I Drove the 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo. Here’s My Brutally Honest Review originally appeared on Autoblog.
Yes, you can ball on a budget
When you read or hear the word “cheap,” you likely think of cut corners, cheap interior materials, and a lack of safety features or creature comforts. I’m reminded of my first car, a 1999 Toyota Corolla LE. It didn’t have ABS, electronic windows, air conditioning, or even a tachometer. It wasn’t fun to drive, but it was efficient. It got me where I needed to go. There was no soul or personality to it; it was just an engine on wheels. “Cheap” still carries a lot of weight, and a lot of automakers don’t appreciate it being associated with their brands. Affordability is hard to come by with modern cars, as buyer expectations are at an all-time high.
The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, and Subaru Impreza have done a great job at keeping costs low without compromising on features or technology. But Kia is here to make waves with the K4 GT-Line. It’s packed full of features, the design language is sassy and fun, and the optional turbocharged engine is efficient and powerful enough to bring a smile to your face. As the second to the top-of-the-line model, its MSRP is $26,365, which, at that price, most would assume doesn’t mean a vibrant and responsive dual-screen setup, a wireless phone charger, a potent sound system from Harmon Kardon, or even seat heaters. But it does. And that’s what should make it a trend setter.
It doesn't have a turbo, but it's worth spending extra for one
The Kia K4 GT-Line comes with a 147-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and that’s paired with a CVT. It had enough power to keep things interesting, but the CVT was a bit rubberbandy when you wanted a little more oomph. If you opt for the GT-Line Turbo, it features a 190-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is the one I'd pay $29,695 for. The standard engine packs a bigger punch, and it helped make my drive home through the Mt. Hood National Forest so much more fun. Plus, it had a charming exhaust note. On my three-hour drive home, I averaged about 35.7 miles to the gallon. When I was driving around town, the small FWD sedan scored an average of 25.3 mpg, which was impressive, considering how many trucks I had to pass and the traffic coming home.
Naturally, its competition is known for higher mileage per gallon, and the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic can be purchased as a hybrid for even better mileage, but I can promise you they’re not as much fun to drive. The Subaru Impreza comes close, but its naturally aspirated engine is sluggish in comparison. The Mazda3 can be bought with a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine for more horsepower than the GT-Line Turbo, but it’s more expensive, ranging from $33,890 to $35,890. The K4’s turbocharged engine is plenty powerful for the price.
The interior suggests a higher price tag
Granted, corners had to be cut to keep the cost low, so interior materials aren’t the greatest. However, by using differing textures, contrasting colors, and drawing attention to the 12.3-inch dual-screen setup, the K4 didn’t feel cheap. That's especially since both screens were customizable, vibrant, responsive, and pleasantly high-resolution. The transmission tunnel was transformed into a functional and very handy area. I loved the adjustable cup holders since they created a space for my massive emotional support water bottle. By pushing a button, they could be made smaller to cradle a cup of coffee, complete with spring-loaded pieces that keep it from sliding or moving. When you’re finished with it, you can fold them back up to accommodate a big water bottle again.
Common driver functions like A/C controls, temperature adjustment, fan speeds, and direction were on the screen, but they were always on display to the right of the steering wheel for ease of access. Fan speed and temperature could be adjusted with a simple button under the main screen, too, so you didn’t have to fiddle with a screen while you’re driving. In the GT-Line, it had comfy and bolstered racing-style seats, which were incredibly comfortable on my long drive from Vancouver, Washington, to Bend, Oregon, and when paired with Kia’s crazy accurate and effective adaptive cruise control with lane keep assist, it was divine. My husband’s tall, and he said the way the interior was laid out made the driver and passenger’s footwell one of the most spacious we’ve both experienced. So, not only was the drive fun, but it was super comfortable–no matter where you were sitting.
The exterior design helps separate it from the competition
The headlights speak Kia’s design language fluently, being long and tall, and utilizing bright orange LED lights as daytime running lights. When the headlights are on, they’re round, like we see on the Kia Carnival or Sportage. It helps keep the looks in the family, but also looks quite handsome on the little, economical sedan. Paired with the bluish gray that my K4 loaner was in, made it look the part. When I dropped some coffee off for my husband, one of the first things he said about the body style was that it “kind of looked like a fastback,” as the rear curved from the end of the roof gracefully to the end of the trunk. The glossy black wheels were very Kia, being funky but artistic, and complemented the styling perfectly.
The nice thing about the K4’s styling is that there aren’t any other sedans that look like it. The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, and Subaru Impreza are all beautiful cars, but they’re muted compared to the K4 GT-Line. Their price tags are very reflective of how they look, while the Kia K4 stands out.
The ride quality was balanced, albeit a little noisy
Naturally, a $26,365 car isn’t going to have a fancy, adaptive suspension setup. It only has two drive modes, Normal and Sport, and Sport helped keep all 190 ponies poised and ready to hit the road. It kept the RPMs high and the gearing as low as possible to prioritize power when it’s needed, which came in handy on the drive through the mountain pass. Normal was the opposite, and was perfect for daily driving through Bend. The drive modes didn’t affect the suspension, but it did sharpen up the throttle response and tighten the steering, which was nice. The suspension is fixed, but it’s balanced, helping keep the K4 steady while cornering without being too stiff for daily driving with my toddlers in the back.
However, it was very noisy. There wasn’t much between the tires and the road, but some fairly thin metal, and that translated to an insane amount of road noise. If it weren’t for the updated and premium sound system with wireless Android Auto, the road noise would have driven me mad. Around town, it wasn’t too bad, but the faster you drove, the louder it became. When my daughter was in the backseat, I had to tell her to speak up so I could hear her, and most times she had to yell to get her message across.
It could easily be a family car, but it’s best for young singles
Installing my toddlers’ car seats was just as easy as some of the more expensive cars I’ve reviewed. The top tether points were just behind the headrests, and they were easy to remove without having to fold the seats down to wiggle them out of the top of the seat. Finding the lower anchor points and securing them was easy, too. The GT-Line didn’t have vents or climate control settings in the rear, which is a fine cut to me, since they’re so close to the front of the car, but you can get that in the GT-Line Turbo. Two USB-C charging ports are located in the rear, allowing older kids to charge their devices on long trips. The trunk was incredibly generous for a car of its size, and it could accommodate a double stroller, a diaper bag, toys, and some groceries without issue.
At the price point, though, I think families would benefit from an SUV, like the Subaru Forester, Subaru Crosstrek, or even the Honda CR-V. But if you’re dead set on a sedan, the Kia K4 could easily do it. However, I pictured the ideal driver being a college student looking to get out of the Honda Accord they inherited from their grandma, or a wealthy family buying a safe, economical, and inexpensive first car for their high schooler who just got their license. It’s fun enough to keep anyone happy, but not quick enough to get anyone in trouble–and it’s very safe. The low entry point and seating position might be difficult for older buyers, but youngsters would find it just as easy to get into as its competitors.
Final thoughts
The Kia K4 GT-Line is a sedan that truly punches way above its weight, and it’s impressive how much was packed into such a low price tag without feeling like there were a lot of cuts and compromises. It was fun to drive, just as fun to look at, and very clever. I hope that other automakers look closely at the K4 and take notes on how to make a cheap car not feel cheap or like you’re missing out. I found it to be a fun little car to drive my kids in, but I would have loved it even more if I didn’t have kids to bend over to get out of the car. If I were back in Monterey, California, for college, this would have been a dream of a first car.
I Drove the 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo. Here’s My Brutally Honest Review first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 7, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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