The Kia Forte is fun to drive, but comes at a budget-friendly price.
Sometimes in life, things are not as they appear.
Take this Kia Forte. What looks like your basic compact economy sedan, is actually a stealth sports sedan in disguise. It handles the curves well, has quick, confidence-inspiring steering and just enough power to be interesting.
For many young folks just leaving college, it could be just the right ride. After years of eating ramen noodles for dinner, scrounging for money to pay tuition and asking mom and dad for cash infusions, they finally get out on their own, only to find out that their entry-level job really doesn’t leave them with much more money than they had in their college days.
Quickly, ideas of buying a fashionable sports sedan fall by the wayside. The really cool wheels will have to wait until you make partner.
Kia would like to think that its small Forte sedan is just the ticket for sports sedan fans on a budget.
The Kia's interior is fairly basic, but everything works well.
The Forte comes in a dizzying variety of configurations. There are three body styles – coupe, sedan and five-door hatchback – two engines and three trim levels. Starting at $15,895 with destination for the basic sedan with a 154-horespower 2.0-liter four cylinder, the Forte has the budget-side of the price spectrum covered.
We tested a top-level SX sedan, which comes with a 2.4-liter four cylinder, producing 173 horsepower. Combined with a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, the Forte is a lot of fun to drive. Too bad the six-speed manual that is offered with the 2.4 in other markets is not available in the U.S. The engine even has a throaty growl as it revs to its 6,200 power peak, yet it’s smooth when just bopping around town.
The base Forte is powered by a 2.0-liter four cylinder producing 154 horsepower, but the top-level SX has a more potent 173-horsepower four cylinder.
It’s not fast, but it has enough power to entertain and the paddles give the driver more control. The suspension is tight and well controlled – in fact, it’s probably the best suspension tuning of any Kia or Hyundai in recent memory – and the steering is fairly quick and communicative.
The Forte’s transmission is a regular torque-converter six-speed automatic. It shifts smoothly, although not as quickly as the new breed of dual-clutch, automated-manual transmissions. Unfortunately, the paddle shifters on the back of steering wheel are chintzy plastic and feel like switches on a cheap toy.
The Kia's back seat has better headroom than many recent sedans because of its more formal roofline.
The fact is, Mitsubishi’s excellent magnesium paddles have set a high standard for all other inexpensive cars.
Torque steer is nonexistent. The car tracks well on the freeway.
Look, no one’s going to trade in their BMW 3-series, but the Forte is actually a nice choice for sports sedan fans on a budget.
Unfortunately, the Forte doesn’t really look the part. The shape is pedestrian and there’s not much in the way of adornment. Compared to some other recent Kia designs, it can only be described as understated.
But maybe that’s part of the appeal. It’s unlikely to attract attention of the local constabulary.
The austerity theme continues inside. While the design is basic, everything is well finished and the controls work well.
The interior’s biggest demerit is the schizophrenic automatic climate controlled. We tested the Forte in December. Sometimes it blew cool air out of the vents when set at 76 degrees, other times it was too warm set at 68 degrees. Also, the seat heaters that are part of the leather package ($1,000) were just too powerful and there’s only one setting.
Unlike a lot of recent sedans that mimic the swoopy sedan shape introduced by the Mercedes CLS, the Forte’s roofline is more traditional. This results in rear seats with very good headroom for a small car, even one with a sunroof. Legroom is also fairly good.
Fuel mileage was good. Rated at 23 city and 32 highway, we saw 27 in a spirited mix of freeways and rural two-lanes.
While the base Forte is available for less than 16 grand, the SX, with the all-important more powerful motor, starts at $19,590. With leather and power sunroof ($1,000) and technology package ($1,800) that includes navigation, push-button start, automatic climate control and chrome finish exterior door handles, bring the sticker to a still budget-friendly $23,140.
Besides those goodies, the SX comes standard with quite a bit of stuff. The list includes a six-speaker stereo with satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary input jacks, 60/40 split folding rear seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels and six airbags.
The Forte may not have cool styling and there’s no three-pointed star or four interlocking rings on its snout, but underneath, there lurks a car that does a reasonable impersonation of a sports sedan on a budget.