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The 2014 Kia Forte offers shoppers a great option in the compact car class with some great sporty styling and a long list of features that make it almost feel like a luxury car. Offering a complete redesign for 2014 the Forte comes in with a great starting price and a very easy to enjoy ride on the road to go along with all the excellent features that are found inside this car.
As a strong competitor the car offers great looks, excellent technology and a fantastic warranty to really help it stand out against its competition. As a daily driver for the commute to work, or running errands around town, the Forte makes a fantastic choice with a smooth and comfortable ride. Any shopper looking for high performance from the handling of the car will be a little disappointed and need to look elsewhere, but anyone who is really looking for a car that is easy to enjoy as a daily driver will find it in the Kia Forte.
With three engines available for the Forte, the first one found in the Sedan LX model is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that offers 148 horsepower and 131 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine offers either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission to go with it and the power train comes in with fuel efficiency of 25 city/37 hwy mpg for the manual transmission and 25 city/36 hwy mpg for the automatic.
The second offering found on the Sedan EX, Koup EX, and Forte5 EX models is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that comes in with 173 horsepower and 154 lb.-ft. of torque. In this case the manual transmission is only available for the Koup and offers a fuel economy of 24 city/33 hwy mpg. For the other models, the automatic transmission will bring in a fuel efficiency of 24 city/36 hwy mpg to enjoy.
Finally, the turbocharged, high powered engine that is offered for the Koup SX and Forte5 SX is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine offering 201 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine offers the power that is desired from a sporty car and is a great choice, but does give up some in the way of fuel efficiency. The fuel economy comes in at 22 city/29 hwy mpg for the manual transmission and 22 city/30 hwy mpg for the automatic.
Regardless of which engine is chosen, the Forte offers plenty of power to navigate through city traffic or pass easily on the highway, even though the steering isn’t sharp, the car does handle road imperfections very well. Add to that a very quiet cabin that can be enjoyed by all and the Forte is a great choice as a family or commuter car.
The cabin offers any owner plenty to enjoy. From the tech heavy features that offer plenty of control and style, there is interest and additions throughout the cabin. One main point of interest is a rippled dashboard on the passenger side which is fun to look at and offers a bit of wonder to the interior. Even though the rear seat isn’t massive, it does offer plenty of room for average-sized adults and offers the option of heated seats, a feature not usually found on compact sedans. With a 15 cubic foot trunk, the Forte boasts space in the cargo area to enjoy and allow any owner the ability to take the Forte for a long family vacation in comfort.
On the outside, the Forte isn’t flashy or overly done, but it does have a very appealing appearance that many shoppers are looking for. Rather than standing out from a crowd with signature features, the Forte will run with the pack but does offer a very nice choice of colors to choose from. A small and smiling grill is features across the front along with wrap back headlights that take the eye from the front toward the rear. With a nice hood to roof angle that continues to the rear and a smooth set of door panels, the car offers a very sporty and somewhat stylish look to it. Add a few small but noticeable features such as the power-folding exterior mirrors, puddle lamps, and illuminated door handles and it’s easy to see how the Forte can actually stand out.
The base Kia Forte comes in offering standard features that include Bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning, and a split folding rear seat. Add the Popular Package and alloy wheels, a remote keyless entry, and many other options are added to this otherwise basic car. The Koup and Forte5 comes in adding a host of active and passive safety features to really help the driver keep the car where it needs to be and allow all occupants to remain safe in case of a collision.
Adding optional equipment to the Forte allows this car to turn into a great vehicle with a load of features to enjoy and experience. The optional equipment list includes leather seats, a moon roof, keyless entry, push button starting, a heated steering wheel, a ventilated driver’s seat, heated rear seats, and UVO eServices. Putting all the options into this vehicle takes it from the basic car that is boring to a pleasure cruiser that allows owners to really enjoy all the features and benefits that can be offered on a great sporty daily commuter car.
Even though the pricing is comparable to the competition, one advantage Kia owners experience over the competition is resale value. With a starting price of $16,700 for the lowest base price, this needs to only be a starting point. Moving up to the Koup starts at 419,400 and the Forte5 comes in at $20,500 as an opening price point. Loading up the car will come in over $25,000 and adding the turbocharged engine can take it quickly over $27,000 offering a great car for this very reasonable and easy to live with price.
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