A Truly Impressive Forte

When I first clapped eyes on the all new Kia Forte in the dark multi storey car park, I must admit that I was taken aback, for this really did not look like any other Korean sedan that I had ever seen. The entire design and look had a very European feel to it. From the front you have the aggressively styled lights and a lovely honeycomb grille and the rear end is pert and has a sporty look to it. As an overall design package it is a complete success, I defy you to find one angle at which this new Kia Forte looks bad. Well maybe only if you look at it from under the car… but from any other angle, it is really very easy on the eyes.

The European feel and looks don’t just end at the exterior, the interior is equally as impressive. The dashboard has soft feel plastics where it matters and the instrument binnacle obviously derived its inspiration from Alfa, which is a very very good thing. The meters look great. All major controls and meters are clear and easy to read, and they have a good weight to them which is quite rare for a Korean car, or even Japanese for that matter.

The front seats are comfortable and as this was the 1.6L model, there was no leather but this made little difference because the material used had a nice feel to it. It was quite easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seat an there was adequate support and adjustability.

This new Kia Forte was full of thoughtful little bits and bobs, from the common cup holders and cubby-holes to the not so common extendable sun-visors. What? I hear you say, well let me explain. The Forte has regular sun visors up front as do all other cars, but there is a twist. The edge has an extension that you can pullout that will stop the sun blinding you from that hard to reach spot that in most other cars remains uncovered, very clever and very useful.

Fire up the engine and the cabin remains quiet, Kia have done a good job in insulating the cabin. The Forte that I had was shod with great looking 17inch rims and while they looked good, they probably contributed to the fact that the car was a bit stiff and didn’t take too kindly to road imperfections. Be that as it may, they are the obvious choice, get them.

Starting the Forte is an event in itself because you push a button, it is really cool for this is a mid­level sedan and you have a keyless system, I feel it is real value for money. Apart from the fact that it lends a sporty air to what is essentially a family car.

The Forte is a good drive, it handles well albeit on the stiff side. When thrown into comers it remains largely neutral with a slight tendency towards understeer when pushed harder, which is what you want really, it makes it safe on the limit. It also has a traction control button that you can switch on and off. I left it on because the roads were wet, and so was I.

The all new Kia Forte comes with all the safety bells and whistles like ABS, Electronic Stability Control, airbags, and is as I have said before a good drive. In 1.6L guise it still has adequate power but with such a good chassis, I can’t wait to try the 2 litre version. This is a good car, how do I know? My wife liked it.

Tags: Kia Kia Forte