When Kia first started selling cars in North America more than 20 years ago, I had
just gotten my license, and I was sure of one thing: I definitely did not want a
Kia. And so 16-year-old me would be shocked to hear the following sentence:
Kia's got one of the better compacts on the market right now. And that's no small
feat. In a segment that includes the Civic, the Focus, the Mazda3, and the Jetta,
there's no shortage of impressive options, but if that proves anything, it's
that competition is good for consumers, and Kia's certainly taken that to heart.
This year the Forte stretches the definition of mid-cycle refresh with a
new front end and new lights front and back, a fresh engine with a whole new
sport-themed trim, plus a whole host of new options and features, all designed to
get them a mention on that best of segment list. Up here you can see that
the new headlights now extend all the way to the grille, and the fog lights
have been moved inward to make room for these new air inlets. It gives it all a
much sleeker, more finished look that I actually really like.
Previously the Forte was powered by a 1.8-liter engine, but this year it gets
upgraded to the bigger 2-liter Hyundai Nu engine, and this is something that
we've seen already in the Elantra and Kia Soul since about 2012. That makes a
couple more horsepower and torque, but manages 3 miles per gallon better in
the city and 1 mile per gallon better on the highway than the 1.8. That puts
the Forte numbers at 29 city and 38 highway if you go with the 6-speed automatic.
The base LX trim does offer a manual, but that comes with a big penalty at the
pump, dropping mileage down to 25 city and 34 highway.
But this is the top-tier EX trim, and it doesn't get the new version of the 2-liter engine. This gets a carryover version that it had last
year, another version of the Hyundai Nu engine, this time making a pretty
respectable 164 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately it
only makes 25 city miles per gallon and 33 highway according to the EPA, and I'm
easily able to replicate those numbers, but with power levels this low, it really
should be able to do a lot better. Now in between the base LX and this top-tier EX
trim sits the new sporty S trim, and that will get you a sport-tuned suspension,
adjustable drive modes, a larger 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto, plus 16-inch alloys and LED running lights, and you'll also get the
usual aesthetic sport upgrades like a leather steering wheel and shifter,
chrome exhaust tip, and a spoiler. And usually this is where I would tell you
that the mid-level S represents the best value in the lineup, and at nineteen three it is
really attractive, especially when another $2,500 for the S Premium Package
will get you push-button start, a power sunroof, heated seats with 10-way power for
the driver, LED lights and front fogs, plus lane-keep assist, blind-spot
monitoring with rear cross traffic, and auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
After all, some of those are features that the competition doesn't even offer.
What worries me is that sport-tuned suspension.
Now this EX doesn't come with that sport suspension, but it's still pretty
fun to throw around here, I mean it's not as well sorted as the Mazda3 or the new
Civic, but it's not dead like the Corolla. The problem is it's busy. As soon as you
hit unbroken pavement even without that stiffer suspension, it's just it's
bouncing all over the place and if you push it through a corner with any type
of speed, the rear end is gonna jump right off the pavement as soon as you
cross any kind of ripple or bump. Now what this needs is more damping, and I'm
just not sure that that sport suspension is going to give you that. I
think it'll - they described it as just being stiffer, so usually what they do is just
stiffen up the springs and have some thicker anti-roll bars, and really that's
just going to make this worse, not better. Okay, enough griping about suspensions.
Let's talk about what's good here. This EX with the $4,500 Premium Plus package
gets you navigation, all the safety systems I mentioned earlier, plus
ventilated seats, xenon headlights, this power sunroof, and an auto-dimming rear,
and you still walk away for just twenty six five with destination and delivery included.
All that for a 5-star safety rating, a 17.4-foot turning radius, and
a backseat that puts the admittedly better-handling Mazda 3 and Focus to
shame. It's the same story with the trunk: The Forte offers 14.9 cubic feet
compared to the Mazda's paltry 12.4 and the Jetta's class-leading 15.7, you're
just you're not giving up much here. I mean sure, the interior materials aren't
the best in the class, but I'd argue that they're at least on par with the Focus,
maybe even better. The same with the infotainment system - I mean this isn't
the best or the prettiest I've ever used, but it is up there, and it works. I
mean it's gonna be obsolete in 6 months anyway, so who cares. So what's
this mean? Well, it means the Forte is a legitimate contender in the compact
crowd. Fix the suspension and upgrade the interior a little bit, and they can even
start making Honda nervous. For now this segment comes down to the Civic, the
Jetta, and yeah the Forte. Go ahead - tell me I'm wrong.
Hey, thanks for watching. For full details on the 2017 Kia Forte, just click the
link in the description, and you can head over to CarGurus.com and read my full
review. And for videos of some of the competition, just subscribe to the
channel.