KIA is renowned for its cute utes for the city and big guy sport utes, built for those backwood trails.
Oh wait, they also make a sedan for regular folks, more focused on the daily drive? Well, bring it on.
The K4 is the replacement for the trusty if boring looking Forte and its sleeker profile and distinctive rake back makes it a bit more of a head turner in appearance than its predecessor.
Maybe that's faint praise but when it comes to a daily drive I'm not sure attracting envious glances from your neighbours is a high priority.
The EX model tester came with a 2.0-lire, four-cylinder engine that generates 147 horsepower, and is matched to an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT) - dubbed IVT by KIA because it says its intelligently variable. Ok.
The 2.0-litre is rated as typically using gas at the rate of 7.3 L/100 km in combined city/highway driving. That's can't hurt the family's monthly transportation budget. In other trims, an available turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder cranks up the power to 190 horses, courtesy of an eight-speed automatic transmission. But sips more gas.
Its slightly sportier appearance doesn't translate to the performance but then again, does it need to?
The gearshift set up is traditional rather than through button control. Steering is light touch but offers enough feedback for the driver to take the curves and corners smoothly.
No burning rubber takeoffs but it gets to the desired passing and cruising speeds but just at a slower pace, you might say.
All trims come with emergency front braking, adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go function, which is truly a blessing in congested traffic.
When the car in front stops so do you without lifting a finger or foot and it gets underway as the car ahead takes off.
Other safety tech includes lane-keep assist, driver attention warning and rearview camera. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic avoidance is on all trims except the base LX.
The bargain starting prices in the low 20s for the K4 range precludes the trendy all-leather look but the hard plastic excess is not a put off. It still looks good and think of it this way - a wet rag soon restores its sparkle.
Its inner tech is more than adequate for the commute with all versions featuring the now typical tablet-style infotainment screen, displaying a digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen which offers the choice of Apple Car Play or Android Auto. A wireless charger is standard on the EX model and above.
Get this. Even the entry-level LX has heated front seats and "my" EX added a very desirable heated steering wheel. The seats were supportive and comfortable on a longer drive. I would have welcomed a power-adjustable driver's seat but you have to get into the turbo editions for that semi-luxury.
On a practical level how many people of different dimensions drive your car? If it's you alone then you adjust once!
My distant memory recalls not a lot about my previous Forte experience but the legroom seems to have been improved. I liked the cupholders which include inserts that adjust to hold smaller or larger cups more securely.
Rear stowage is more than adequate for the weekend's Big Shop. In fact, the K4's 413 litres of trunk space is only six litres less than the ultra-popular and Honda Civics. That's eight bottles of wine but then KIA probably doesn't rate trunk space the same way as I do.
The K4 is blessed with hard buttons for climate controls and infotainment menus. I'm the one saying it is a blessing. I find screen controls just too distracting some times.
In wrapping up, watch for a hatchback in the near future as one exists in the land of its birth and you have to think a hybrid is on the horizon.
Here's the pricing for 2025: LX - $23,995; EX - $26,495; EX+ -$27,995; GT-Line Turbo - $31,495; GT-Line Turbo Limited - $34,495.