Kia’s stylish K4 is designed to turn heads

Kia Ireland has been on a roll this year with a number of new car launches, which included the K4 hatchback in early March as a replacement for the brand’s Ceed.

This very stylish C-segment car offers generous interior space, lots of premium features and advanced technologies, as well as a long list of standard specifications. Compared to its Ceed predecessor, the K4 is longer, wider, and has a bigger wheelbase that allows more interior space and comfort.

My review car, in a Snow White Pearl exterior, turned heads with its distinctive floating roofline that slips into the rear hatch, white A-pillars that curved up along the roofline, contrasting black B-pillars and door mirrors, the Star Map Light Signature, unique C-pillar graphics, and hidden rear door handles. Distinctive LED taillights with an inverted L shape light up beautifully at night.

Doors open wide to allow ease of getting in and out. You sit low in the car, which may not suit those used to driving a taller crossover or high SUV. But it suited me just fine.

The large sunroof allowed lots of light to filter into the cabin, helping make it bright and airy.

My car had two-tone, soft bio-artificial leather seats that were both comfy and stylish. The driver’s seat had two seat memory settings and power adjustments, including lumbar support. Heat and ventilation controls for both front seats are on the doors.

The multi-function 3-spoke steering wheel features paddle shifts that allow manual control of the 7-Speed gearbox. The Drive Mode Selector is located near the steering wheel with options of Eco, Normal, and Sport.

The main feature, though, is the triple panoramic display that merges a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with a 5.3-inch climate control and a 12.3-inch digital driver’s cluster. This is standard on all three trims of K2, K3, and GT-Line. The system comes with Kia Connect and Kia App and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Voice Control, and over-the-air updates. There are physical buttons to select maps, radio, phone, air conditioning, and temperature.

The customisable driver’s cluster shows your current speed, fuel remaining, and average fuel consumption, which during my days with the car showed at 6.0 L/100kms.

The chubby automatic gear selector is located on the flat of the central console with the Start Stop button and Auto Hold control.

Rear headroom is good, but leg room is truly excellent. However, foot space for the person in the middle seat is rather impeded by the extended central console that sits over the high transmission tunnel. The middle seat back lowers to reveal a pair of cup holders and a small hatch to the boot. Both outer seats can be heated and have ISOFIX child seat tethers and anchors. Rear seats fold 60:40.

The wide-opening tailgate reveals 328 litres of luggage space with rear seats up, with only a small area below for a mobility repair kit. The floor is high because the hybrid battery pack is located below.

The base K2 grade model features 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, privacy glass, driver-power adjustable seats with lumbar support, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision avoidance assist, and rear blind-spot collision avoidance assist. A K3 level upgrades to 17-inch alloy wheels, vegan leather seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, Cube LED headlights, and a wireless phone charger. The top GT-Line has related styling, 17-inch alloys, Digital Key, ventilated front seats, and Highway Driver Assist, forward collision avoidance assist two for city/pedestrian/cyclist/junction/turning.

All models are powered by the same 1.0 TGDi Mild Hybrid (MHEV) powertrain outputting 115hp. The K2 and K3 grades are offered with a 6-speed manual transmission, while the GT-Line is solely available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, which, while the most expensive of the three, would be my choice mainly due to ease of driving in heavy traffic. Torque is 200Nm. A full-hybrid 1.6 GDI (HEV) version with 154hp is due in October.

On the road, I felt very snug behind the wheel and enjoyed very good all-round visibility. The K4 feels smooth, confident, and composed. There was plenty of oomph for everyday use, but you can shift to manual for overtaking if desired.

A seven-year warranty is standard. The K4 has not yet been appraised by Euro NCAP.

The model is unusual as it is built in Mexico, not in Kia’s homeland of Korea or its European plant in Slovakia.

PRICES: K2 trim is priced from €31,500, K3 from €34,000, and GT-Line from €38,500. (Prices exclude dealer and delivery-related charges.) Annual road tax is €200.