Nuts & Bolts
2010 Kia Forte
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Complaint: We had a disagreement on ride feel. Ria thought it was too hard for a compact family car. Mary Anne and I thought it was just right.
Ride, acceleration and handling: The disagreement on ride feel is noted above. We all liked the Forte EX's crisp handling and spirited acceleration.
Head-turning quotient: Passionately ordinary -- its looks are easy to love, hate or ignore.
Body style/layout: The Kia Forte is a compact, front-engine, front-wheel-drive family sedan with a traditional notchback trunk. It is available in six trim levels: base LX manual and LX automatic, mid-level EX manual and EX automatic, upscale SX manual and SX automatic.
Engine/transmissions: The tested Forte EX comes with a 2-liter, 16-valve, inline four-cylinder engine that develops 156 horsepower at 6,200 revolutions per minute and 144 foot-pounds of torque at 4,300 revolutions per minute. In the test car, that engine was linked to a five-speed transmission that could be shifted automatically or manually. A five-speed manual transmission is standard and more fuel-efficient when mated with available low-rolling-resistance tires.
Capacities: There are seats for five people. Maximum luggage capacity is 14.7 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 13.7 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline.
Mileage: The car lived up to its federal mileage rating of 25 miles per gallon in the city (traffic jams included) and 34 miles per gallon on the highway.
Safety: Standard equipment includes electronic stability and traction control, four-wheel disc brakes (ventilated front, solid rear) with antilock protection, side air bags for front-seat occupants, and front-to-rear head air bags.
Price: The base price for the tested 2010 Kia Forte EX is $16,795. Dealer's invoice price on that model is $16,000. Price as tested is $19,890, including $2,400 in options (five-speed automatic/manual transmission, power-operated glass roof, leather seat covering, 16-inch diameter wheels and low-rolling-resistance tires) and a $695 transportation charge. Dealer's price as tested is $18,785. Prices are sourced from Kia, Edmunds.com and Cars.com, an affiliate of The Washington Post.
Purse-strings note: This one is easy. It's a buy.
Conclusion: The Forte offers so much good for so little money it can be called the Wal-Mart of Automobiles.
