2012 Kia Forte consumer reviews

I bought my Kia forte back in September of 2016 used. In December of 2016 my radio blew out and stopped working. I was driving and all of a sudden the radio made a popping noise and went out and wouldn't turn back on... My car has 58,000 miles on it right now, and the radio broke months ago. We have been enduring some warmer weather, and I started my car and put it into drive and it made a gun-gunk noise and I thought it was odd. I started driving slowly and it seemed fine but when my car was supposed to be shifting, the car seemed to be having a difficult time shifting and it seemed a little off... Once the speed got up to 60, it seemed steady but something definitely felt off. The next morning I was driving and noticed the weird shifting problem and then my check engine light came on... Like I said earlier my car only has 58,000 miles on it.. It seems a but ridiculous that it seems to be having transmission problems already. Also, if you are someone who loves your radio, I would not buy a kia. Their radios are incredibly cheap and break easily. If you don't have warranty on your car, even if you're below 100,000 miles, they won't fix it for you. Oh, and the seat material is horrible. It stains super easily and is hard to clean. When it's raining and I've gotten water in my car, water has made a weird stain on my seats and I am most definitely not fond of that..

Im coming to the end of my 39mnt lease of the Kia Forte 2.4Lt SX 5 door hatchback and can't find any major faults. I loved driving this car but only did 18,000 mls in 3 years, including one long road trip of 1500 mls each way in less than 3 days. We nicknamed this car the Pocket Rocket because the 173-hp you get from the 2.4-liter I-4 cyl. engine gives you more than enough power due to the low weight of the car. I've left quite a few bigger more powerful car drivers for dead at red lights. When they caught up at the next red light I've had some people ask what engine is in that thing, it flies down the road. The engine was great but did get much lower MPG than I expected of a car this size, even when not driving with my lead foot to the floor. The most economical I got combined was 20-22 MPG but that was mostly city driving. Highway usually rose above 30 MPG with clear roads. Steering and handling was very light, any little bump or pothole in the road was felt right throughout the car and up the steering column. Interior space for a supposedly small car was enormous. Five adults fit very comfortable and the trunk space was huge. The leather seats got very uncomfortable on longer journeys with very little lumbar support. No major problems with the car in 3 years. The Backup camera had to be replaced when it stopped working after a few months but the Kia dealer had it done in about an hour with no charge. The Kia warranty is amazing. I'm not getting another Kia Forte mainly due to the fact I need a larger car and the handling of the Forte is just too soft for me. Would I recommend it to friends interested in a smaller 5 door hot hatch.... YES in an instant!!!

PROS: POWERFUL ENGINE QUIET RIDE LONG WARRANTY IMPROVED STYLING SIRIUS/XM RADIO ( GOOD SOUND ) BIG TRUNK CONS: POOR GAS MILEAGE CHEAP PLASTIC DOORS PANELS INSIDE. RED LED INSTRUMENT PANEL.ANNOYING COLOR AT NIGHT. VAGUE STEERING FEEL AT ANY SPEED.

While the looks are okay, the interior is very well designed + no ugly faux metal finishes! Has lot's of room for a car in it's class, plus a big trunk. Drives like a heavier car and the gas mileage is good, although not as advertised. Well worth the price, for any 2012 compact in it's class.

This car has been nothing but trouble! Already had to replace the engine, the starter caught fire, and now today the transmission went out! Take very very good care of my car and I have had it with Kias for good ! Second Kia and I'm done!

For all those saying that this gets bad mpg it's definitely users fault not cars... I am now at 32000 miles and it took me a while to understand how this car works. Now I'm averaging 31 mpg. When u put gas in this car use the economy light on the rpm gauge cuz it works. The trip button will show u the mpg. When u have it on that setting and and u just fill up u will notice it fluctuates. So follow the economy button on the car and eventually when u get the mpg up it will stay up as long as u drive fuel efficiently. Hope that helps cuz I love this car for 14000 it's a great deal

I have 63,000miles on this car only problem so far is shifting delay in the auto trans ! other then that great car ! great fuel millage drove from Halifax,ns to red dear, Alberta on 320L fuel for 5100 kms

Looks are deceiving. One would think a fairly small car like this would get great mileage, it does not. Typical commuting to work, and that's highway + city only gave me 24mpg on average. Other gripes with this car: the leather seats were just not comfy. The windshield defroster was horrible. On it's highest setting it would barely clear the entire windshield. On a setting that was more of an acceptable listening level only the center of the windshield would clear. The air ciculation made for a noisy ride whether it was heating or cooling.The rear traction was poor. I don't know if it was the tires but if you hit a bump on turns the back would skip. The GPS was disapointing as you would look up 'Exon', even if there was one around the corner from you it would not show it. The results would only show Exons that were very far away.

Bought used with just shy of 20000 miles. Pros - best space and cargo capacity of hatches i looked at. Comfortable, well equipped. Steering wheel controls are great, bluetooth connect. Plenty of power. Handles and brakes like a go cart. Very direct and linear. cons - gas mileage! I average 25, and 70% of my driving is highway. Throttle response is a little delayed if your cruising and jump on the gas. Paint seems a bit thin, some of the materials seem like they might not stand the test of time. All in all, this car is the best compromise out there. Focus is to expensive, mazda3 has least amount of usable space though probably the better "drivers car" Kia Forte 5door

This is an awesome car for my son who is in college and great website that helped me find a great deal