Adios, Forte: Here's the Kia K4 That Replaces It

Kia officially revealed this thing today:







The Forte, which has been around for a while, transforms into this thing for 2025. Powertrains on offer are a 147hp 2.0 backed by a CVT in most trims, or a 190hp 1.6T in the GT-Line backed by a... checks notes... 8-speed conventional automatic. No more manual trans, and no more proper GT model. They do list an optional multi-link rear suspension on the specs list, so maybe there is hope for a GT model, or maybe the GT-Line is the new GT. No one seems to know yet. 

My thoughts:

-The styling is like this...



...except the finished part of the horse is in the front. That rear end is hideous from the C-Pillar back. WOOF. Makes the last two revisions of the Forte look like real styling classics. 

-Lack of a true GT model is super lame, and so is the GT-Line nomenclature. Man, I hate that. But I get it, everyone is doing it. 

-RIP manual trans Kias. Another car you can't get with a manual. Sucks for enthusiasts, and you hate to see it.

-They are releasing a hatchback variant:



This is supposed to be a US market car that comes later. It looks better, but has that dumb fake separation of the roof and body styling that I personally cannot stand. 

-The interior is honestly the best part. Hyundai/Kia have been smashing them out of the park lately, and this is no exception. Looks like a nice place to spend time, and hopefully, they have upgraded the cheap materials inside over the previous generation that have been major sticking points in my 2020 Forte GT. That steering wheel with the offset logo is cool. 

Thoughts? 

This thing has the Acura ZDX/Accord Crosstour stance going for it. Not exactly a 1 for 1 replacement of the Forte. My ex had a Forte, not a bad car minus the passenger side axles that kept needing to be replaced (that long warranty was great). I enjoyed using the "Not my Forte" pun as well. 

Woof indeed. That thing is UG LEEE. 

I really can't stand this automotive trend of what is like an SUV without the back. So it's not even functional. 

I liked the 2015 Forte I drove pretty well. I won't lose sleep over it going away, but I do really dislike the trends I'm seeing.

Tony Sestito said:

and hopefully, they have upgraded the cheap materials inside over the previous generation that have been major sticking points in my 2020 Forte GT.

Thoughts? 

Good luck with that

I'd have to see it in person, but props to Kia/Hyundai for taking a bold stance on styling, even if it is....unconventional. I saw a half a dozen white SUV's at my local suburban catch-all store the other day and I couldnt have told you which was which without the badges on them. Ain't no mistaking this. 

In reply to Peabody :

I like my car just fine, but I can't stand the cheapness of materials they used to make it. And I can't stand dealing with the dealer or Kia USA even more (I've expounded over this a number of times here). I don't think I'll be buying another one anytime soon just due to that fact alone. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I hear ya. I had a 2016 Koup with the same 1.6 as yours. I didn't hate the car, and really liked some things about it, but there was a reason I didn't buy another when it was written off.

I love the design, and it's cool that we're getting the hatchback.

A lot of meh + overly complicated blocky styling cues to make it appear interesting instead of actually nice to look at.  

The hatchback actually looks pretty decent to me, unlike the sedan. I agree, that C pillar would look better connected, but overall the rest of it is a bit more cohesive than some of the other options on the market. 

I really don't like the black arch accents around the wheel wells. It just makes the wheel wells look too large for the wheels. Maybe they will be body color in a different trim level. 

Yeah, I don't mind the hatch. Volvo would call that a wagon :)

It seems odd to have more doors than door handles. Are the rears suicide doors?

As for the "not my Forte" jokes, a friend has a blue Soul. So many jokes.

Keith Tanner said:

It seems odd to have more doors than door handles. Are the rears suicide doors?

rear handles are in the C-pillar.

Ah, I see them now. Thanks.

After owing a series of BMWs in the past, my wife and I have now owned three Kias in a row.  When I showed her this car, she asked "Why don't new BMWs look this good?"  YMMV.

I look at the rear 3/4 view and feel like Kia heavily cribbed from the current GMC Terrain.

"hatchback" N-line might be the droid I'm looking for in a few years

I'm surprised so many of you are bent out of shape over this.  The sedan-like one looks no better or worse than most new cars today, and the little wagon-like one actually looks fairly good.   Admittedly I have a thing for wagons and they are becoming an endangered species.   

I kinda like Kia/Hyundai's current styling, not everything is great but at least they are taking chances.   The Genesis brand in particular has some nice looking vehicles that I would consider if I was in the market for that sort of thing.   

I actually like the styling too..........Really like  the "hatchback" (wagon) variant. Wouldn't mind that with AWD and the Kia Stinger or Elantra N drive train.  I am shocked how quickly Hyundai/Kia can put out upgraded and/or completely restyled vehicles. It's amazing.

In reply to SEADave :

I do agree with part of what you are saying. Both Kia and Hyundai have been taking risks lately style-wise. Some of them, for me, are paying off. Two examples:

The 2024 Elantra N:



The 2024 Sonata N-Line:


I think both of those look GREAT. They look futuristic and sporty, and have some quirky characteristics (those body lines!) that take risks without making them ugly. Only knock I have on either is that I would rather have a lip spoiler than a pedestal spoiler on the Elantra N, but that's it. Love both of the front end revisions on them. 

Kia has been taking even bigger risks, and they haven't all panned out. Some, like the early Stinger, have aged like milk sitting out in the desert sun. I saw one of those in traffic earlier this week, and time has done it zero favors. The mid-cycle refresh helped those a ton.

The K4 feels like they forgot how to design a car when they hit the C-pillar and they had to slap the back of it on quick to meet a deadline. It's just bad. Again, the hatchwagon thing looks better, except for that detached roof thing. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right. Never got that styling trend, and I never will. And the insistence on taking SUV/Crossover design trends and forcing them onto sedans and hatchbacks, like that fender cladding, just stop.

I must be getting old. Time to go yell at some clouds, I guess. 

Remember when Hyundai made this car, with a manual available, and nobody bought it?

In reply to prodarwin :

I did try to buy one! There were zero available in New England at the time with a manual. Dealers flat out wouldn't order them for inventory, at least around here. I have still yet to see one with my own eyes with a manual. 

Hello from New York, and a photo of it IRL.

How does it look in person?

The sedan in pics looks okay to me, some weird stuff, some good stuff. Still looks better than 19 of every 20 crossovers or trucks.

To me the hatch looks good. Looks wagony as was mentioned. 

Any smaller car that hits the market is a great thing. As a regular person, the best way to control vehicle inflation is to not be willing to spend $80k on a boring vehicle. Maybe not everyone needs a 9000lbs vehicle. My city just lowered the speed limit everywhere because pedestrian injuries/deaths are up everywhere...

I like it, folks are acting like they restyled an e type or something. Current Forte is absolutely boring to look at. This has style.