Kia K4 S 2025 Review

The 2025 Kia K4 S is the base model of the K4 range and starts at $30,590 (plus on-road costs). There’s also the K4 Sport, K4 S+ and GT-Line in the new range.

We tested the K4 S with optional Safety Pack ($2100) and optional Steel Grey metallic paint ($600), which totals $33,290 before on-road costs.

While there’s talk of a K4 hatchback to come, the 2025 Kia K4 is available as a sedan only, for now. The only powertrain available (except GT-Line, which gets a turbo 1.6-litre with an eight-speed automatic) is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder/six-speed auto combo.

The main competitors for the K4 among small sedans include the Hyundai i30 Sedan (from $29,000 plus ORCs), Mazda3 Sedan (from $31,310 plus ORCs) and Toyota Corolla Ascent Hybrid Sedan (from $32,320 plus ORCs).

Being priced right in the thick of its competitor set, the K4 isn’t quite as appealing as the $3000 cheaper Cerato equivalent was to value-driven buyers. Not only does it have the similar (underneath, at least) Hyundai i30 undercutting it, but even (for now) the likes of run-out MG MG5 models (MY24 MG5 Vibe at $27,370 drive-away) might sway thrifty small sedan buyers.

Once you add the K4’s Safety Pack, it costs slightly more than the cheapest sedan model of the small segment sales leader, the Corolla. The Ascent Sport offers the lure of a more sophisticated and economical hybrid powertrain, if not quite the level of tech features offered in the K4 S.

The standard equipment list for the 2025 Kia K4 S includes 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start (including remote start), cloth seats, manual height-adjustable front seats, 60/40-split folding rear seats, power-adjustable, heated and auto folding side mirrors as well as auto boot unlocking. Only the driver’s door features auto up/down function, while the spare wheel is a steel space-saver.

As noted above, the Safety Pack is the key option for the K4 S, with the $2100 added cost giving you a larger (12.3-inch instead of 4.0-inch) digital instrument cluster, a 5.0-inch air-conditioning interface, plus dual-zone climate control and an expanded AEB suite offering Junction Turning as well as Crossing and Direct/Oncoming Lane Change Detection functionality.

Kia introduced a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in 2014, and it has taken a while for the industry to catch up. Seven years is good but isn’t industry-leading anymore (some manufacturers offering 10 years with conditions).

Kia also offers seven years/105,000km of capped-price servicing, totalling $3330. Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km.

It’s an odd situation where the model we are testing, if purchased without a particular option has a four-star ANCAP rating, but as tested, gets five stars.

The AEB in the base 2025 Kia K4 S, according to ANCAP, is unable to detect or react when crossing intersections that could result in a 90-degree impact collision. Buy the K4 S with Safety Pack though and everything is all good. With the pack it is set up to help you avoid intersection T-bone collisions and has the full five-star ANCAP rating.

Seven airbags are fitted across the range, with front, front side, side curtain and centre airbag making up the numbers.

The K4 S with safety Pack has most of the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) you might expect in this category, such as autonomous emergency braking with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as auto emergency braking for junctions and lane changing.

Other active safety features include blind spot detection and avoidance, rear cross traffic avoidance, lane keeping and adaptive cruise control. There’s also rear-seat passenger monitoring, exit safety monitoring, low tyre pressure warning, driver attention monitoring and speed limit notification and over speed warning. Front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, dusk-sensing LED headlights and high beam assist are also standard safety features.

While the majority of the active safety features are seamless, the one thing we keep banging on about with Kia (and other manufacturers) is the speed warning system. The visual indication that the system has either recognised a new speed sign, or that you are exceeding the speed it recognises is one thing, but the regular audible warnings are just a distraction in themselves. You have to cycle though several touch-screen operations to switch off the speed sign recognition system and do so every time you restart the car.

There is a big increase here in tech over the Cerato, with a 12.3-inch centre display housing AM/FM radio, DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as six- speaker audio.

Further tech in the 2025 Kia K4 S includes Kia Connect telematics, incorporating emergency call, remote control and vehicle status monitoring. There are also over-the-air updates available.

While the standard K4 S features a small, 4.0-inch dash display, the Safety Pack includes a large, 12.3-inch dash that flows into the centre infotainment screen.

Thankfully Kia has incorporated two horizontal stacks of shortcut or adjustment buttons below the centre screen, allowing direct control of air conditioning temperature, audio volume and the like. Even when using the touch-screen itself, menus are simple, icons are large and the screen reacts quickly.

The powertrain used in the new 2025 Kia K4 S is a carry-over 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic driving the front wheels.

The 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four cylinder/eight-speed auto powertrain is only available in the K4 GT-Line, which also brings better brakes and an independent, multi-link rear suspension over the torsion beam rear suspension used in the K4 S tested.

There is talk of a hybrid powertrain coming for K4, but details on which models or how much more it’ll cost are unknown at this stage.

The claimed average fuel consumption for the 2025 Kia K4 S is 7.4L/100km.

With some more open, outer-urban driving we saw around 8.0L/100km, while consumption rose to 10.2L/100km with slow, stop-start city driving.

Much of the driving experience in the 2025 Kia K4 S is more on the dependable, unexciting side of things.

That’s not to say it’s bad – it’s really relaxing to drive on the daily urban commute, with great throttle response at low speeds, a supple ride and easy steering. It’s like the fast food or motoring; you know what you’re getting and for most, it’s easily digested.

What might give you a touch of heartburn is if your commute is on a steep, winding road. It’s here where you’ll notice the lack of engine torque when pushed, an engine that sounds not too pleasant when revved to mine its peak power and steering that is direct enough but not especially engaging.

Yet you’ll mostly be able to get into an easy-going rhythm driving the K4 S as its suspension tune weeds out the worst of the brittle and broken Aussie road surfaces.

Although classed as a small car, you wouldn’t think it inside. The rear leg room and boot space are impressive in the 2025 Kia K4 S.

Yet, it’s the dash that sets the tone for a modern interior, with the sweeping twin 12.3-inch screens. Then there’s the cool retro steering wheel you’ll either love (I do) or hate – it looks a bit like the wheel in a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice.

Even the hard plastic front seat head rest supports and seatback shells are a different take on style. While overall the interior looks as modern as you’d hope, the vinyl and cloth materials used, in either grey or black, are pretty plain – $30K only gets you so much these days.

The seats are a good shape and there is plenty of room for all occupants though, and there are handy drop-down split rear seatbacks to increase cargo loadspace.

Storage is a bit light-on in the back seat area, with small door compartments, a small tray in the rear of the centre console and cupholders in the drop-down centre armrest. Those hard front seat backs have traded convenience for style though – there are no seat storage pockets here.

What could be one of the most objectionable things about the 2025 Kia K4 S might not be objectionable at all to your eyes — and that’s the exterior design.

The long rear overhang makes the body look stretched out and the rear wheelarches and front and rear detail might be a bit too fussy for some. You can’t say it melts into the crowd of similar cars though, and there’s no argument that the result nets a roomy interior.

Kia should make the Safety Pack a standard feature. And it would be nice to have a more refined, economical powertrain with less annoying, more accurate speed warnings, too. However, the K4 S is a comfortable, easy car to drive from point A to point B, with much of the contemporary features you could wish for.  

2025 Kia K4 S at a glance:
Price: $32,290 (plus on-road costs, as tested)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 112kW/192Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 167g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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