2024 Kia K3 Breaks Cover, It's a Fastback With Crossover Design

1 year, 3 months ago - 10 August 2023, autoevolution

The 2024 Kia K3 is here, and it is difficult to tell the fastback design from the crossover styling. It seems to have quite a generous ride height, towering over your usual sedan/fastback, and plastic body cladding, which we usually get to see in SUVs.

Kia has just revealed the new K3 during an event in Mexico City, and the carmaker hopes the model will "redefine the sub-compact segment." The South Koreans are clearly positioning the model as an entry-level one.

There is the familiar Tiger Nose grille at the front, flanked by elongated narrow LED headlights. The cut between the hood and fenders follows an original line towards the windshield. Meanwhile, the car comes with crossover-inspired plastic body cladding.

A sloping roofline and a tilted rear window confirm the fastback kind of silhouette. An LED strip connects the taillights that grow deep into the rear fenders.

Kia will also offer a GT-Line version with a more aggressively designed front bumper and 17-inch alloy wheels replacing the 16-inch standard ones. Two exhaust tips are also on the menu for this trim.

Slotting between the Kia Rio and the Forte, the K3 is 178.9 inches (4,545 millimeters) long, 69.5 inches (1,765 millimeters) wide, and 58.1 inches (1,475 millimeters) wide, sporting a 105.1-inch (2,670-millimeter) wheelbase.

The trunk offers 19.2 cubic feet (544 liters) of luggage space, which makes it way bigger than those of the Rio (13.7 cubic inches/325 liters) and the Forte (15.3 cubic inches/434).

The cabin goes for a minimalist design as well. There is an EV6-inspired two-spoke steering wheel on board. The 4.2-inch instrument cluster and the 10.25-inch panoramic infotainment screen are united under a glass lid. The infotainment system offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities.

A 64-color ambient lighting, heated front seats and steering wheel, plus a dual-zone automatic climate control are also on board the new Kia K3.

Three engine options will be included in the lineup. A 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine brings along 121 horsepower (123 PS) and can be paired with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.

Upper in the range, there is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit with 150 horsepower (152 PS), mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.

An export-orientat 1.4-liter is also part of the plan, but Kia brings no info about where exactly that one will end up.

The 2024 Kia K3 will roll off the assembly line in Nuevo León, Mexico. First deliveries will take place in the fourth quarter in selected markets. No word yet on the availability of the model in the United States. So far, the Kia Forte and Rio have been the carmaker's only representatives in the small car segment since their debut in the mid-2000s. We are to learn more in the coming months.