Earlier this month, we were pleased to announce that the Kia K4 is making its way to the UK. We were perhaps a little overly excited by this very normal-seeming car, precisely because of how normal it seems – no crossover pretensions, no silly power outputs, just an honest-to-goodness, old-school family hatch of the kind that’s fast disappearing from dealerships.
Now we know how much it’ll cost when it arrives here towards the end of this year – from £25,995, or £2155 less than the starting point of that paragon of hatchback normality, the Volkswagen Golf.
Kia K4 – side
That price gets you into a K4 in the basic Pure trim level, with a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder augmented by a 48V mild hybrid system, and something called a ‘manual gearbox’. If the presence of a third pedal alarms you, though, you can spend £27,495 to get this engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto instead.
The auto becomes the only gearbox available as you move up to mid-range GT-Line trim – that’s the one in these pictures. In addition to a sportier look, bigger 17-inch wheels, faux leather and more paint choices, it brings the option of a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 147bhp. The GT-Line costs from £29,995 for the 1.0-litre car, and £31,295 for the 1.6.
Kia K4 – interior
The range-topper, meanwhile, is the GT-Line S. Bigger wheels again at 18 inches, heated seats all round, a sunroof, and a posh Harmon Kardon sound system are the highlights here. This one starts at £33,995 for the 1.0-litre, while the GT-Line S 1.6 – now boasting 177bhp – is the most expensive K4 of all, kicking off at £36,195.
It’s also the quickest, obviously, although with a 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds and a 128mph top speed, it’s no hot hatch – and sadly, a properly hot version of the K4 is something we can fairly categorically rule out ever happening. We’d happily be proven wrong, though, Kia.
Kia K4 – rear
The range is set to expand further next year with the addition of a full hybrid, but unlike the Ceed it effectively replaces in Kia’s lineup, it’ll stay as a five-door hatch, with no estate version planned. Like the Ceed, though, it remains a reasonably priced car, to coin a phrase.
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