2026 Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line 1,000-Mile TestKiaI just put 1,000 miles on a Kia K4 Hatch and I have some thoughts.I piloted the mighty GT-Line Turbo, with a 190-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four mated to an actual eight-speed automatic (NOT a CVT! Saints be praised!).Prices start at $26,235 for the entry-level EX trim, while the more performance-oriented GT-Line Turbo starts at $30,135. My car as-tested stickered at $32,870.For you nitpickers: It was actually only 965.2 miles. I rounded it up to 1,000 for effect.I knew I'd be going at least 700 or so miles that week with three people and a load of camping gear, then wound up going 965.2 after a busier-than-expected week that included not just Los Angeles to Monterey and back, but a trip to Long Beach for the Model T Hill Climb and a few other places for who knows what. It might have been a more or less typical week for an active family, one at which this hatchback wagon is no doubt aimed.AdvertisementAdvertisementOf course, the flashy "Sparkling Yellow" paint on the GT-Line Turbo I drove is aimed at a younger buyer. Or someone who wants to be seen as younger. I was a little embarrassed by the paint job, and I swear I caught a few observers snickering. That might have just been the usual paranoia, which strikes deep, as Neil Young said.But the underlying vehicle itself was a solid family hauler. The K4 hatchback is actually a K4 sedan with about a foot lopped off the rear and a big rear door that swings up. It's so big a swing that Kia will sell you an even bigger nylon camping tent that attaches to it like a practical, comfortable, totally portable ADU.I didn't get the attached tent. I brought my own.KiaInside is 22.2 cubic feet of cargo space, but that's with both rows of seats upright. Fold them down and the GT-Line hatchback's cargo hold expands to a massive 59.3 cubic feet, more than enough for my needs. We folded two thirds of the rear seatback flat to accommodate the third occupant, leaving I don't know how many cubic feet of cargo for everything else, somewhere between 22 and 60 cu ft. It was more than enough.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe K4 hatch starts out with a 147-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, driving the front wheels, mated to a CVT transmission. But I piloted the mighty GT-Line Turbo, with a 190-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four mated to an actual eight-speed automatic (NOT a CVT! Saints be praised!).Despite its added power, the drivetrain in my test-K4 returned 26.9 mpg fully loaded at extra-legal highway speeds. The EPA says it gets 26 city/33 highway/and 28 combined.How quick was it? Car and Driver got a 0-60-mph time of 7.3 seconds for a K4 sedan. While I, using the highly inaccurate handheld iPhone method of timing, got a 7.2-second time in the turbo hatchback (unloaded).The GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo models of the K4 hatchback also get a better multilink rear suspension instead of the torsion-beam rear in the base trim. The first time I drove one, way back in January, I was a little disappointed by the handling. That might have been because Kia presented it as a hot hatch, or used words to that effect.Power sunroof is included in the GT-Line trim.KiaWhile it's not a hot hatch, it did remain composed on the numerous twisty two-lanes on which I took it. Even with a full load of gear and people it never got squirrely. It just wasn't the same kind of "fun" you'd experience in a Volkswagen GTI, Honda Civic, Subaru Impreza, or Toyota Corolla, ostensibly hot hatches to which Kia compares the K4.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat's only abetted a little by the eight-speed automatic. If left to its own devices, it'll upshift immediately into the no-fun-of-any-kind zone. While there are paddle shifters on the steering wheel, you get more response by knocking the shifter lever over into manual and shifting gears that way. It did the job and just a little more.But this doesn't really have to be hot in the handling department. It is stylish, looks great inside, and carries itself well under most conditions. A large number of possibly urban young male buyers will go for it, but families could get this, too, without the $395 Sparkling Yellow paint. It starts at $26,235 for the entry-level EX trim, while the more performance-oriented GT-Line Turbo that I drove starts at $30,135. My car as-tested stickered at $32,870.As I noted in January, for style and whatever performance you can extract from it, the K4 hatchback is a better choice than just about any crossover utility vehicle.