The new Kia K4 Hatchback looks like a hot hatch, but is it one?

For many of us, hot hatches hold a special place in our hearts, and Kia just pulled on those heartstrings. At the New York International Auto Show, Kia revealed a new sibling to its K4 sedan, the K4 Hatchback.

Kia boasts of the Hatchback’s practicality. Yes, the Hatchback is 11 inches shorte…

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While it might not be the punchiest hatchback in its class, I'll gladly welcome another hatchback instead of another CUV or SUV.

The color looks rad, too.

Can they turn this into a spiritual successor to the Veloster N? 

David S. Wallens said:

Can they turn this into a spiritual successor to the Veloster N? 

I might be imagining this, but I recall hearing some noise or rumours that a more powerful K4 was coming down the pipeline in the not-so-distant future?

GR Corolla fighter, maybe? 

This really looks more like a wagon rather than a "hot hatch", and it looks WAY better as a wagon than the dumpy road loaf that is the K4 Sedan. The spiciest it will get is the GT-Line Turbo, with 190hp and an automatic. That's sort of underwhelming, honestly. The old Forte GT made more power and was offered with a manual, at least. 

Also, can car manufacturers quit it with the "floating roof" design element already? 

I like. Will like even more with 250 or more HP. BTW, does anyone actually use the paddle shifters in anger? I'll use it for downhills, but not for sporty driving.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I agree, it does seem more like a wagon from the photos. Kia needs to up their power game, IMO. Then again, they're also one of the cheapest cars on the market now.

Dear Hyundai/Kia,

This is nice, thank you for thinking of us, but, I 30 N please.

Thank you.

P.S. The I 30 N already exists...bring it here...you can do it!

In reply to Coniglio Rampante :

I keep seeing MK7.5 golf r when I look at the I30N

I really wish they would come out with an N Line like thing for KIA, and bring manuals back.

In reply to Coniglio Rampante :

Love the Hyundai i30, as I watch rally. I second this. 

Its a slight longer Elantra GT in Kia flavor, minus the good part (6spd manual).

With the N drivetrain its possible this car wouldn't suck.

That's far too large to be a hot hatch. 

z31maniac said:

That's far too large to be a hot hatch. 

Its 2" longer than a GR Corolla which I think is widely accepted as a hot hatch.  Quite a bit shorter than a CTR.

Not quite as short as a Golf or Veloster though.

 

Might be a very nice car, but my definition of "hot hatch" doesn't include 3000# cars.

I'm not really seeing a single good line on that car. The design looks confused to me. The front doesn't go with the back, and not in a good mullet kind of way, either

I saw a Forté hatch yesterday with the 1.6T, and 6spd manual and thought it was a pretty good looking car. This, not so much

Another interesting point: Kia offered a Forte5 hatchback for the last generation, but not in the US. It was kinda goofy, to be honest:



The previous generation's Forte5 looked better than either this or the K4 wagon/hatch thing. 

This variant looked a lot better

In reply to Peabody :

You speak the truth. It's hideous!!!

Agreed on the i30, bring that here instead of this monstrosity.

Ooooo, I like it and I mean a lot. It's not a hatch it's a wagon but that's even better for me. I love the color too but it need's AWD and at least 250+ HP for me to be in. DDing a Kona N right now and that thing is straight up bad ass but it's a teeny bit small on storage and FWD only. A small wagon like this could fix that. I have always hoped Subaru would put the WRX drive train into the Impreza wagon and/or bring over the Levorg too. I still can't understand America's dislike of wagons. Lastly, another vehicle on my wish list.....Hyundai Santa Cruz N. Mmmmmm.

TravisTheHuman said:

This variant looked a lot better

Hey look it's my car!

I20N and I30N would be absolutely loved here in the US. 

If the K4 GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo are the mid tier then maybe Kia has the full on K4 GT coming with the 286hp 2.0L from the Elantra N with the 8 speed DCT?

The lack of punch and no DCT (cmonnnnn it already exists) makes this fall flat imo. I'm otherwise in love with the wagon-esque shape. 

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

Might be a very nice car, but my definition of "hot hatch" doesn't include 3000# cars.

Have you checked the specs on a Honda Civic Type R or VW GTI lately?  Just about everything is porky these days.