There’s just something right about a compact hatchback. It’s roomy enough yet small enough, economical enough yet spry enough, inexpensive enough yet well-enough equipped. Small wonder it’s the benchmark passenger car form factor in much of the world. It’s also something North Americans have been largely deprived of, with options dwindling over the past decade. Well, good news. The Kia K4 hatchback is just about here, and it’s only a little more expensive trim-by-trim than the sedan.
When I drove the K4 sedan nearly a year ago, I came away impressed. It might look visually challenging, but it’s comfortable, spacious, thoughtfully equipped, economical, and might have the nicest headliner for the money on the entire new car market. If you’re okay with the looks, it’s a solid contender that genuinely feels like twenty-something thousand worth of car. But if something about the way the sedan’s squared-off quarter window emphasizes the massive quarter panel bugs you, or how the trunk’s limited aperture looks like it might annoy, the K4 hatchback might be just what you need.
There is no true base model for the K4 hatchback. While you can get the sedan in cheap and cheerful LX and LX-S trims, the hatch starts with the mid-range EX trim. This means it gets leatherette, heated seats, wireless phone charging, and alloy wheels as standard equipment. It also means the cheapest K4 hatchback comes with a 147-horsepower two-liter naturally aspirated inline-four and a continuously variable transmission. Figure zero-to-60 mph in more than nine seconds, with the tradeoff being fuel economy figures of 28 MPG city, 34 MPG highway, and 30 MPG combined.
The big hatchback bonus? A solid 22.2 cu.-ft. of cargo space behind the rear seats, up from 14.6 cu.-ft. of cargo space in the sedan. That perfectly splits the difference between a Subaru Crosstrek and a Honda Civic Hatchback, all for an extremely modest upcharge. At $26,085 including freight, the K4 EX hatchback is only $500 more than an equivalent sedan. That’s cheaper than throwing a Thule box on the roof.
Moving up the range, the $27,085 K4 GT-Line hatchback continues to be $500 more than its sedan equivalent while adding stuff you’ll actually want. The big mechanical change is the switch from torsion beam rear suspension to a truly independent multilink setup, with retuned springs and dampers all around. Paddle shifters join the party, as do 18-inch wheels and a host of cosmetic alterations. Mind you, it doesn’t add a ton of creature comforts, pretty much just a power driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar support and the ability to pay more for select packages. Then again, the GT-Line Premium package adds a lot. A heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, a big moonroof, Harman/Kardon audio, navigation, a 12.3-inch full color digital instrument cluster, that sort of stuff. It’s a big list for $1,200.
Lastly, there is a K4 hatchback for those wearing lead-clad Nikes. It’s the $29,985 GT-Line Turbo, and it’s definitely getting up there in price. Granted, this top trim does ditch the 147-horsepower two-liter for a 190-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Hitched to an eight-speed automatic, Kia claims it can shave nearly two seconds from a run to 62 MPH without hitting fuel economy too hard. Figure 26 MPG city, 33 MPG highway, and 28 MPG combined. It also adds a bunch of the stuff from the GT-Line Premium package, with the two big exceptions being ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel. On this range-topping trim, those are part of a $2,300 option package that adds a bunch of advanced driver assistance stuff and ambient lighting, along with a 360-degree camera system.
On paper, the 2026 Kia K4 hatchback seems like a solid deal. Base trim to base trim, it undercuts the Honda Civic Hatchback by nearly $3,000, undercuts the Mazda 3 hatchback by $710, and offers loads more room than a Toyota Corolla Hatchback for only $710 more. So what’s the catch? Well, the preliminary fuel economy rating of 30 MPG combined is a bit disappointing compared to the Corolla Hatchback’s 35 MPG combined the Civic’s 34 MPG combined. At the same time, if you’re buying a mid-range or higher K4 sedan, the extra $500 for the hatchback seems like a no-brainer. With the K4 hatchback expected to roll into showrooms early in the new year, don’t be surprised if you see one in the wild soon.
Top graphic image: Kia
Cute. Give it to me with a manual trans, though please.
CVT? I’m out.
Only $710 more for a Mazda, and – curiously – the same amount for a Toyota? I know where I’d be going if I were in the market.
Not stated: there’s an 18-month wait for the Toyota. 🙂
I’d still choose the Mazda first. It uses actual gears. Looks great, too.
I was waiting for a small hatchback and this was on the list until I read about the crappy mpg. My 2022 Rio gets 45 on long trips, as long as I drive ok. Looking like a Toyota hatch, Kia K4 or a hybrid Corolla is in my future.
I’d still go Civic, but this is all fine.
Cheaper with more standard kit than the Honda and Mazda, and in all likelihood the Toyota in the event you actually find a Corolla hatch given regional add-ons.
MPG being a little low is more surprising in relation to the K4 EX sedan (also on 17s) at 29/39/33. But the sedan is a 0.27 Cd vs. 0.30 for the hatch so that likely contributes. It will probably be something of a wash in real-world mileage against the others.
If you want a hybrid and you’re in a Kia showroom, they’ll point you to a Niro ($28,535 with destination). That’s rated for better mileage than the Civic hybrid anyway.
Assuming 15000 miles a year and $3.15 a gallon regular gas, the Kia is $225ish a year more to fuel up than the Honda. Age old dilemma of lower purchase price or lower running costs, not including depreciation.
Depreciation makes this an easy win for any of the Japanese options.
I’ll take the Honda.
I already have the Honda. Sport Touring Hybrid.
It was the right decision.
I went Accord 2.0T, but the Civic Hybrid was high on my list if I didn’t find one of these.
“might look visually challenging”. Such words will never be seen on a dating app.
But you still could.
Props to Subaru for having proper mounting points for racks on the roof, even on models where they don’t include the rails
Roof boxes are car toupees.
More often than not they scream (loudly, and through the headliner where there’s less sound deadening) that the owner should have purchased a larger vehicle that better fits their needs.
Especially for the ones who leave them permanently affixed to their roof.
My Mazdas both have fixed rack mounting points under the roof gutter trim. They’re so much better than the clamp-on style.
What? There are zillions of hatchbacks out there on the roads. We just all decided to call them crossovers.
It’s insane what they call a CUV/SUV these days. For example, I have an Ioniq 5, which is clearly a hatchback, but is it called a hatchback? No – otherwise (Hyundai thinks) it won’t sell.
For just a few hundred more dollars than the EX – you can get a manual Mazda3 S hatchback with more power, better performance, better looks, and only slightly lower mileage.
And cloth seats.
And less headroom.
In the US to get a Mazda3 Hatch with the stick you are locked to the Premium trim with mandatory leather seats and a ~33k sticker before options. It’s a shame Mazda has limited the stick hatch so much, but that’s where we’re at.
Hmmm – Does not show that in the configurator.
https://www.mazdausa.com/shopping-tools/build-and-price#/26M3H/26M3H25S
Is the 3 S manual hatch an unobtanium spec?
I’m glad you called out the low MPG. I was starting to think this thing must be more accord sized to get that bad, but a Civic competitor barely breaking 30 is abysmal today. And it’s 9 second 0-60 is fine, but if you’re going to have sub par MPG, there better be some performance to make up for it. Big nope on both here. Swing and a miss.
FE remains the achilles heel of the H/K bunch. Unless hybrid.
Yeah I’ve never understood why the base Kia engines always have bad efficiency
Yeah I can’t say I pay much attention to Hyundai/Kia, too many people I knew had major engine issues on theirs, and that was followed so closely by the Kia boyz thefts, so they are just dead to me but it does appear that they are quite bad at that.
The sport mode on the CVT is too aggressive. EPA requires testing done on the most aggressive driving mode, so just leave it in regular mode and easily beat the EPA estimates.
Rental-car spec using the less-problematic engines?
This looks great, and I really want this gold color, but the drivetrain is a major letdown. For as bad as the mileage is there’s no way I’m putting up with the CVT, and while the turbo-4 and regular auto might be better, the mpg is still pathetic without any real performance.
Plus the turbo is within $1500 of the last Mazda3 you can still get with a stick. That money would be more than worth it.
My GF has a 2020 Elantra with a CVT, I honestly did not know it was a CVT until recently, where I saw it in print somewhere. I was genuinely surprised, as it drives just like a conventional automatic.
I wouldn’t discount it over the trans till you drive one, but agree on the MPG. Her non-hybrid Elantra easily gets 40+ on my commute, and about 36-37 combined most weeks.
It’s tough being a hatchback fan. It’s always some combination of low horsepower, no manual, CVT, way too expensive, or not available in the USA.
What’s the catch?
Oh yeah, it’s a Kia. And not a manual.
And the porn-mustache taillights.
Vinyl seats mandatory on every trim? no thanks.
Revealed early 2024. “Expected late 2025” per their own website.
I have a few thoughts. I may be unique, but I don’t really ever plan on buying a new car that isn’t either a hybrid or a stick. If I’m going to compromise on fun, I at least want to be rewarded with 50 mpg. While this hatchback looks really quite nice, and actually is a hatchback unlike the Civic fastback, that’s really it’s only upside compared to competitors. The Corolla is smaller, but it gets way better milage and can be had with AWD. The Civic likely has Honda’s reliability and resale value and is also available in hybrid form (that’s probably the one to get). The Subaru and Mazda both have their dedicated fan bases for whatever reason. While I appreciate a cool looking hatchback returning to the market, the uninspired powertrain would make it pretty low on my list. I trust a Hyundai/Kia turbo motor about as far as I can throw a steering wheel lock. This is coming from a Forte owner.
Yeah, I like the way this looks but I would never buy one. My ’14 Mazda3 gets better mileage, has better equipment, and still has a stick.
If I was buying new today, I’d spend a bit more to either get the Civic Hybrid or the Mazda3 with the stick.
Exactly. Those two are also my short list; although I would cross shop the Civic Si too. Pretty much everything else is too compromised in some way.
I love the Si, but I don’t know if I can give up the hatch. It’s a shame they killed the manual Civic hatch, as I like the looks of that better than the Mazda3.
Guess I gotta get a Type R.
yea, that is a curious decision. I can’t imagine hiding the stick behind the Type R paywall adds any sales from someone who absolutely needs a stick + hatchback. I suppose fewer option combinations makes for cheaper production, but it can’t cost that much to do.
That’s not enough fuel economy difference to really matter, IMO — especially when you’re splitting hairs against a Civic Hybrid that could outrun it AND deliver 50mpg for just a couple grand more, apples to apples.
I had high hopes for this, but was hoping they’d hybridize it at least. If you can’t get balls-out performance then at least give us some economy. The features list looks great, typical for Kiundai, but it wouldn’t sway me away from the more consistently reliable brands.
Also, that C/D pillar is horrendous. It would have looked so good if they had kept the black going all the way back instead of trying to kink it up and down along with a shark fin. That would also be a visual dealbreaker for me.
Not having a hybrid even as an option is a big miss. If I’m shopping the bottom of the market (which I am), MPG and reliability matter more than most everything else. This doesn’t deliver on the first, and it is dubious it will deliver on the second. The NA I4 will be fine, I’m worried about the Turbo and the CVT more than anything else.
I think overall it looks great, but I agree that I wouldn’t buy this. For my fake internet money I’m springing for the Civic hybrid or the Mazda3 Premium with the stick.
How about a proper wagon version with even more cargo space?
Oh wait, we live in the worst timeline and don’t deserve such nice things.
I read that there will be a wagon in the other parts of the world.
Of COURSE there will be.
I look forward to seeing the recalls this will have
I would rather have recalls than the old school method of “sweep the issues under the rug and let the customer pay for the problems”. At least they TRY to fix their broken crap.
Can I interest you in a $100 apology card from Stellantis because your car might self-combust for a variety of issues that haven’t been addressed properly?
You are making the invalid assumption that I would ever buy anything they currently make anyway. Recalls are FAR down the list of reasons why.