Home / Motoring

Kia Unexpectedly Proves That Manual Wagons Aren’t Dead Yet

It’s cheap, it’s got a manual, it’s a wagon for Europe and it’s sad we can’t get it.

Rear view of a silver Kia K4 SUV with black and red taillights parked on a concrete surface.Kia
Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google
A black and white portrait of a smiling man with short, dark hair. He is wearing a light-colored blazer over a collared shirt. The background is plain and unobtrusive.

By Chris Chin

Published

·

Kia just did the unthinkable and revealed an all-new wagon variant of its entry-level compact model, the K4. And yes, it will be available with a manual transmission, and no, sadly, it’s not for the US.

The Korean automaker surprised media during its press conference at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium, alongside a bunch of new electric vehicles. The K4 Sportwagon, as it’s called, joins the five-door hatchback, which America will get, along with the traditional sedan.

Who needs an SUV when you have the K4 Sportwagen?

Silver Kia K4 station wagon with black roof rails and angular LED headlights parked on concrete.
Europeans are lucky to be getting a wagon version of the impressive K4.
Kia

Despite even Europe latching on to the crossover SUV craze, the market still has a demand for wagons. It remains one of the few globally that still appreciates low-slung long roofs.

The K4 Sportwagon is similar to the hatchback. Only, the rear cargo area features a longer roof segment, resulting in more space for things behind the second row of seating.

Silver modern station wagon with black trim and geometric alloy wheels parked on a concrete surface.
Compared to the hatchback, the K4 Sportwagon is 10 inches longer at the rear.
Kia

It is destined to compete with the Volkswagen Golf Estate, the Skoda Octavia SportCombi, replacing the Cee’d wagon.

Compared to the hatchback, the K4 Sportwagon offers up to almost six additional cubic feet of cargo space. The Sportwagon features around 21.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats, whereas the Hatch only offers 15.4.

Modern car interior with black leather seats, digital dashboard, touchscreen display, and center console gear shift.
The K4 Sportwagon retains the sedan’s and hatch’s premium and tech-loaded interior.
Kia

It’s also around 10 inches longer than the five-door, all of which extends behind the rear axle. And as expected, the Sportwagon offers considerably more than the sedan’s 14.6 cubes.

When it launches later this year, the K4 Sportwagon will share the same powertrains as its sedan and and hatchback siblings. But Europe gets considerably more options, than us Americans.

Made in Mexico, but only for Europe

Silver Kia K4 SUV with black roof rails and angular rear LED lights parked on a concrete surface.
Kia says the K4 Sportwagon offers nearly six cubic feet more of cargo space.
Kia

The conventional gas engines include the same 1.6-liter turbo as the North American-specification K4 sedan and hatch, but in two different states of tune. A new 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with 48-volt mild-hybrid capabilities joins the European lineup, which is the only way to get the six-speed manual.

Black leather-wrapped steering wheel and digital dashboard inside a modern Kia car interior.
Although not pictured, European customers will have the option for a six-speed manual with the base engine.
Kia

Later in the year, it’ll be the first of the model range to get a gas-electric hybrid powertrain. Aside from the six-speed manual for the 1.0-liter three-banger, all other engines get a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

In comparison, the American K4s only get a continuously variable transmission with the base 2.0-liter. The punchier 1.6-liter turbo-four gets a conventional eight-speed automatic with a torque converter.

Gold Kia EV6 electric SUV parked on a desert road at sunset with mountains in the background.
Although America is lucky enough to be getting the K4 Hatchback, we’d love to see the Sportwagon too. One can only dream.
Kia

Despite being specified for the European market, all K4 Sportwagons will be made at Kia’s manufacturing assembly in Mexico.

Kia didn’t offer any indication about interest for the wagon in America. Especially since we’re already lucky enough to be getting the five-door hatchback.

But with the Sportwagon being assembled across the border to the south, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to try and federalize it for the American market. That is, if the demand is there.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

Read More

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

add as a preferred source on google