Kia K4 | Boldness at a low price

When it debuted at the New York Auto Show, the Kia K4 seemed original, but complicated. Eight months of reflection and 600 kilometers on board have changed this first assessment. Disconcerting and undoubtedly temporal, the South Korean compact has the merit of having a real personality. It expresses the return to favor of bold style for the “affordable” sedan (less than $30,000, all the same) for ordinary people.

Don’t be too quick to trumpet “the Forte is no more, long live the K4”. The name is different, the container too, but the shadow of the Forte still hovers under the plastic of the newcomer.

It was impossible to horrify the Fort, but just as improbable to dream of it at night. From now on, the South Korean brand is attracting attention, even if it means provoking a reaction of rejection. Nothing is worse than the lukewarm water of indifference. Do you love it or hate it? No matter which camp you choose, we must salute the audacity of Montreal stylist Karim Habib (see following text). This breaks with the idea that most compact car buyers, frustrated with a larger car, expect the manufacturer to be content to play the sober and respectable sedan card. This unique thought has long inspired the industry and given rise to quality models, but without much aesthetic imagination.

More “trendy”, the K4 therefore conscientiously puts the advantages on its side. A more angular and expressive design than the soft previous generation, very careful fitting of bodywork elements, no unnecessary frills.

Inside, the qualitative leap is even more evident. And the price has remained essentially the same. The materials of the dashboard are therefore quite chic, the storage spaces are plentiful, the seats are well designed and the rear seats are more welcoming due to a chassis with widened hips. For its part, the trunk's capacity is satisfactory, but in absolute terms lower (-22 liters) than that of the model it replaces. Also, just like the Forte, the K4 refuses to tow the slightest load.

The interior style still creates a much warmer atmosphere than the softened and standardized shapes of certain competitors. We are pleased to maintain physical controls and their ordering which allows them to be used without taking our eyes off the road.

As is customary, Kia offers a five-year warranty and an appreciable list of standard equipment. This is improved by opting for the superior liveries.

The essential is enough

Pleasantly presented, the K4 however suffers from a less alert temperament than its exterior style might lead one to hope. The 2-liter engine that formerly worked under the hood of the Forte finds a place under that of the K4. Its power, and especially its torque, remains modest and it remains necessary to torture it a little to extract all the quintessence. By pressing firmly on the accelerator pedal, a slight torque effect will be felt, creating the illusion of greater cavalry. A fantasy. The K4 takes a good nine seconds before reaching the authorized speed on our expressways. The retakes are more difficult. Especially since the automatic transmission is nonchalant. Fortunately, the K4 doesn't need to go to the pump too often. The suspension is a bit sluggish, but the steering, on the other hand, displays good consistency. In terms of handling, the K4 is perfectly sound. Without being exceptional though.

Faced with the indolence of this propeller, the temptation is to scrape the bottom of the drawer to afford the 1.6 liter turbocharged. Quicker and well matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission, this mechanism does not trigger as much lightning compared to the competition which also uses the magic of supercharging. Nor does it hold the road better despite a more sophisticated rear suspension (multiple links) than that fitted to the “standard” models.

At the end of the day, does it really matter? Kia is counting on the look of the K4, but also on its rather reasonable prices, to make its mark in an increasingly distressed segment.