Once a dowdy but economical compact, the 2014 Kia Forte EX explodes into this year's marketplace with a complete redesign. With a lower, wider and longer body, the aggressive styling announces this car as a true contender in the feisty compact field.
Going up against the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and teammate the Hyundai Elantra, the new 2.0-liter 173-horsepower Forte bullies its way into the mix, and with a base MSRP of $20,200, it will turn heads.
Let's start with the large, elegant cabin. Our EX tester is trimmed with comfortable leather seats, well-crafted contrasting plastic and plenty of easy-to-use tech features. There's legroom to spare for driver and passenger and even to let your backseat passengers stretch out. And this compact packs a full-sized trunk: I was able to stow my golf clubs easily with room to spare.
Grab hold of the thick leather-trimmed steering wheel and feel how confident a road car the Forte is. Although the steering is responsive and fun around town, I found the highway control vague: a Kia/Hyundai sticking point. One of the common complaints for smaller cars is the excessive road noise, however Kia has stepped up and done a nice job of muting the cabin, bringing Forte's comfort to the top of the class. The $2,600 Premium Package, which adds features such as the UVO voice-operated infotainment center, heated and cooled seats, and full power group, makes this nifty car an impressively quiet, fun ride.
The $2,300 Tech Package adds a 7-inch touch-screen navigation with big buttons that is a delight and easy to program — other makers should take note. The dash has a futuristic feel with some really slick-looking displays but they all work well with the redesigned interior. One drawback for me: The "A" pillar, which supports the roof, was in my left line-of-sight, but Kia adds a small cutout window to help.
Mileage is quite good, an average of 26 mpg, and the engine's performance is peppy and quick. Under heavy acceleration, the six speed automatic transmission gets whiny and tops out a tad too quickly but it does the job.
But at the end of the day what really drew me to this car was the sweet lines and easy-on-the-eyes curb appeal. I've been a fan of the Korean auto giant's European engineering and its evolution over the past couple of years. It took very little time for the entire line to be influenced and I expect more improvements to come.
It's easy to recommend any of the cars from this manufacturer. Good looking, superbly trimmed, technically sound and immensely well-packaged with goodies, such as the panoramic sunroof and power folding mirrors, they offer across the board bang for your dollar.
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