their engine issues resolved. Wouldn’t mind a turbo version of this if the car works as intended.
Is a 2.0T N-equivalent too much to ask this gen?
I imagine it’ll fit because it fits in all the Hyundai products that either offer the 2 liter NA 4 or 1.6t 4. I’m biased but I think it’s an amazing little engine. That being said the rumors are that it’s not long for this world due to emissions. They claimed that’s why it wouldn’t find its way into the new Kona but I don’t think that’s the whole story-I think the story is no one but me bought a Kona N in the first place lol.
I just saw a Kia K4 hatchback (wagon?) 45 minutes ago in SC! Thought I was seeing things but I followed it to a stoplight and it was clearly badged. It was a French’s mustard yellow and had no plates or other markings. Tried to get the drivers attention, but to no avail and I didn’t have my phone for a snap. Some kind of road testing, perhaps? Anyway, perked up my day. Not bad looking in real life.
good news. Maybe we won’t have to wait until December 31st to get one of these??
Wagon, hatch, 5 door, I don’t care. I would like one sooner than later. The base engine with a 5 speed would check all my happys.
that combination (*6spd) exists in Mexico (sedan LX version only) so it’s doable. And I guess they’ll come from the same factory but the 5% of sales might not be enough for H/K
Will 190hp be enough tho.
For normies? Absolutely
For us? Put the N ICE powertrain in there at once. HYUNDAI/KIA PLS!!!
Listen if we’re not getting a hybrid, get me more power!
I had the Elantra GT with the same engine only it put out 201hp then.. I’d call it the minimum I’d be satisfied with. I doubt this feels much different though, so I think it’s fine.
I think to be a wagon it has to be based on the sedan, and the same length as the sedan or longer, with the roof extended over the cargo area. I would call this a hatchback
My only disappointment with this is that with the wide array of truly handsome wheel designs Kia has available, they insist on fitting all-black wheels to all K4 turbos.
I agree. I despise black wheels.
HELL YEAH
I’ve seen a shocking amount of K4 sedans in my area, can’t wait to see these on the road.
They’re, like, every other car. Sort of flies in the face of the “nobody wants cars anymore” narrative. I’m hoping the hatch does even better.
I wish the base model came as a hybrid as well, but sadly I am not sure the value proposition is there because the base model is so cheap and gets decent mileage.
The base K4 is rated as 34 mpg combined. The Hyundai Elantra hybrid (not choosing the blue version for best comparison) gets 50 mpg combined. This means that per every 50 miles the hybrid saves $1.41 in fuel costs at $3 per gallon. The hybrid only saves approximately $1412 in 50,000 miles of driving and $2824 over the entire 100,000 mile warranty.
Putting the hybrid in the GT-line might make more sense. Those cars are probably coming up to a red light much faster.
The hybrid option in these small cars is hit and miss. You’re absolutely right that it’s hard to pay back the upfront cost premium when the base cars get such great fuel economy. Maybe if you did a ton of city driving it would be easier to make that up.
Sometimes on these lower-end cars you get a pretty well defined performance increase swapping the wheezy base motor for a hybrid (better off the line torque, more total power, improved start/stop, a better behaved transmission). Also, depending on how long you intend to have the car, you can assume the residual value of the hybrid will be better (especially if gas is more than $3/gal down the road).
We ended up going with an EV lease instead, but I went back and forth of the Corolla vs Corolla hybrid for a while because the fuel savings alone don’t justify it.
I think a hybrid K4 would end up being priced too close to the Niro which is around $27k, with no real benefit in rated mileage. The Elantra hybrid basically took over from the late Ioniq (before it was a subbrand) and shares the same powertrain. The Elantra is rated better than the Niro on the highway, but the reverse is true in the city.
The price of the Elantra hybrid is $3,500 more AND has a 5% interest rate instead of 2.9%.
I am also not sure there is going to be as much of a increase in performance or a decrease in depreciation. The Elantra hybrid has a GDI 1.6L for 139 hp combined, while the K4 2.0L is 147 hp.
Reliability of dual port injection engines versus direct injection Atkinson cycle is also unknown, but my gut tells me that going back to port injection was done for a good reason.
Is it really a major cost hurdle though? The Ioniq hybrid was a hatchback that started at $24,000 in 2022, which is probably about where this Kia is going to be priced
After losing my lunch looking at the new outback, I’m glad Kia is going to mop the floor with this design. It’s very good.
Now if only Kia’s powertrains didn’t suck.
The 1.6t is actually a really decent little unit that they’ve been producing for a while. The main issue with them these days is GDi carbon buildup, but that’s avoidable/fixable. The DCT transmission is very good as well, if you treat it like a manual (no creeping, regular fluid changes) and has evolved a lot in the decade or so it’s been in production. My 2024 with this powertrain drives noticeably better than my mom’s 2017 Soul with the 1.6t/DCT. Unfortunately most people have no idea and poor maintenance/driving practices have led to a higher-than-normal failure rate. The 8-speed slushbox in the K4 should alleviate this problem, if at the expense of some of the DCT fun factor.
But yeah, the 2.0/CVT combo is woeful.
After reading Thomas’s piece on the K4 I spec’d out a Turbo sedan on their website. Fully loaded with the Technology Package, which I think bumps up the number of driver assists and maybe adds in ventilated seats (which I remember were either standard or available for that trim), premium red paint and the auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink took it up to about $32,500 without whatever the hatch tax ends up being. At that price I’d have to put it up against a Civic Sport Touring hybrid hatch at about $35,500 (no ventilated seats and probably a few other things. but you know, hybrid), although Kia was offering subsidized financing that Honda hasn’t brought out for Civic hybrids yet.
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a dealer actually selling the Turbo at MSRP, though. They usually come in (at least in South Florida) closer to 29k with the technology package.
It certainly does not look like a wagon to me. That’s a hatchback, full stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200. If the footprint is smaller than the sedan, it’s not a wagon.
Peugeot, of course, always did wagons *PROPERLY*, giving them a longer wheelbase than the sedan and an even larger and more practical footprint. And a rear suspension up to carrying real loads.
Yeah i have to agree
It’s practically a fastback with that rear rake. The wing over the rear glass is working overtime to try to hide how compromised the rear cargo space is.
Agreed, I bet this has very little usable cargo space without folding the seats. Still more useful than the sedan, but it’s no load-lugging wagon.
Cool, but (ditto) I need a hybrid. I guess, one step forward and two steps back.
I would like to point out one small flaw in the long-established Torchinsky Wagon Formula: It doesn’t always account for stylistic choices in raking the rear glass. Those decisions could cause a car to swing between wagon and hatchback with a single generation, but no changes on paper.
In the “I know it when I see it” camp, I’m going with hatcback on this one. If they squared off the back a little more (less rake), it seems like it would definitely be a wagon, no question.
Came here to cleanse my palate after the Outback debacle. It doesn’t make up for it, but it certainly helps.
If Kia truly pumps these out in decent quantities we’re going to be seeing a ton of these on the road around here. Especially if you can get you hands on a decently spec’d example for the magic 25k price.
It looks like those windows are, as in the sedan, in line with the rear seat headrests, not really over the cargo area.
Cargo floor looks longer than expected given how truncated it looks de-trunked. Kia says it’s about 11″ shorter than the sedan which is more than I was expecting. That puts the length about between a Golf and Civic hatch.
I could see this being $25k to start, probably skipping the LX and EX trims at least in the US so just LXS/GT-Line/Turbo. That would put the base price in line with the Mazda 3 hatch and undercut the cheapest Civic hatch by a couple grand.
I guess I’ll take the 8 speed auto with no sun roof.
Praying it won’t have black wheels. If so, that will be an additional cost to replace.
I hope these sell like hotcakes- maybe it’ll show other manufacturers that (dozens) of Americans do like wagons.
Edit: just read the article about the new Outback. My hope has diminished a little.
More like absent a slathering of black plastic and a lift kit, they will sell dozens. Especially if the price is higher than the sedan (it will be) and the same as whatever this size CUV-thing costs.
We live in the worst timeline.
Even the “trick people into thinking it’s a crossover” thing isn’t foolproof anymore, the Buick Regal Torques and Infiniti QX30 both sort of flopped
Is the QX30 really a good basis of comparison for anything though?..
GM wasn’t really committed to the Regal but it was still too pricey and wagony I think, only an inch taller than the sedan, but longer than the then-shrunken Acadia but cost about the same, so didn’t really look like much of a bargain. An Enclave probably was close in price after rebates even.
The Buick was too expensive, full stop. The same problem the Germans have really – they don’t really want to sell their lesser wagons here simply because they cost too much to build in Germany vs. the CUVs they build here in the States. BMW would much rather sell you an X3 than than a 3-series wagon, even at the same price they make waaay more money on the built by SC rednecks X3.
The Regal Torques? Is that the Clarkson Edition? How many torques did it have? 😉
But yes, even lifted wagons only seem to sell when they are from premium brands. And Buick is NOT a legit premium brand in the US. I’d argue Infiniti really isn’t either – that brand is as sad as it’s parent at this point.
Mazda sells a fair number of 3 hatchbacks, although you definitely see more CX-30s. I don’t think it’s a market people are avoiding so much as a market that’s underserved. Build something attractive, affordable and practical and it’ll find its niche.
Sure, it will sell dozens a year. People want to “sit up high” for some dumb reason. Mazda probably sells 20 CUVs for every Mazda3 hatch.
I applaud them offering it, but it isn’t going to sell in any significant numbers. If it can manage 50% of the sedan I will be *shocked*, and they barely sell any sedans.
Depends on dealer stock. Lowest common denominator and all. “What can I get you into today”. Dealer doesn’t want to order anything.
Chicken and egg problem. Dealers stock what sells. <shrug>
Can we please get Adrian’s take on the design?
AKA the Supreme Court of Automotive Design
I mean, he certainly holds enough things in contempt…
BRAVO!
Kia called the Soul a wagon when it first came out. I would call it a Tall Hatchback.
Strange, this looks bigger than the Soul, but has less cargo space.
Kia has had the Soul listed as a SUV for a long time now sadly.
It’s amazing how much better this looks versus the sedan.
I just looked at the K4 sedan, not bad but the rear is…unfortunate.
Wow, I didn’t know this value proposition was still a possibility. Not bad at all.
I don’t really neeeed AWD, but I sure would like it, and would be willing to pay another $1-$2k for it. Any word on that?
Of course, that probably cannibalizes their small crossovers in some way. But anyway, nice to see a car like this in general. Just needs a wee bit more to excite people, like maybe a hybrid or a 6MT (I’m just stealing the Civic playbook now)
Get a hyrbid powertrain in there and this would rocket to the top of my “next car purchase” list. Ans yes, I’ll take it in that yellow color.
Are we talking hybrid on the GT line or the base?
Yes.
How about mild hybrid in the front, 20 hp electric in the back? I would pay $1500 for e-AWD with a slight mileage bonus.
It’s called the Kia Niro, but yea I’m confused that they made this and the Niro.
Seems like it would make sense to have just one model with all the options.
Maybe this is setting that up.
We have the PHEV and love it. Only use gas for the last 5-10% of my wife’s daily commute. 1 tank (8-9 gallons) of gas every 2-3 months.
Hey, glad you like the Nero but it is simply too ungainly in styling and proportions for me to buy one. K4 has a big advantage looks-wise and has the right stance.