Last year, Kia replaced its compact Forte with the considerably less compact K4 sedan, and we all agreed it’s a fine car, if perhaps a little curiously styled, and maybe not fine enough to stand out against its competition. This year, Kia has upped the ante with the K4 Hatchback, the same car with a sweet mullet; I never thought the mullet would make a comeback, but here we are.
Business in the front, party in the back
The K4 already had a handsome mug, but the addition of a hatchback body greatly expands the appeal of the car. Not only is it more practical with more storage space and better visibility in the same footprint, but it’s also distinctly better looking, with its upright rear end being reminiscent of a classic shooting brake, and Kia’s design language wears it particularly well. This has suddenly become one of the better looking and most distinct compacts you can buy.
Beyond the new hatchback body style, it is otherwise unchanged.
Interior accommodation & cargo space
The K4 hatch carries forward the same dashboard layout seen on other Kias like the K4 sedan and the EV9 SUV. It’s a smart blend of colors and textures that looks upscale, and relies largely on well-placed physical controls for all essential functions. It looks good, punches above it’s price point, and is easy to use.
Personally, I wish there were more choice than a two-tone white and black interior with the upper-level GT-Line models, but otherwise it’s hard to find complaint.
The rear seating area has tons of leg room (we may have speculated that the more basic trims of K4 sedan seemed purpose-built for rideshare apps), and has great head and shoulder room as well; this is the only compact that can begin to challenge the Honda Civic’s limo-like seating space.
The K4 hatchback comes with a divider so your cargo in the rear isn’t visible to prying eyes, and has a very generous 628 L of cargo space; to put that into perspective, the Lucid Air has the biggest trunk we’ve ever seen, and that comes in a 658 L. With the divider out of the way and the rear seats folded down, the K4 hatch might as well be a cargo van with 1,680 L of space available. Kia’s own Seltos SUV has only 100 L more space, and doesn’t look anywhere near this cool.
Driving impressions
The GT-Line is worth springing for, as it has a lot going on under the skin to separate it from the more affordable LX and EX models. The base torsion beam rear suspension is replaced with a more sophisticated multilink arrangement; the result is better ride quality and better handling.
There are meaningful improvements up front as well, with the base engine being replaced with Kia’s ubiquitous 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 190 horsepower and 195 foot-pounds of torque, which skews on the heartier side of the compact class. It’s a fairly quiet, refined mill, with decent low-end torque enabled by an 8-speed automatic transmission that goes about its business seamlessly. Average observed fuel economy is okay at 8.5L/100km.
It looks more exciting than it actually is, which is a tad bit of a letdown, as this car could be properly interesting with a few tweaks. As it is, it’s competent; it accelerates quick enough, handles itself well enough, doesn’t really do anything wrong at all, it’s just a tad dull.
I would love to see a more piquant GT model; it feels like all the parts are there and the bones are ready, and that sort of package could really make this special. In the meantime, I’ll settle for an exceptionally comfortable, well-mannered little car.
Money
Kia hasn’t chosen to hide the hatchback behind higher trim levels; you can get the K4 hatchback in all the same trim, with all the same options as the sedan, with only an $800 surcharge for the handsome hatch.
Pricing the for the Kia K4 Hatchback starts at $24,795, and goes up to $35,895 for our decked-out GT-Line Limited tester, which benefits not only from the aforementioned mechanical changes, but also powered, heated, and ventilated leather seats, power moonroof, Harmon Kardon audio, 12-inch digital gauge display, a digital key, an expanded suite of Kia’s already robust driving assistance tech.
Personally I’d say the sweet spot in the grade walk is maybe the GT-Line (non-limited), that leaves out the extra driver aid software like assisted lane change and the upgraded sound system, and saves three grand.
Wrap it up
The the Kia K4 sedan is a good little car, it’s just kinda funny-lookin'. The 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback takes that exact same recipe, and gives it a glow-up that makes it a standout in the segment, with shooting brake panache and station wagon practicality that’s hard to argue with, all in a package that’s the right kind of different from everybody else.
