What you see on a back-up camera is almost as important as being able to look behind you, especially when the screen as this large, detailed, and crisp on the 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line.
During a week-long test, I used both 12.3-inch screens available in the vehicle, but relied mostly on the back-up camera as I pulled out of my driveway, parking spots at the library, and when I had to parallel park in a busy downtown area.
First off, Kia does a great job with the indicators on the rear-view display. As you can see from all of my photos, there’s a view that faces down behind you and shows red lines to indicate where you are on a driveway or at the mall. It’s handy because you can really park more precisely and avoid any obstacles. Even though the K4 is a small and sporty sedan, there were still times when I had to maneuver around a light pole at the library when backing up.
There’s also one obvious yellow line in the facing-down view that shows whether the K4 is centered, which was also helpful. It’s like having someone standing next to the vehicle as you drive backwards, helping you know if you are entering the parking space with room to spare.
When the cam is pointing straight behind the vehicle, you will see yellow lines that indicate which objects are a bit farther away and then red lines showing what is right next to the vehicle. This mode is also really helpful for those of us who are not exactly experts at parking.
There may be times when you don’t really need the guides at all. I turned them off when I was backing up out of my own driveway because I know the route so well and don’t need any precise indicators, and then I enabled the guides for public parking spots.
Surprisingly, you can turn the guide markings on or off. I have not seen that on many sedans in this price range, since the guides are typically just always on. Kia also gives you an option to keep the rear-view display on for a short time even after you pull into a spot in reverse and then shift back into drive. You can keep an eye out behind the vehicle that way.
Also a surprise: Kia has some additional settings for the back-up camera to adjust the brightness and contrast. Once again, I have not seen these options on smaller sedans before. It meant on a bright and sunny day I could adjust the contrast to be able to see a little better, and then in a dimly lit parking lot during one trip to the mall, I was able to increase the brightness to see a little better without as much available light around the car.
How does all of this help with safe driving? I would say one of the best innovations in cars of the last decade is that we are all seeing a little better behind the vehicle, especially since a back-up camera is now required in all new cars. It’s incredibly useful if you get stuck in an awkward driving scenario, such as when a car parks way too far into your parking spot.
Overall, these perks are more customizable than I’ve seen in other sedans and made parking easier and less stressful throughout my week-long test.
