We like
Fantastic cabin usability with the right number of physical controls, clear infotainment, hatchback’s proportions, mature feel, economical 2.0L engine, 1.6-litre turbo’s torque band, absorbent ride on 16-inch wheels

Room for improvement
Pricey GT-Line gatekeeps many desirable features, modest performance of the 2.0L/CVT combo, downmarket cabin finishes in S and Sport trims, turbo’s maintenance demands, no middle-ground hybrid engine

Overview

 

FOLLOWING its identically priced sedan counterpart to market by a lengthy 10 months, the Kia K4 hatchback range is now available in dealers. The arrival of the five-door across four trim grades marks the completion of Kia’s transition from the Cerato to K4 name in Australia.

 

However, while Kia Australia has kept things simple for fleet and private buyers alike by precisely matching specification for the sedan and hatch, the K4 twins are certainly fraternal and not identical. The five-door is much shorter (4440mm vs 4710mm), though both are 1850mm wide.

 

Both built for Australia at Kia’s Monterrey, Mexico plant, the K4 sedan and hatch share a clear relationship under the skin with each shifting to the Hyundai-Kia K3 platform that is also the basis for next year’s second-generation Seltos small SUV.

 

The K3 architecture alters the hard points of the K4 when compared to the fourth-generation Cerato. Despite the footprint of the K4 hatch shrinking compared to the Cerato, wheelbase stretches 20mm to 2720mm while weight is only modestly lifted by 40kg to 1388-1453kg.

 

Buyers find a mechanically similar offer to the Cerato. As with that car, the volume-selling K4 S, Sport and Sport+ trims use a naturally aspirated petrol four-cylinder engine and torsion beam rear suspension while the GT-Line flagship upgrades to turbo power and an independent rear.

 

There are differences, with the base engine stepping down from direct to multi-point injection with outputs dropping to 110kW/180Nm, while a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is subbed in to dramatically decrease claimed fuel use by nearly 20 per cent to 6.1L/100km.

 

The Cerato had a 150kW GT trim. Kia is now reserving those letters for its truly hot models. Top K4s are 142kW GT-Lines (still with 265Nm), though the fact is the K4 GT-Line is still a slightly special case as its turbo engine and IRS are supplemented by bigger brakes and a ride height drop.

 

As the pricing/grade walk indicates, the K4 range is broad, with Kia retaining something of a price-leading S base model ($33,490 driveaway) while an S safety pack ($35,490 d/a) will be the de facto entry point for fleets as that is the point where a five-star ANCAP rating kicks in.

 

K4 S includes alloys (16”), cloth seating with six-way adjustment up front, 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, AM/FM/DAB radio, four USB ports, auto LED headlights and rear A/C vents but only manual wipers and the steering wheel is fleet-spec’ plastic.

 

The $2000-optional safety pack for the S adds in higher-grade autonomous emergency braking that can stop in junction/oncoming traffic situations plus a second 12.3-inch display (for the driver instruments) and dual-zone climate control.

 

Somewhat undercooked is the K4 Sport grade ($38,490 d/a) that adds the safety pack and gains, as well as an automatic defogging feature, bigger 17-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres—is that enough for a $3000 jump?

 

Arguably, the K4 Sport+ ($41,490 d/a) is where private buyers will start to be interested, as that trim adds pleasantries with PVC replacing cloth, while adding heated front seats, soft-touch door toppers, solar windscreen glass, lit glovebox and vanity mirrors, and silver cabin trim.

 

However, it’s the $47,490 d/a GT-Line that reaches for premium status with the 1.6T/IRS combo, plus 18-inch alloys, projector LED lights, front seat cooling, 10-way power adjust/massaging for the driver, porthole sunroof, eight-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo and ambient lighting.

 

The sole cost option is paintwork with Clear White (solid) being the free colour. A broad range of pearl and metallic choices, including our tester’s Honeycomb (Sport+ and GT-Line only), are priced at $600.

 

Servicing intervals are 12 months/15,000km for the 2.0L engine ($2322 over five years/75,000km or 3.1c/km) or 12 months/10,000km for the 1.6T ($2459 over five years/50,000km, much costlier at 4.9c/km). Warranty is seven years/unlimited kilometres no matter the powertrain.

 

A relatively small 47-litre fuel tank is common to all K4s. Claimed combined fuel economy of 6.1L/100km for the 2.0L hatch results in a range of 770km, or a restrictive 635km (at a claimed 7.4L/100km) for the 1.6-litre turbo. Both engines accept 91-octane petrol.

 

Driving impressions

 

Kia’s dynamic trajectory over the past decade has been one of steady  improvement, with more sophisticated hardware lifting baseline capability while ongoing Australian ride and handling development has helped Kia ensure that most of its models match local preferences for firm, controlled dynamics.

 

The K4 hatchback continues that tradition, replacing the Cerato with a new vehicle that demonstrates a more mature on-road character.

 

While small cars are no longer the dominant force they once were in Australia, Kia’s decision to engineer the K4 hatch partially for European tastes has brought a noticeable lift in chassis refinement, ride quality and steering precision when compared with the Cerato.

 

However, a fissure has developed between the leap forward in the K4’s overall ride and handling balance and its powertrain strategy, with neither engine quite living up to the quality of the suspension and steering tuning.

 

The base 110kW/180Nm 2.0L engine is only adequate, with the CVT doing a reasonable job of extracting the best of the modest atmo’ four-cylinder. But with so little to give, the unit inevitably gets noisy and a touch coarse when encountering a hill, a motorway onramp or an overtake scenario.

 

Alternatively, the headline 142kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged option in the GT-Line—now linked with an eight-speed torque converter automatic rather than the Cerato’s seven-speed dual-clutch unit—is more spirited and muscular, though it is accompanied by an uncultured exhaust note.

 

Suspension layout marks the other major point of differentiation, with all 2.0L grades (S to Sport+) continuing to deploy a simpler torsion beam rear axle with the GT-Line exclusively making use of IRS. However, there is more to the story than just rear-end expense.

 

While the more complex rear suspension is central to the GT-Line’s extra pointiness while cornering—and its ability to absorb tough mid-corner bumps when being driven hard—the torsion-bar models have benefitted from the biggest overall jump in ride quality.

 

It is the K4 S, on its cushy high-profile tyres and 16-inch wheels, that offers the most absorption of any grade with a very pleasant combination of chassis composure and suppleness over urban and B-road bumps, but Sport and Sport+ on 17-inch wheels remain comfortable.

 

The GT-Line, running on the K4’s widest 235/40 R18 tyres, naturally has a firmer baseline but it moves on from the Cerato GT’s more brittle and sharp-edged nature that always made that car feel a bit too firm for what it really was—a warm hatch (or sedan).

 

Steering on all grades loads up naturally (but quickly) and the nicely-sorted front end is quite up for keen cornering—though we did find that we had to have a second bite at steering input in some bends as ultimately there is a lack of feel.

 

With the rest of the dynamics an impression of a mature, sophisticated Euro hatch, what the K4 is missing is an impressive engine. This might take the form of a new Kia hybrid engine that has been confirmed for use in the platform-sharing next-gen’ Seltos.

 

Until then, the K4 line-up is missing both a sweet spot and the chance to fulfil its potential.

 

For now, the GT-Line is the next-best thing but at $2510 shy of $50,000, it needs to be. Only this top-end K4 feels complete enough in the cabin in terms of finish and overall specification, particularly given the tendency of rival Chinese manufacturers to be more generous with equipment.

 

While all K4 grades have comfortable seats (the manual cloth pews in the S and Sport trims are the best), good build quality and well-executed ergonomics, the quality of the interior finish is lacking until you hit the Sport+ level ($41,490 d/a) which gains soft-touch door skins.

 

But we are happy to lavish praise on Kia’s choice to sprint away from the car industry’s preference for replacing hard keys with screen-based controls. The K4 defiantly uses large and clear toggles for fan speed and temperature with plenty of real buttons and knobs for other shortcuts.

 

The infotainment system is excellent, too. Again, Kia has made a deliberate decision to keep screen sizes less distracting; that isn’t to say the single (K4 S) or double 12.3-inch displays are too small. It is that they are appropriately sized and clear without dominating the interior.

 

Rear seat practicality is strong for the small car class. Legroom for adults or teenagers is generous (aside from slightly constrained toe room), but all variants include rear air conditioning vents and two USB-C charge ports as standard, making this car quite suitable for rideshare duties.

 

While the K4 hatchback’s boot space of 438L is technically smaller than the sedan (508L), the large opening aperture of the five-door makes it more practical in the real world. A power tailgate is absent, but a space-saver spare wheel and tyre is standard fit.

 

Safety-wise, the K4’s tech stack is fairly broad. All variants include adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist but blind-spot cameras seen on larger Kia models are absent here while audible speed warnings (silenced via a shortcut key) return every time the K4 is switched on.

 

During our testing, we found the 2.0L models could achieve even better economy than their 6.1L/100km claim, returning high-5L/100km results on the highway, while in the GT-Line we saw 8.5L/100km if we kept our throttle inputs sensible.

 

With the five-door K4’s cousin—the Hyundai i30 hatchback—now discontinued in Australia, there is room for the K4 to shine in the sales race next year against the Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3. For a proper shot at beating the former, a K4 hybrid would make a worthwhile addition.