Where the K4 sedan has low-end LX and LXS trims, the Hatchback starts with the mid-range EX. For $26,235 including the $1,245 destination charge, the EX gets you features like LED headlights (with amber running lights) and taillights, 17-inch wheels heated front seats, a 6-speaker sound system with two tweeters, wireless phone charging, dual-zone automatic climate control and auto up/down front windows. It also comes standard with automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind-spot assist, lane-keeping assist and lane-following assist, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, and automated emergency braking with car, cyclist, and pedestrian detection.
The GT-Line comes in at $27,235. In addition to the sportier exterior styling and suspension tune, it brings along 18-inch wheels, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, a three-spoke steering wheel and Kia’s SynTex artificial leather on the door panels. For another $2,100, the Premium package adds on the larger gauge cluster, an 8-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system with a subwoofer, navigation and an AI assistant, ventilated front seats, memory for the driver’s seat and mirrors, a heated steering wheel, an acoustic windshield, a power sunroof, and Kia’s Highway Driving Assist feature.
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If you want the GT-Line Turbo you’ll have to pony up… not actually that much more. It’s $30,135, still only $500 more than the GT-Line Turbo sedan and only $800 more than the GT-Line hatch with the Premium package. (Kia points out it’s the cheapest turbocharged hatch in the segment.) The Turbo comes with everything from the GT-Line Premium other than the ventilated seats and memory functions, also adding different wheels, fancier LED projector headlights and taillights, and air vents for the back seat. For $2,300, a Technology package adds an upgraded Highway Driving Assist 2 system, more functionality for the forward collision avoidance system, blind-spot cameras, a surround-view camera with parking sensors all around, ambient interior lighting, digital key capability and those ventilated front seats and driver’s memory features.
When the cheapest Civic hatchback is $29,090 (and is stuck with a CVT) and the hybrid starts at $30,595, the K4 Hatchback seems like a pretty sweet deal to me in GT-Line Turbo trim, especially once you factor in the stellar warranty. This is a great entry into the segment, probably the closest an automaker has come to objectively besting the Civic — to many people, this will be the easy winner. Kia says 54% of existing K4 buyers are new to the brand, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that number is even higher for the hatchback. And please, if you’re gonna buy one, get it in yellow.
