Mother Proof's view

Lately I’ve had the opportunity to drive a lot of comfortable, well-performing and perfectly family-friendly cars. The only trouble is most of these cars cost more than $50,000. As a result, I wondered if value – i.e., a comfortable, well-performing and family-friendly car for a price well below $50K – even exists anymore. The last economy car I drove, the 2009 Chevy Aveo, was less than impressive and only supported my growing suspicion that value was dead.

However, the Kia Forte, a new entry in the compact-car market for 2010, restored my faith in value. The Forte is comfy and nice-looking; it performed well, and despite seeming small, fit my family and all of our gear without a problem. All of that for a car with a base price of $13,695. That certainly spells value to me. At that price, you won’t find a lot of niceties on the base trim, but you can easily step up into the midlevel EX trim, which starts at $15,995.

Speaking of a less than $20,000 base price, this car drove better than some more-than-$20,000 cars I’ve tested. Heck, it was even better than some cars over $30,000. I’m not crazy and won’t compare it to driving a luxury sedan, but the Forte is very good for its price.

Sure, you could almost hear its little engine saying “I think I can” when hitting steep hills, but that’s not unexpected from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which is standard on the base LX and midlevel EX. On the high-end SX, you can get a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. On the whole, my test car – an EX – had a smooth ride and enough power in the performance department. It’s easy to maneuver – it turned on the proverbial dime – and it’s relatively quiet, too.

Adding to the Forte’s value is its great gas mileage. With an EPA-estimated 25/34 mpg city/highway, you’ll be spending a lot less on gas. Think about it: You’ll save money on the car’s price as well as its fuel, and you’ll line your pockets with extra cash to buy clothes, shoes, spa days and yoga retreats! Sign me up…

Overall, I think the Forte’s competition, which includes the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, should be a little nervous because this little car stays true to its name and is strong in all of the places it needs to be.

Exterior

At first glance, the Kia Forte is a good-looking car. Even at second and third glances, it’s still good-looking. My test car, in its rich Dark Cherry color, certainly looked like a car that should cost more than its $19,290 MSRP. If you’re the colorfully adventurous sort, you should check out the available exterior colors for the Forte like Corsa Blue, Copperhead and Spicy Red.

The Forte looks strong and tough for a small car, but it has enough curb appeal to make it inviting, too. The doors felt lightweight, which always makes me worry about safety, but they made it easy for my 3-year old son to open and close his door. He also was able to get in and out of the car on his own.

My test car, an EX, had available 16-inch alloy wheels; the base LX and EX come with standard 15-inch alloy wheels. The high-end SX trim comes with standard 17-inch alloy wheels. The body-colored power heated side mirrors with turn-signal indicators, variable intermittent windshield wipers and auto-off clear-lens halogen headlights also come standard and make for nice touches on this economy car. My test car’s moonroof costs an extra $900.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair/Great

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Some

Interior

My favorite thing about the Forte is the trunk. It’s huge! It measures a whopping 14.7 cubic feet; that’s the largest in its class. It fit my rather bulky stroller as well as groceries without even batting an economy eyelash. You can fold the 60/40-split backseat to gain more cargo space.

There’s also a nice fold-down armrest in the rear with two cupholders, which were great for holding sippy cups. There’s a pass-through behind the armrest that would be great for skis or other long items. Another storage coup is the center console has a bilevel cubby, which is great for holding your cell phone and lip gloss on the top portion and snacks or other slightly larger items below.

While this is technically a five-person car, I’d say keeping it to four passengers is your best bet. I wasn’t able to sit in the back between my kids’ two car seats, but I won’t hold that against the Forte. It’s a compact car, after all.

I also have to give props to Kia for the Forte’s interior styling. The plastic used to trim the interior isn’t cheap-looking. It’s quite attractive and looks more upscale than the car’s price tag would indicate.

The standard six-speaker audio system sounds great and includes AM/FM/Sirius Satellite Radio, a CD player and a USB/MP3 jack. Steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, keyless entry and power windows and locks round out the slew of standard features. My test car had the $1,000 Leather Package, which gave me heated leather-trimmed seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Safety

My two child-safety seats fit easily into the Forte. There was plenty of room for my son’s convertible car seat, so much that he couldn’t kick the back of my driver’s seat. Even with my daughter’s rear-facing infant-safety seat properly installed there was plenty of legroom for the front passenger. This isn’t a common occurrence. The Latch connectors were easy to use.

The Forte has six standard airbags, including side-impact airbags for the front row and side curtain airbags for both rows. It also comes with standard antilock brakes with brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and active head restraints.

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: The Forte can handle a rear-facing infant-safety seat in the backseat and a bulky stroller in the trunk.

In School: It’s easy for kids to open and close the doors by themselves.

Teens: Standard electronic stability control and traction control will help your teen driver stay on the road.