Auto Express – Issue 1922 25 February03 March 2026 – Auto Express (1)

HowdoesitshapeupagainsttheevergreenVolkswagenGolf? 25February2026 39 www.autoexpress.co.uk VolkswagenGolf 1.5TSIDSGMatch Price:£31,875 Powertrain:1.5-litre4cylpetrolturbo,148bhp 0-62mph:8.4seconds Testefficiency:47.4mpg Range:521miles AnnualVED:£195 KiaK41.6T-GDiautoGT-Line Price:£31,495 Powertrain:1.6-litre4cylpetrolturbo,147bhp 0-62mph:9.1seconds Testefficiency:39.7mpg Range:410miles AnnualVED:£195 Nathan Morgan 40 25February2026 www.autoexpress.co.uk TESTED Kia K4 vs Volkswagen Golf A TWO-pronged attack on the new-car market has seen electric drive and SUV styling permeate nearly every sector. But if you’re not interested in either of these subjects, there are still alternatives available.

While Kia has launched electric cars, SUVs and electric SUVs in recent years, the latest arrival from the company is a bit more old- school in its concept and execution. The Kia K4 is the successor to the Ceed, and this new compact hatchback is hoping to capitalise in a sector that has been a little New Korean hatchback proves there’s still life in petrol power KiaK4 stagnant in recent years.

The K4 is a bigger car than the model it replaces, and it features a range of petrol engines, some of which have mild-hybrid electrical assistance, too. While the compact-hatchback sector has shrunk with the demise of the Ford Focus, the other big player in the class, the Volkswagen Golf, is still going strong. The German brand offers a wide range of models, and the eighth- generation Golf has benefitted from an update to boost its appeal. The Match version offers extra kit for not much more cash, while the range of engines available delivers performance and economy that will offer a strong challenge to the Kia’s ability.

WHILE both cars make just under 150bhp and the same 250Nm of torque at 1,500rpm, the 1.5-litre VW feels more tractable and punchier than the 1.6-litre Kia. Less weight and a more responsive automatic gearbox help it. The Golf is more enjoyable in corners, too, but without offering sacrifices in terms of overall comfort.

The K4 feels soft and wallowy in comparison. FUEL-saving mild-hybrid tech is offered on both cars, although it’s only the 1.0-litre version of the Kia that comes with it, and it’s not available with a manual gearbox on the Golf.

Is 630bhp hybrid a bonafide M3 killer? Peugeot’s crazytech is‘worththe hype’ Saloon,small SUVand estate lead EVblitz TESTED Can new petrol K4 gazump evergreenVW? DRIVEN New £37k Model 3 to beat China’s best 09 9 770954 886302 www.autoexpress.co.uk DRIVENDEFENDEROCTA PLUSCOULDYOURNEXTCARBEDESIGNEDBYAI? 25 February 2026 3 POLESTARPLANS Brandhasbigideas, thefirstofwhichisthe second-generation2 PEUGEOT DRIVEN Wegetbehindwheelof Polygonconceptcarthat pointsthewaytothe next-generation208 GENESISMAGMA Brightorange641bhp GV60hotEVisthefirst carfromcompany’s newperformancearm DACIAUPDATES PopularSanderogets morepowerfulhybrid powertrainplusextra safetyandluxurykit SUBSCRIPTIONS 56 HowtogetAutoExpress deliveredtodirecttoyour doorandsavemoney NEWCARPRICES 74 Allthedetailsyouneedto knowbeforeyouheadto theshowroom RUTHERFORD 82 Miketalksaboutwhy it’svitalthatcarbuyers considerallfuelsources, notjustelectricpower TESLAMODEL3 Entry-levelelectric saloonfeatures 332-milerangeand apricetagof£37k PEUGEOTE-308SW Sleekerlooksare accompaniedbya pricecutforpractical Pugestatecar KIAK4VS VOLKSWAGENGOLF Petrol-poweredKia hatchisgunningfor theevergreenVW AUDIRS5 Superhatch andestatehave 630bhpPHEV powertrain,but weigh2.3tonnes 14 12 18 22 26 38 10 6 REGULARS NEWSWEEK Polestar model blitz 6 Full details of maker’s product plan Audi RS 5 10 Hatch and estate get PHEV powertrain Peugeot Polygon 12 We drive steer-by-wire concept Dacia Sandero 14 More hybrid power for bargain hatch EV batteries 16 Survey shows surprising longevity Genesis Magma 18 Orange GV60 heralds hot range BYD Seal 20 More tech and safety kit, no price rise NEWCARS Tesla Model 3 22 New version offers 332-mile range Peugeot E-308 SW 26 Revised electric estate car driven Land Rover Defender 30 Limited-run Octa Black tested Maserati MCPura Cielo 32 Behind wheel of tweaked supercar FEATURE AI car design 34 Will a computer pen your next car?

ROADTESTS Kia K4 vs Volkswagen Golf 38 Korean hatch takes on VW’s legend Abarth 600e 52 Is hot EV too serious for its own good? Cupra Terramar 54 Our final verdict on Spanish SUV PRODUCTS Hot kit and books 59 Initio prewash helps you clean up New on the shelves 60 Primus has car seats covered Mini test 61 Puncture-repair screws rated Product test 62 Penetrating fluids rated and ranked BUYINGCARS Buying column 65 Why fabric seats are cool again Driver Power 66 Your views on the Ford Puma Buyer’s guide 68 All the info on the Dacia Jogger Three-car garage 72 A trio of Audis for less than an RS 5 LEASE DIRECTLY WITH CARWOW Great deals, exclusive perks, and industry-leading support from research to road Explore the latest deals at carwow.co.uk/leasey * For 12 months when you lease with Carwow Leasey OWNED AND OPERATED BY CARWOW Simple, secure leasing from the UK’s number one new car marketplace.

It wouldn’t be Carwow without unique benefits and market-leading offers. 800+ in-depth reviews, impartial experts, and your perfect deal, all in one place. EXCLUSIVE DEALS AND PERKS RESEARCH TO ROAD, ALL IN ONE PLACE 25 February 2026 5 WHAT does the future hold for those of us that love practical performance cars?

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: bd8a2634f35f5778
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 49,927,843 bytes (47.615 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 85
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 285.07 minutes
• Total Words: 57,015
• Total Characters: 329,077
• Average Words per Page: 670.76
• Average Characters per Page: 3871.49

Most Frequent Words

car (149), new (120), it’s (94), model (87), cars (77), february (73), also (70), range (69), autoexpress (68), bhp (62), power (60), there’s (59), drive (56), electric (52), golf (52), design (50), still (50), rear (50), steering (50), kia (49), system (49), wheel (47), first (47), one (46), seats (45), performance (45), www (44), space (44), price (42), use (42), now (41), hybrid (41), much (41), like (41), even (41), good (40), miles (40), litre (40), polestar (39), mph (39), models (39), petrol (38), driving (37), engine (37), road (36), front (35), mpg (35), auto (34), battery (34), well (34), that’s (33), back (33), top (33), get (32), jogger (32), however (32), feel (32), speed (32), powertrain (31), seconds (31), need (30), two (30), inch (30), less (29), interior (29), per (29), version (28), time (28), available (27), small (27), audi (27), dacia (27), black (27), volkswagen (27), driver (27), way (27), around (27), standard (27), doesn’t (27), boot (27), enough (27), means (26), better (26), torque (26), used (26), isn’t (25), wheels (24), make (24), car’s (24), brand (24), many (23), offers (23), yet (23), three (23), cabin (23), size (23), big (22), although (22), rather (22), set-up (22).

PDF Download