A few months after its debut, Kia has revealed pricing for its Forte replacement, the handsomely styled K4. Kia is bucking the national trend of incredibly pricy vehicles and giving us a sedan that comes under $30,000 fully loaded, and it undercuts the base prices of its main competitors, too.
Including destination charges, the 2025 K4 will start at just $23,145. That price makes it $2,200 cheaper than the Honda Civic ($25,345) and $40 cheaper than the Toyota Corolla ($23,185). Most importantly, that price is just $2,000 more than the Forte it replaces. Only competitors like the Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Sentra have starting prices that are slightly cheaper.
The K4 isn’t just a rehashed Forte, it’s a totally new sedan. Wearing the company’s latest design language, the K4 comes across as sort of a smaller K5, which isn’t a bad thing. Up front there are angular, blade-like amber LED lights, and a grill split between upper and lower openings intersected by a body color bumper.
Around back the similarities to the K5 continue with L-shaped tail lights that run into the lower rear bumper and an almost fastback-like rear window. The most interesting parts of the K4’s design are the blacked-out C-pillar with an integrated door handle and the massive D-pillar, which emphasizes its fastback shape and, from afar, almost looks like it could be a massive air scoop.
While the $2,000 price increase over the Forte might rub some the wrong way, that higher price comes with more standard equipment. The base K4 LX starts at the aforementioned $23,145. There’s now 11 standard driver assistance features, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four USB-C ports and a 12.3-inch touchscreen.
Moving up to the K4 LXS will set you back $24,145. That adds 16-inch dark gray alloy wheels and standard rear collision and traffic avoidance. The K4 EX starts at $25,145, which gets you dual-zone climate control, 17-inch wheels, an additional 12.3-inch screen for the driver and a wireless charging pad.
For those wanting a bit more sporty styling on their K4, there’s the K4 GT-Line for $26,345. It gets unique front and rear facias with gloss black trim and accents, and different 18-inch wheels. It’s not all just show, either. There’s a sport-tuned suspension with a multi-link setup in the rear, replacing the normal K4’s torsion beam, plus steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
The K4 gets two engine choices. The LX through GT-Line are powered by a 2.0-liter inline-4 with 147 horsepower that’s paired with a CVT delivering torque to the front wheels. If you’re wanting a bit more driving excitement, you can only find it on the K4 GT-Line Turbo.
The GT-Line Turbo starts at $29,245. That price gets you a 190-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-4 in addition to all the features of the non-turbo GT-Line. There’s also Turbo-specific equipment like rear passenger air vents, full LED headlights and fog lights, and a Harman Kardon audio system.
Kia says the K4 will start to arrive at dealers across the country in September. If you’re wanting the GT-Line or Turbo you’ll have to wait a bit, though. The GT-Line is expected to arrive in November while the Turbo will be at dealers early next year.
