Lights Up, Jaws Down: First Look at the Upcoming Kia K4
After teasing its upcoming Forte replacement with a trio of photos showing a selectively spotlit car in a dark studio, Kia has flipped the lights on and is giving us our first full look at the upcoming K4 compact sedan. It is, in a word, daring.
Related: Kia Teases K4 Sedan Ahead of New York Auto Show
According to Kia, its designers created “a modern and unique body shape by twisting the connections of logically aligned squares in a seemingly illogical fashion, which Kia’s exterior designers refer to as ‘Twist Logic.’” But it’s easy to see what they’re getting at, with the strong horizontal Y-shaped creases in front and rear fenders dividing ambitious multifaceted nose and tail styling from the clean, simple body sides.
As on the electric three-row EV9 SUV, wide-set vertical headlights are capped by thin, horizontal daytime running light spears, a design echoed out back with the thin LED taillights. Sharply upswept rear bodywork gives the view from behind something of the look of a prototype racecar’s gigantic diffuser while also keeping the tail from looking too heavy.
Opening Up
With that stubby trunk lid, we’re guessing the K4 will adopt the hatchback functionality of the discontinued Kia Stinger, which also seems to have influenced the way the K4’s roofline meets the C-pillar. Or maybe it’s a D-pillar; in the images Kia has shared, it’s not obvious if there’s a rear window or a black panel masquerading as a window. If it’s the latter, this car will have a sizable blind spot. Also hidden in the black C-pillar, it seems, is a vertical handle for the rear door, like that of the Toyota C-HR (also discontinued).
We’ll have to wait to see what the view out the back looks like, as all Kia is providing so far is a shot of the front of the cabin. The brand says its “Opposites United design philosophy celebrates the creative tension formed from combining two seemingly opposing concepts … where the ‘expected’ concept of a driver-oriented cockpit meets the ‘unexpected’ layout design.”
Where the wine taster picks up floral notes and hints of underripe peach, our bitter-grape-juice palettes observe a pretty typical compact-car dashboard: a digital instrument panel and a central touchscreen with infotainment and climate controls below it. In another daring twist, though, Kia will break from the standard black interior and offer a range of additional colors, including gray, the green seen here and brown.
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The Final Countdown
The full reveal of the Kia K4 will happen March 27 during the New York International Auto Show. Stay tuned for more details on the new compact sedan.
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