As automakers have more and more targeted their power on SUV buyers, People have discovered themselves with fewer choices exterior the SUV courses. We significantly miss the number of hatchbacks on supply a decade or extra in the past.
Compact sedans are nice, and we’ve loved the Kia K4. However a hatchback model of a compact sedan has a lot of the identical virtues, with extra cargo area. We miss these.
Kia, nonetheless, has heard our name. The corporate used this week’s New York Auto Present to vow a brand new hatchback model of the K4 for the 2026 mannequin yr.
In regards to the K4
The K4 sedan is new sufficient that you could be not have seen many on the highway. It debuted for the 2025 mannequin yr, changing the Forte. Our editors love its dramatic styling, roomy cabin, and cheap costs (beginning at $23,165).
Kia hasn’t revealed pricing for the hatchback mannequin.
It competes with compact vehicles just like the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Honda Civic, and Mazda3. Most of these supplied a hatchback model not way back. Amongst these, solely the Corolla, Civic, and Mazda3 nonetheless supply hatchbacks.
Sporty Look, 22.2 Cubic Ft of Cargo House
Stretching the roof again gave the K4 a wedge-like form that compliments its angular styling nicely. Designers blacked out a part of the rear pillar to offer it a floating roof look.
“Hidden rear door handles built-in into the C-pillar additional intensify its hatchback proportions, reinforcing its athletic and muscular profile,” Kia says.
The upper roof provides it 22.2 cubic toes of cargo area. That’s greater than the Mazda3, although lower than the Civic hatchback has to supply.
Maybe extra spectacular, the K4 hatchback is 11 inches shorter than the K4 sedan, however preserves the identical rear-seat legroom.
A Selection of Engines
Most trim ranges include a 147-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine paired to a continuously-variable automated transmission (CVT).
An upgraded GT-Line Turbo mannequin as an alternative will get a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4 good for 190 hp, mated to an 8-speed automated.
Base fashions use a easy torsion-beam rear axle, however GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo editions get a sport-tuned multi-link rear suspension to enhance dealing with really feel.
