Kia K4 review

Fitted with the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, the K4 has enough pep to keep drivers satisfied with day-to-day driving but don’t let its sharp looks convince you that it it's sportier than usual. Still, at the risk of damning with faint praise, the K4 isn’t bad, with the multi-link rear suspension included on GT-Line models doing much of the work to make the Kia’s ride remotely praiseworthy.

“It doesn’t suck”, basically.

Yeah, not a screaming endorsement, we admit, but simply put, it’s good for what it is, and no more. All in all, it’s a competent, smooth ride not unlike the current Toyota Camry or the Hyundai Elantra, which is unsurprising as the Hyundai and Kia share a platform. What really counts is that it’s a comfortable place to sit as you tick off your ‘to-do’ list, and thankfully an attention to reduced cabin noise is a great contributor to this quality.

How is it on mileage?

It won’t be a surprise to hear that the base powertrain is set up to stretch the miles, with its 2.0-liter feeding into a variable transmission. As such, it gets a combined 34mpg on average while the 1.6-liter turbo joined to an eight-speed automatic takes a slight hit, netting a combined 29mpg. That’s not bad either way you slice it.