Saturday, June 14, 2014

Vincent's Auto Reviews Car of the Month for June 2014: The All-New 2014 Kia Forte (Sedan)




INTRODUCTION: Kia introduced their Forte to replace the aging Spectra in the United States in 2010 (in most countries, it’s referred to as the Cerato, so it was essentially a “redesigned” Spectra, and was just renamed, and in this overview, we’ll refer to the Cerato as the Forte). As time progressed though, the Forte became a “run-of-the-mill” compact sedan, and blended in with the marketplace. For 2014, Kia once again redesigned the Forte, giving it an entirely new look, updated power trains, and better driving dynamics. Will the all-new 2014 Kia Forte stack up to its competitors, such as the Chevrolet Cruze, Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla? Only time will tell.
EXTERIOR: Taking just one look at the all-new Kia Forte and you’ll see why Vincent’s Auto Reviews refers to it as the “Baby Optima”. Taking styling cues from the rest of its lineup, Kia clearly designed its new Forte to stand out. With Kia’s corporate front grille, swooped tail lamps in the rear, and a flowing design, it’s an interesting car to look at. With a choice of either sixteen-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, sixteen-inch alloy wheels, or seventeen-inch sport-styled alloy wheels, a Forte buyer will have their choice of how they want to style their ride. Available in many striking exterior colors, there’s one for everyone.
INTERIOR: Continuing onto the interior, Kia excelled with their new Forte. The gauges are well laid out and easy to read, and a central monochromatic display is also large and won’t wash out in direct sunlight. The pattern on the standard cloth seats is a rather cool design, without being too overbearing, and optional perforated leather seats mimic those of luxury cars. The Forte is also loaded with countless standard technological features, but we’ll discuss them in the next section. The front seats are supportive, and provide adequate comfort, whether it's for the daily commute, or for longer road trips. Clearly the Forte doesn’t have that “rental car”-like interior that the previous generation car used to feature.
STANDARD FEATURES: Even the base Kia Forte LX comes with plenty of standard features, such as Bluetooth for a Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone or A2DP-enabled media streaming device, 3.5-milimeter auxiliary audio input and iPod/USB input jacks (the iPod feature requires a special adapter available from Kia as an accessory and is therefore not included with the car, a bit tedious), an A/M-F/M stereo with SIRIUS-XM satellite radio and a six-month trial subscription compliments of Kia, four speakers, power door locks, cloth seats, and color-keyed side mirrors, door handles, and other exterior components, and these are just a few of the many standard features that the Forte has to offer to buyers. Kia leads the way for other automotive manufacturers when it comes to a high level of standard equipment.
POWER: The Kia Forte comes with two different engine options. The base LX offers a 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder (I4). The upgraded EX offers a 173-horsepower, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder (I4). All Fortes, of course, are front-wheel-drive (FWD). If you want the six-speed manual transmission, you’ll have to opt for the base LX. A six-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting mode is standard and is the only available transmission on the upgraded EX, and is optional on the base LX.
PRICING: A base 2014 Kia Forte LX with a manual transmission starts at $15,900, excluding all taxes and tags, and destination fees. Add the LX Popular Package for an additional $900, and you’ll get keyless entry, power windows with one-touch auto-down front windows, steering wheel-mounted audio system controls, sixteen-inch alloy wheels, power heated side mirrors, and more. The upgraded Forte EX starts at $19,500, which again excludes taxes and tags and destination fees. The EX without options is adequate, but there are two additional packages available. The EX Premium Package, which adds $2,600, adds heated front seats, power dual front seats, and more, and the EX Technology Package, which adds $2,300 in addition to the cost of the EX Premium Package, adds heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, the upgraded Kia Uvo System powered by Microsoft with integrated touch-screen, voice-activated GPS navigation system, a power sunroof, and more. A fully-loaded 2014 Kia Forte EX with EX Premium Package and EX Technology Package will ring up to $25,500, excluding any and all available accessories, tax and tags, and destination fees. Vincent’s Auto Reviews recommends the base 2014 Kia Forte EX, without options, which will be the most cost-effective 2014 Kia Forte for buyers to purchase.
SUMMARY: Vincent’s Auto Reviews thinks that the all-new 2014 Kia Forte is a good bet for anyone looking for a fun-to-drive, well-priced compact sedan that offers excellent features and a long warranty (10 years/100,000 miles, not a typo). Go take the Forte for a test-drive yourself, and see what makes it such a good vehicle for you.
-Vincent D., Vincent’s Auto Reviews

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