Vehicle Overview
The five-seat Forte is Kia’s entry in the compact-car segment, and it’s available with a choice of four-cylinder engines and comes standard with numerous safety features. It’s sold as a sedan, a four-door hatchback and a coupe, which Kia calls the Koup. Competitors include the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla.
New for 2012
For the 2012 model year, EX trim levels of the Forte gain a telescoping steering wheel and the Forte five-door hatchback is no longer available with a manual transmission.
Exterior
The Forte sports crisp styling that gives the sedan an athletic shape. You don’t have to look too closely to find resemblances to other small cars. The front end, for instance, looks similar to a Civic, and the Forte’s taillights look like the Mitsubishi Lancer’s. Exterior features include:
- Standard 15-inch steel wheels with covers
- Optional 16-inch alloy wheels
- SX version gets sport suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels
- Optional sunroof
Interior
There are available steering-wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls. Kia says the sedan’s trunk offers 14.7 cubic feet of cargo space, and the hatchback has 19.4 cubic feet of space. Interior features include:
- Standard cloth seats
- Optional leather upholstery
- Optional heated front seats
- Optional air conditioning
- Optional keyless entry
- Optional telescoping steering wheel
- Optional navigation system with backup camera
- Optional push-button start
Under the Hood
LX and EX models are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 156 horsepower. Choosing the SX trim brings a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that generates 173 hp. Mechanical features include:
- Standard six-speed manual transmission
- Optional six-speed automatic
- Front-wheel drive
Safety
Standard safety features include:
- Side-impact airbags for the front seats
- Side curtain airbags
- Antilock brakes
- Electronic stability system
- Active head restraints for the front seats
