Kia K4 Sportswagon Is Available With A Manual And Looks Like Mighty Tasty Forbidden Fruit

Kia had record-breaking sales in the U.S. last year, and that was due in large part to Kia's offering in the market segment that several other automakers have abandoned: the compact car segment, specifically the compact sedan. The newly introduced and awfully impressive Kia K4 replaced the aging Kia Forte almost two years ago, and in 2025, Kia sold 140,514 of them, making the K4 the automaker's second-best-selling model in the U.S. behind the Sportage compact crossover. Kia is expanding the K4 lineup by offering the K4 Hatchback this year, but it also just unveiled the K4 Sportswagon that will soon be available in Europe, and I'm having wagon envy.

Now the K4 Sportswagon is heavy on the wagon and light on the sport, so don't despair too much, but I just love a good old-fashioned longroof wagon body style, whether it's on a compact Kia or an opulent Audi. Despite no real sporty intentions, the K4 Sportswagon will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission attached to a tiny turbocharged 1.0-liter four-cylinder that produces about 113 horsepower. It is also offered with the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that's optional in the U.S., but that engine is only offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission like it is here.

Kia says the K4 Sportswagon has nearly 6 cubic feet more storage capacity behind the rear seats than the hatchback, and nearly 8 cubic feet more storage capacity when the rear seats are folded flat. I think the K4 Hatchback looks the best out of the three body styles, but the K4 Sportswagon still outshines the sedan in my eyes. All that cargo room comes courtesy of the elongated wagon body style, which actually makes the K4 Sportswagon 0.4 inch longer than a Sportage, though it's about a foot shorter than the Sportage in height.

The automaker has not announced pricing for the K4 Sportswagon yet, but it's likely to be the most expensive body style in the K4 lineup, given that it is the largest. Kia says the K4 Sportswagon will offer a full hybrid powertrain later this year, but for now the 1.0-liter engine can be had with a mild-hybrid system that doesn't add any extra power.

Kia

Other details about the K4 Sportswagon are slim at the moment, but if you live in the U.S., don't get your hopes up for this body style to be coming to your local Kia dealer any time soon. You'll have to go for the great looking K4 Hatchback instead.