- sedan 101,504
- 7,988 high price
- Raleigh, NC
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 101,504 gasoline manual
2010 kia forte review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. New stylish and affordable sedan. introductionthe kia forte is a new entry into the compact car field with contenders like honda civic, toyota corolla, nissan sentra, mazda 3, mitsubishi lancer, ford focus, and chevrolet cobalt. Most fuel-efficient, however, is the ex with the fuel economy package, which yields an epa-estimated 27/36 mpg. most fun to drive is the forte sx equipped with a larger 2. 4-liter engine and five-speed automatic. We found the handling in the sx with its sport-tuned suspension taut. The ride is firm but never harsh. Upholstery is cloth. Air conditioning and a 60/40 split rear seat are optional 1500), while power windows, door locks and cruise control are not available. Wheels are the same 15-inch steel, but five-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels are optional. Options include leather upholstery with heated front seats and a power moonroof. forte sx 17,195) uses a 2. 4-liter engine with a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic 1000). A sport-tuned suspension is standard, along with larger front brake rotors, and 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels. The upholstery is a sporty cloth, with metal-finish interior trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Full leather is optional. Fog lamps are standard. safety features that come standard on all kia forte models include frontal and front side airbags, airbag curtains, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, traction control, and a tire pressure monitor. walkaroundthe new kia forte is a looker. It's an excellent example of clean styling, nothing really fancy but with all the right lines. It's not a big car, and it doesn't look big. it's shaped like a wedge, or appears to be, from the swept-back grille and headlamps carrying through climbing shoulders on the sides of the car, back to the short rear deck. From some angles it looks aggressive, from others subtle. Even the rear door seams carry this wedge line. The coefficient of drag is a low 0. 29, reflecting the clean wind-cutting shape. refreshingly, there are no squared flares over the rear wheelwells. The large taillights have nice angles, and wrap horizontally around the corners of the car and into the trunk lid. The roofline is coupe-like. Body-colored mirrors and door handles, hooray. the front fenders are subtly boxed, but there are no trendy flares there, either. The front valance between the grille and low air intakes is not bulky, as with too many cars, and the three black screened intakes that run the full width of the chin are tidy and businesslike. the hood, too, is short, accenting the wedge. The short hood and deck mean efficient construction with no excess in overhangs, because the overall length is correct for the compact sedan class. The kia forte has one of the roomiest interiors in the compact sedan class, with a total of 96. 8 cubic feet of passenger volume. That's 3. 3 cubic feet more than the 2009 subaru legacy. And the forte's trunk space of 14. 7 cubic feet is best in class, matching the redesigned and enlarged midsize 2010 legacy. headroom is good front and rear, while front legroom is ample and rear legroom is 35. 0 inches, good for a compact sedan. the thing that kia does exceptionally well is execute. The korean manufacturer copies carefully, and perfects. There's no pretension about being original or unique with the forte interior, no attempt to re-invent anything. This is excellent, the intelligent antithesis of so many others especially german namely bmw and audi. Great firm but not tight bolstering. Given the performance difference, fuel mileage and lower base price by $1400 would be the only reason to choose the ex. And, considering there are many other worthwhile sx features, the loss of meat is not worth the savings. In other words, we'd spring for the sx. however there might be an exception. There is a fuel economy package with the ex, including five-speed automatic, electric power steering, a smart alternator, silica tires for low rolling resistance, and an aerodynamic kit that costs $1600, making an eco ex about the same price as a sporty sx, but it raises the fuel mileage to 27/36 mpg. The sx makes a fine 173 horsepower, and its 168 pound-feet peaks at 4000 rpm. It's fun to work the transmission to use the power; the sportmatic manual mode in the five-speed automatic makes shifting easy. forte is a brand-new car and it uses a new ground-up chassis, caging 63 percent of the cabin with high-strength steel, plus ultra high-strength steel in the side sills. This increases rigidity and improves handling. The sx front brakes use 11. 8-inch vented discs, and the rears 10. 3-inch solid discs, employing an anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Plenty big and responsive for a car of this weight, we can say after using them hard through a twisty section. Ex brakes are the same, but with 11. 0-inch front discs. the forte is quite nimble and fun to drive, with power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and a very tight turning circle. Among the compact sedans we named in the opening overview, we'd say the forte feels most like the mitsubishi lancer. The long wheelbase and wide stance are felt in the ride and cornering. Maybe especially the ride, satisfactory on every surface we drove the sx. The sx comes with firmer springs and shocks and a larger front anti-roll bar, which is another reason it's a great value for just $1400 more than the ex. for real sport-driving excitement, watch for the forte koup (as in coupe), coming soon. we tested the forte right after the all-new subaru legacy, and it might not be fair to compare the two because they're in a different class, but we can say that the forte did not feel as solid as the legacy. It felt lighter, if not tinnier. And it is lighter, by about 500 pounds, tipping the scales at a lithe 2868 pounds.
7,988 Raleigh, NCRaleigh, NC at autoshopper.com