[0:09] The 2026 [music]
[0:10] Kia K4 hatchback, not to be confused
[0:13] with K19 the Widowmaker, that's a
[0:14] completely separate thing. In this
[0:16] video, we're going to talk about the
[0:17] pros and cons, the price point, and who
[0:19] this is for, and some of the things this
[0:21] brand does great, and maybe why you
[0:22] would [music] consider it. But, let's
[0:23] get started with the trim levels and
[0:26] prices. This bad boy starts at about
[0:28] $25,000 for the poverty spec. You can go
[0:31] to the GT Line, which adds more
[0:33] features, and if you add the technology
[0:35] pack, which gets you heated and cooled
[0:37] seats, acoustic front glass,
[0:39] a moonroof, and a whole bunch of other
[0:41] stuff, it's at 28 grand. And that's a
[0:44] really, really good deal for what you're
[0:46] getting here. Then you go to the GT Line
[0:47] Turbo, which I'm in, and then you add
[0:49] the tech pack, it bumps it all the way
[0:50] up to about $32,000. That gives you more
[0:53] power, ambient lighting, and a few other
[0:55] niceties.
[0:56] But, again, there's a price spread here
[0:58] where you can get a brand new car almost
[1:00] like loaded for 28 grand and feeling
[1:03] really, really good. But, you've been
[1:04] looking at the outside this far, and the
[1:06] outside tells a different story. It
[1:08] looks very, very modern. It was clearly
[1:10] designed in the digital domain, and it's
[1:12] not something that's going to age well.
[1:13] It's very here and now, but really,
[1:16] there's a good amount of color options.
[1:18] There's something here for everybody.
[1:20] But, again, you know, I'll leave the
[1:21] looks to you. Let's talk about the
[1:23] interior space where you're going to
[1:24] live. What this brand has done really
[1:26] good here, and around 28 grand, as you
[1:28] look at the textures of the dashboard,
[1:30] the plastics, they have absolutely
[1:32] mastered the art of commodity cars.
[1:35] I was talking to Jack about this. When
[1:36] you look at the upper dashboard, it
[1:37] looks like higher quality in here at
[1:39] about 28 grand than we get in a base 911
[1:42] or like even a specked-out 911 with
[1:44] their plastic dash. They know where to
[1:47] put soft-touch materials. They know
[1:48] where to put hard textures that makes
[1:50] this look way more expensive than it is.
[1:52] And when you go to a dealership for the
[1:53] first time, you're going to be wowed by
[1:55] it. They've also mastered the use of
[1:57] physical controls. When you look at the
[1:58] door panel, your heated heated and
[2:01] cooled seats and your heated steering
[2:02] wheel and your memory buttons are all in
[2:04] a line, all easy to find. You're not
[2:06] going to mess with this. The steering
[2:07] wheel controls are physical. No haptics,
[2:09] super clicky, easy to use. Like
[2:11] everything's so intuitive about this car
[2:13] and that's why it is special for the
[2:15] price price point. I think they made you
[2:17] feel like you're spending a lot more
[2:19] money without overcomplicating it or
[2:20] making it hyper gimmicky. The only thing
[2:22] negative I can really say is because
[2:24] they hybridized the HVAC controls.
[2:26] There's physicals for temp and fan
[2:29] speed, but everything else is in the
[2:30] touchscreen. And they've kind of hidden
[2:32] this HVAC control model panel behind the
[2:35] steering wheel so you can't even see it.
[2:36] If you want to maximize it, oftentimes
[2:38] there's lag or delay. When I first turn
[2:40] on this car, it won't ever full screen.
[2:42] So, there is some frustration on the
[2:44] software side, but it's still way better
[2:46] than a lot of the other brands are
[2:47] doing. Overall seating comfort is pretty
[2:49] good. I find that they do a a pretty
[2:51] good job with their lumbar support. The
[2:53] the thigh cushion is pretty decent for
[2:56] most body types and the seats are just
[2:58] overall pretty comfortable. They don't
[3:00] have like a solid bottom cushion like
[3:02] Mazda. It It's a good blend between all
[3:04] the brands. I feel like again, the touch
[3:07] points and the things you interact with
[3:08] your are a joy to use. In terms of back
[3:10] seat space, very comfortable, easy to
[3:13] get in and out. If you opt for the
[3:15] upper trim levels with multi-link rear,
[3:17] it's more comfortable in the back and
[3:18] more refined. The hatch space is great.
[3:20] I mean, clearly you can see with the
[3:22] seats down, this is like small SUV
[3:24] levels of storage and usability without
[3:27] the footprint of a CUV or the boring
[3:30] nature of, you know, everybody and their
[3:31] grandma has an SUV now. That's it just
[3:33] feels played out. This gives you
[3:35] something unique and I think people are
[3:37] going to like that. But, we're going to
[3:38] take this in the shop. I'm going to
[3:39] explain how they got the price point to
[3:41] where it is and some of the things that
[3:42] they're doing here that are unique to
[3:44] Hyundai and Kia.
[3:49] Now that you understand the price point
[3:51] and the features, I'm going to explain
[3:53] to you how they were able to get the
[3:54] price point down. I'm going to give you
[3:55] a crash course here. You know, brands
[3:57] have tried to bring manufacturing back
[3:59] to the United States, but they can't get
[4:00] the prices low enough.
[4:02] Even in the Koreans are struggling with
[4:03] this despite them owning their own
[4:05] supply chain. They make their own steel,
[4:06] they make most of their own parts, but
[4:08] bringing it to the United States is now
[4:09] more expensive. So, this Kia and Hyundai
[4:12] counterpart is made in Mexico. That's to
[4:15] drive down cost. They've also done it in
[4:17] several different ways. This car is
[4:19] almost entirely steel. There's no
[4:20] composites, no aluminum. They've also
[4:22] had to balance a strategy of how to make
[4:24] it feel refined without just going off
[4:26] the deep end with covering every single
[4:28] piece of this car up. So, when you look
[4:30] at the body structure, they've used
[4:32] structural adhesive and body sealers as
[4:34] in many strategic places as possible.
[4:37] Like the front end, they really used a
[4:38] lot of body sealers around the front
[4:40] wheels and around the front subframe.
[4:42] And that's going to quiet down road
[4:43] noise for that driver and passenger and
[4:45] eliminate,
[4:47] you know, tire noise as much as
[4:48] possible. They've done a good job
[4:50] covering the wheel well arches in the
[4:51] front and the back. And this brand is
[4:53] really big on structural adhesive, which
[4:55] does reduce NVH. They They have a really
[4:58] good concept of how to control it. They
[5:00] also use acoustic panels where they need
[5:01] to in the middle part of the car, but
[5:03] that's about it. Now, they've taken
[5:05] panels off where they don't need it for
[5:07] a car of this price point. Like here,
[5:08] the entire engine underneath is
[5:10] uncovered, which is great for
[5:11] serviceability. If you're spending 25 to
[5:13] 30 grand for a car, you're probably
[5:15] doing your own oil changes or doing your
[5:16] own work. In that regard, you can strip
[5:18] everything off this car with minimal
[5:20] effort, which I really like. I like the
[5:22] fact you can just crawl under this thing
[5:24] and get at to wherever you need without
[5:26] having to pull off service panels. That
[5:28] is a big deal. Now, let me talk about
[5:30] some of the differences between the
[5:31] different trim levels. The EX is the
[5:33] lowest. You get a naturally aspirated
[5:35] engine and a IVT, which is their version
[5:38] of a CVT, which is excellently tuned. It
[5:40] is one of the better ones in the
[5:41] industry. The negative part of getting
[5:43] that lowest trim level is you only get a
[5:45] torsion beam rear end, no independent
[5:47] suspension in the back. So, if you're
[5:48] sensitive to ride quality or you have
[5:50] back passengers or kids that are
[5:51] sensitive in the backseat,
[5:53] it's going to have a choppier ride. When
[5:55] you go up to the GT Line and the GT Line
[5:57] Turbo, you get independent rear, which
[5:59] makes a huge difference in ride quality.
[6:01] You also get slightly bigger rear brakes
[6:03] and you get retuned dampers for the GT
[6:05] Line cars.
[6:07] So, the GT Line and the EX both get get
[6:10] the same naturally aspirated 2-liter
[6:11] with that CVT. And then the GT Line
[6:14] Turbo, the 1.6-liter turbo gets about
[6:16] 190-ish horsepower and torque and you
[6:19] get a traditional torque converter
[6:21] automatic. So, drivability-wise, if you
[6:23] really care about driving dynamics, you
[6:25] have to go to the GT Line Turbo.
[6:26] Otherwise, you know, that middle trim,
[6:28] the GT Line without the turbo, is a
[6:30] really good choice. But anyway, I'm
[6:33] going to leave it at that. I hope that
[6:34] gives you a better understanding of how
[6:36] they did what they did here. We're going
[6:37] to take this for a drive and talk about
[6:38] the pros and cons.
[6:44] Jack,
[6:46] Kia K4 [music] Hatchback.
[6:49] This is for a very specific clientele,
[6:52] but I want you to first, before [music]
[6:53] we get started, I want you to just feel
[6:54] this.
[6:56] Do you feel any NVH from the engine?
[6:58] >> No.
[6:59] >> It's incredible because the engine's on.
[7:01] >> Mhm.
[7:02] >> Like how smooth this thing is.
[7:04] >> I think in a world where everything is
[7:06] becoming increasingly too expensive,
[7:09] the value proposition of this car, how
[7:11] it sits with all its options,
[7:13] is incredible. I'm really, really,
[7:16] really impressed by this car.
[7:18] >> Yeah, I you know, when I got in it, I'm
[7:20] like, obviously you get past the looks
[7:22] and the paint color and you know, thank
[7:24] god it's unique, but uh truthfully, um
[7:27] when you drive this,
[7:29] you appreciate just how much work they
[7:32] put into this for like an affordable car
[7:35] because it basically fixes all the
[7:37] things that we've complained about this
[7:38] brand in terms of refinement for so
[7:41] long. The engine is disappears into the
[7:44] background compared to the Toyota
[7:45] equivalents and Hondas. The trans is
[7:48] you know,
[7:49] >> It's fine.
[7:49] >> It's fine. It's an eight-speed torque
[7:51] converted version.
[7:52] >> I would take this over the CVT in a like
[7:55] Corolla any day of the week though.
[7:57] >> And I think this becomes the argument.
[7:58] And I I I talked about this in the shop,
[8:00] how they did it, why they did it. But
[8:03] from a practical perspective, um
[8:06] why would you choose this or would you
[8:08] consider choosing this over a Corolla or
[8:10] a Civic? Cuz that becomes the argument
[8:12] for this.
[8:12] >> From a feature set, from a refinement
[8:14] perspective, from a driving side of
[8:16] things,
[8:17] I mean, this and a Civic hatch,
[8:19] I still think the Civic's a touch more
[8:21] refined in the ride quality. I even
[8:22] think in the quietness, though we
[8:23] haven't done them back-to-back.
[8:25] Um but I think from a Corolla
[8:28] comparison, this thing blows that car
[8:29] out of the water, at least from a
[8:31] driving perspective.
[8:32] I the the
[8:34] engine, when it decides to downshift, is
[8:36] far less anemic. It's more importantly
[8:38] really quiet.
[8:39] >> Yeah.
[8:40] >> Can't hear it at all. The steering's
[8:41] well weighted. The the basic inputs for
[8:44] like throttle mapping and brake pedal
[8:46] mapping
[8:47] are good. Like I think it's a very easy
[8:51] car to drive where there isn't one thing
[8:52] that sort of sticks out. When you tell
[8:54] it to downshift and you put it in a
[8:55] sport,
[8:57] it's not going to blow you away in
[8:59] speed, but that's not what you're asking
[9:00] for in a car like this.
[9:02] How is it You've driven this longer than
[9:04] me though. And obviously sat in this car
[9:05] for like 2 hours and you were on the
[9:07] highway.
[9:07] >> Yeah.
[9:08] >> How is it when you actually push it hard
[9:09] with something I can't do on the street
[9:11] too.
[9:11] >> know, like the the engine calibration of
[9:13] this and then the NVH team that worked
[9:16] on this, I think has a really good idea
[9:17] of how to eliminate the shitbox feeling
[9:19] of a four-cylinder. And this is
[9:21] something that we complain about with
[9:22] Toyotas specifically. You get in it and
[9:24] it just sounds horrible. Like they don't
[9:26] know how to isolate it out. It finds It
[9:28] sounds like it vibrates and excites
[9:31] every panel and every piece of metal.
[9:33] They this They They have the the torque
[9:36] curve of this engine set up where it
[9:38] doesn't necessarily need to downshift
[9:40] and that's what I found on the highway
[9:41] is you just go into it a quarter and
[9:43] it's instantly got power. It almost has
[9:45] an electric feel to it without having
[9:47] any hybridization and I think for a
[9:49] majority of the public that's going to
[9:50] drive it is going to appreciate that
[9:53] part of the refinement of it cuz it
[9:54] never really has to wind up and when you
[9:56] need it to get going it just does. The
[9:58] transmission, you know, mostly blends
[9:59] into the background. This isn't
[10:01] pretending to be a sporty car. It's just
[10:03] something that's like pointed at me.
[10:05] Does it do the refinement part? Does it
[10:07] do the comfort part? Does it do the
[10:08] technology part? And I would say it's
[10:10] like eight out of 10 out of all of those
[10:13] including the driving assist functions
[10:15] when you get to this high trim level. It
[10:17] It's one of the best for the price point
[10:19] if not the best.
[10:20] >> No, this is way better than the Honda
[10:22] system.
[10:23] >> It's way better than the Honda system.
[10:24] It's really I think it's better than the
[10:26] Toyota and it like blows away the Mazda
[10:28] stuff.
[10:29] >> Well.
[10:29] >> Because it does the driving assist part
[10:32] where it's an assist that you can lean
[10:34] on, right? You don't have to second
[10:36] guess it. It just does it without being
[10:38] in your face like the Toyota It's
[10:39] like it's constantly bothering you on
[10:41] the Toyota. This just it kind of works.
[10:43] >> So my question I pose to you
[10:46] is while this car is a value from an
[10:49] initial purchase perspective Kia and
[10:52] Hyundai have really suffered in
[10:54] long-term residuals.
[10:55] >> Yes.
[10:55] >> So my
[10:56] my [clears throat] assumption is if you
[10:58] paid let's say a Civic hatch
[11:01] with all the bells and whistles which
[11:03] are which is still less features than
[11:05] this car has to say low 30s
[11:07] would you still buy this over say a
[11:10] Corolla or like a Mazda 3?
[11:12] >> Well,
[11:13] yes and no. Look, the 10-year plan
[11:15] because of the warranty, right? If
[11:17] they're going to honor the warranty and
[11:18] you're not going to have a bunch of
[11:19] drama with you know, theft crap and
[11:22] reliability
[11:23] you know, you keep this for 10 years
[11:25] it's not going to matter that much.
[11:27] >> That's because you have your powertrain
[11:28] warranty.
[11:28] >> Yeah, assuming everything's going to
[11:29] work properly on here and this is a
[11:31] lower trim level car. There's not a lot
[11:32] of complication to it. You know, these
[11:35] you know, of course, not knock on wood,
[11:37] but you know, assuming the engine's not
[11:39] going to eat itself, the trans is a
[11:41] known quantity in these cars. I mean,
[11:43] there's just not a lot for that for it
[11:44] to go wrong unless something major we
[11:46] don't know. But for 10 years, I think
[11:50] because you're going to get the fine the
[11:51] interest rate so low, it's going to be
[11:53] so subsidized out that you can get a low
[11:55] payment on it. It doesn't scare me that
[11:56] much. This would be a different
[11:58] discussion if we were talking about a
[11:59] used car. But as a new product, I think
[12:02] it delivers a lot more than what the
[12:03] existing Toyota lineup offers for other
[12:06] small compact cars, and that's going to
[12:08] >> 3, too.
[12:08] >> And the And the Mazda 3, like, you know,
[12:10] the Mazda 3, the problem with the Mazda
[12:12] is they haven't been able to keep it up
[12:15] to date like the Koreans have, right?
[12:17] Like, it's fallen behind. There's
[12:18] nothing wrong with it, but
[12:20] refinement-wise and the back seat, you
[12:22] know, like, this is a refined car. And
[12:24] does it have issues with jounciness and
[12:26] some of that it can't control like some
[12:29] of these higher-amplitude impacts? Yes,
[12:31] but at this price point, it's not
[12:32] egregious. And if that's good enough for
[12:35] most people
[12:36] >> And you can't get a hybrid yet, which is
[12:37] the other thing.
[12:38] >> this is front-wheel drive only. You
[12:40] know, like, you still have those same
[12:41] arguments with some of the other
[12:42] competition, but um I don't know, Jack.
[12:45] I I think it's time to sum all this up.
[12:47] >> All right. Take me to the final
[12:49] thoughts.
[12:50] >> [music]
[12:54] >> Here we are, the conclusions of the K4
[12:56] hatchback.
[12:57] Hyundai and Kia have done a a really
[12:59] good job now at understanding how to buy
[13:03] all the things they need for their
[13:04] supply chain and drive the price down
[13:07] across all their cars, cars and SUVs.
[13:09] And this is a perfect example of how
[13:11] they figured out how to cut costs
[13:12] everywhere to get the price point down
[13:14] to like the mid $25,000 range and upper
[13:17] 20s, and you get all the features that
[13:19] really would cost you about $35,000 with
[13:21] the other brand. Now, they've had to
[13:23] make concessions in certain places, but
[13:25] as a customer, most people don't realize
[13:27] it. And yes, they've had more issues
[13:29] with reliability of their gasoline
[13:30] engines. I mean, it's not just perceived
[13:32] reliability. We drive everywhere and
[13:34] we're seeing a lot of the the older cars
[13:36] puffing out oil or black smoke from
[13:38] their engines. I hope they get some of
[13:39] these quality issues mechanically under
[13:41] control, EVs and the regular gasoline
[13:44] cars. But assuming you don't care about
[13:46] that, the the one thing you want to the
[13:49] reason why you'd want to buy a new car
[13:51] like this in this climate is not
[13:52] everybody has the money to buy a used
[13:54] car and in the United States, your
[13:56] financing rates can be a lot lower and
[13:58] more favorable for longer terms with
[14:00] less money down and driving down your
[14:01] payments if you really need that new car
[14:03] experience. And this really does
[14:05] deliver. It's more refined than the
[14:07] Toyota and Honda counterparts, at least
[14:08] on the pure internal combustion engine.
[14:10] The engine and transmission just
[14:11] disappear in the background. It's it's
[14:13] really quiet and it is super comfortable
[14:15] and it's feature-packed. So, it's it's
[14:17] giving you so much there and it's a good
[14:19] blend of physical controls, usability
[14:21] and with the hatch, I mean, you can
[14:22] store so much stuff in here without
[14:23] having that footprint of an SUV. Really
[14:26] like that part. I I wish that they would
[14:28] figure out a way just to to go back for
[14:30] the to the basics for their regular cars
[14:32] and going more physical HVAC controls.
[14:35] This is hybridized and the software,
[14:37] like I talked about in the interior,
[14:38] does have some lag and it gets
[14:40] frustrating, but other than that, it's
[14:42] very hard to find complaints about the
[14:44] K4 hatchback. Check it out if you're in
[14:46] the market for an affordable new car.