The Kia Forte is a sneaky good car, but sneaky good has never worked out well for automakers.
The Forte brings a spacious cabin, good fuel economy numbers, and the longest warranty in the business to the compact sedan arena. But it tends to lose the fight to better-known competitors such as the Honda Civic, our 2024 Best Buy Award winner in the category.
Kia needs a way to win more attention to its small cars before most buyers will realize how good they can be. Something like eye-catching style.
Enter: the 2025 Kia K4.
It’s a new name, but it’s fair to consider the K4 a new generation of the Forte. Kia did the same with its midsize sedan not long ago, junking the Optima name for the K5 moniker and a sportier look.
Kia has only released a few teaser photos of the K4 so far. But it’s an impressive start. A broad hip line seems to narrow as it approaches the sleek nose – a look that has worked well for Kia on the EV6 SUV. The rear looks like a fastback – a style that’s rare in small cars but shouldn’t be. We can’t be sure until we see the rear from a better angle, but it looks as though it has more of a hatch than a trunk.
Kia’s signature “star map” lights look good here. That geometric look can be overdone (see the most recent K5) or tasteful (see the EV9).
The company has released no mechanical details yet but promises a full reveal at the New York International Auto Show set for the end of this month.
