The hatch is back with the 2026 Kia K4.
While it’s technically hit the auto show scene (Andre covered it here), Kia invited journalists out to take an up close and personal look at the new Kia K4 hatchback. So, Tommy and I headed out to Detroit to check out the automaker’s latest hatchback, after the last-generation Forte (which this replaces) offered no such option in the U.S. market. We in the TFL Studios office are admittedly hatchback fans, so it’s welcome news to see Kia is following up last year’s K4 compact sedan launch with a five-door model.
Now, from the front, the 2026 Kia K4 hatchback looks identical to its sedan counterpart. You get a far more distinctive nose than the old Forte, with EV9-style vertical LED headlights, T-shaped running lights that cut in toward the grille, and a gloss black lower fascia. Once you get into the side profile, though, you can immediately spot one huge difference between the two cars: the length.
Kia says the K4 hatchback is 11 inches shorter overall than the sedan (or 10.6 inches if get the GT-Line), though both ride on the same 107.1-inch wheelbase. Despite that, though, the hatch’s roofline adds far more available cargo space than you’d manage with the K4 sedan’s trunk (at 14.6 cubic feet). With the seats in place, the K4 hatchback offers up 22.2 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold them down, and that volume expands to a generous 59.3 cubic feet.
At the back, the K4 hatchback gets a similarly dramatic, down-turning light signature as the front, as well as a small spoiler. Beneath the Sparking Yellow (in this application, the GT-Line’s signature color) and gloss black paint, you get a small spoiler on the hatch. Despite looking like it lacks a rear wiper, the K4 hatch does actually have one installed, but it’s hidden on the top portion of the rear hatch, under that spoiler.
Even with the new look, the K4 hatchback brings two familiar powertrains to the party.
Kia’s certainly moved on from building fairly bland, anonymous blobs in the ’90s and 2000s to truly coming into its own over the past couple generations. Divisive though the company’s new “Opposites United” design language may be, the sharp and angular look of both the K4 sedan and this new hatch suggest we’re looking at a truly hot offering here.
Sadly, that’s not quite the case, at least on paper. Base 2026 Kia K4 hatchback models will still use the same 147-horsepower, 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine as the sedan. That comes yoked to a continuously variable transmission, and while it’s efficient, hot it is not. The situation improves with the 1.6-liter turbocharged GT-Line, which kicks out 190 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission. That’s better, though it is technically 11 fewer horsepower than the old Forte GT offered. And since there’s no Elantra N-like variant in the mix (as far as we know right now), Tommy contends this is more of a warm hatch than, say, a dyed in the wool GTI (or even Mazda 3 Turbo) competitor.
All that said, the Kia K4 hatchback is a notable contender against the Honda Civic Si, as well as the Toyota Corolla hatchback and the naturally aspirated Mazda 3. As far as hatchback options go, your options are pretty limited these days, so it’s always nice to have at least one more option.
Looking inside the 2026 Kia K4 hatchback
Broadly speaking, the 2026 Kia K4’s interior matches the sedan tit-for-tat. You get dual 12.3-inch touchscreens, as well as a 5-inch display sandwiched between them for your climate controls. Fortunately, though, Kia also included physical buttons for most of your basic tasks, so you don’t have to fumble around in the infotainment system to get to your basic functions. The steering wheel, despite having a flat bottom and top, takes a similarly straightforward approach. You get all your driver assistance controls on the left hand side, media controls on the right side, drive modes on the center spoke and a couple paddle shifters for good measure.
The 2026 Kia K4 hatchback still gets the automaker’s full ADAS suite, including Lane Keep Assist and Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go support. The GT-Line Turbo model can get Evasive Steering Assist (avoiding obstacles where space allows) and Highway Driving Assist 2 (maintaining distance and lane centering) as optional features.
Kia says the K4 hatchback will arrive in late 2025. While we still don’t have pricing yet, it will cost at least a little more than the K4 sedan, so expect pricing in the low-to-mid-$20,000s to start. Beyond that, the GT-Line Turbo will top out the range at around $30,000.
