The world of compact cars is an extremely full and fiercely competitive arena. There are the ever-stalwart veterans that we all know well (and have quite possibly owned): the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Competition from Korean and American automakers have always been in the fight too, but haven’t proved themselves as worthy opponents until recently. I want to drive as many cars in the compact segment as I can to see how they measure up.
The top end of the Millennial generation has had some buying power for a few years, and the bottom end is approaching college, careers and the related benefits (like new cars) that come with that. The price cap on my test drives will be $25,000, and this column will serve a primer for these young people, and sometimes not-so-young, as they look at all the new compacts on the market.
Enter the redesigned 2014 Kia Forte:
Kia introduced the first generation Forte a number of years ago, and it was a pretty nice little car. The 2014 model is a complete redesign, and it is a major step forward, both inside and out.
The new Forte comes in three shapes—a sedan, a five door hatchback, and the two door Koup. Models can start below the $20,000 mark and still come with plenty of standard features. I drove a well-equipped, gray Forte Koup that stickered for $24,970 before dealer incentives and was immediately impressed.
The front looks a bit like a guppy, but is otherwise very handsome.
The rear is tasteful yet sporty, and the LED taillights look great, especially at night.
It’s a handsome car that is much more attractive than many of its competitors. Behind the wheel it feels completely competent, with enough power to get moving when you want to. Don’t expect to drag race anyone, but it will accelerate fast enough for all essential in-town and freeway maneuvers and still have a little left over for fun. The Forte comes with electrically assisted steering instead of a traditional hydraulic setup, which sometimes feels uncomfortable and strange depending on the automaker, but the Kia is easy and natural to steer. After a few minutes of familiarization, this car is easy to drive and feel comfortable in.
The “well equipped” interior is an absolute understatement at this price point—I was shocked to get in the car and find that its list of features includes navigation, a sunroof, heated and cooled leather seats (only the driver’s cools, both driver and passenger heat), Bluetooth phone connectivity and music streaming, and push button start. A huge majority of those amenities are pricey add-ons in BMWs and Audis. This is a major score for Kia against those premium brands, and puts up significant competition for other cars in its own segment.
The layout of the interior is logical and inviting. The materials feel segment appropriate—nothing overly luxurious, but not too cheap either. The gauges are clear and easy to read, and the multi-color information screen nestled between the dials is an excellent touch. It can be toggled between MPG statistics, stereo information and other car settings.
The only problem I had with the interior was the low headliner, which was clearly caused by the sunroof. (A car’s headliner drops a inch or so to accommodate the gear required to move a sunroof.) My hair kept brushing the fabric. I am 6 feet tall, which isn’t excessively giant, though I would bet that my hair was styled a bit on the tall side. Buyers taller than 6 feet should be mindful of that and be sure they can be comfortable in the cabin if they are considering the Forte.
It looks bland in photos, but the interior is comfortable and attractive.
EPA gas mileage estimates: 25 city, 34 highway, 28 combined.
A funny feature the Forte has are these power retractable mirrors. Press the button on the door panel and they move in. Press it again and they move out. There is also a setting that will automatically fold them in when the car is shut off, and extend them when turned back on. The salesman kept talking to me about the navigation system, but I was in awe of the self propelled mirrors!
After the dealer discounts, the asking price for this Forte Koup was $22,031. I knew I was only there for a drive and an assessment, but it was hard to walk away without at least considering buying it for myself. That is a lot of car for a not a lot of money, and it is clear that the bar has been set for the other cars in this segment. I definitely recommend taking look at the Kia Forte in all its iterations for anyone on the market for a car in this price range and this size, looking for the creature comforts of a class or two (or three!) above a compact.
Zac Baker 