Review 2010 KIA Forte SX: a nimble, spacious, and comfortable car for under 20K

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I looked at the tree for a moment. It was covered with snow on one
side for the surprise late fall snowy gale. The other side, which
should have been covered with wet bark, was instead covered with the
carcass of what used to be a Honda Civic. The thick Cottonwood stood
its ground and looked none the worse for wear.

That tree was going to be damned if a tiny Honda was going to dislodge it.

In my Black KIA Forte SX, I sat silently as I watched the sheriff’s
deputies clean up what remained from the wreck (which was little).

An
hour earlier, I got a tasKia2te of the driver’s recklessness as he nearly
ran me off the road, doing close to 100 mph in a freak snow storm.

As I trekked back to my home, I began to feel rather pleased that I was
driving this KIA Forte. I have driven others including the coupe
(spelled K.o.u.p) and was always pleasantly surprised with the
execution of the whole vehicle. This particular night, I was happy to
be in a secure, safe vehicle like the Forte.

Peter Schrever, (he was the brains behind some beautiful Audis) is
now styling for KIA and his talent shows. I think the KIA Forte 2 and
4-door and good looking, yet restrained designs. The interior is
comfortable and reminds me of a Toyota Corolla’s with far more space.
In fact, the KIA Forte SX is one of the most spacious vehicles in its
class.

More important to me is the overall handling of the KIA Forte which
is quite good. Hell, I got a chance to torture a Koup at the California
Speedway’s road course and had a blast. The sedan is fairly nimble too.
That is to say: when I was nearly pushed off the highway by the maniac
teen in his beefed up Honda, I regained control quite easily.

Expect 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway for the 2010 KIA Forte which
is very competitive. My 0 to 60 mph times in the SX (bigger engine with
a 6-speed) manual were just a tick over 8 seconds – which is adequate,
but I know this good chassis can handle a lot more power.

The bottom line is the great price. KIA will sell a completely
stripped Forte for about $14,000. Keep in mind, that stripper version
comes without A/C or power anything. A well equipped SX with its
beefier engine (2.4 as opposed to the 2.0) can be had for under $20,000.

Lower models have the frugal 156 horsepower and 144 lbs feet of
torque 2.0 liter engine. The 2-liter comes with either a 5-speed manual
or 4-speed automatic. Both are okay and do their job with little fuss.
I always recommend the manual in economy vehicles to get the most out
of them.

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The KIA Forte SX comes with a 173 horsepower/168 lbs feet of torque
2.4 liter, 4-banger. It is a fairly responsive unit that works well
with the 6-speed manual and 5-speed automatic. I highly recommend going
for the SX package as the wheels look brilliant, the gizmos are
plentiful and the engine provides enough oomph to be entertaining.
Hopefully, KIA will replace their manual transmissions with better
feeling units.

There are a few cheap plastics and I could hear a bit of road noise
as well. But, all things being equal, I had no issue with these things.
Considering the price and what KIA used to produce, I was very pleased.

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Honestly, those are my only gripes.

The cars ride well, are screwed together nicely and are economical
to own. Did this car save me from the stupid reckless driver? No, I could have
done that saving maneuver in most vehicles. I will say that I felt
comforted after it was all over and even secure while I drove home.

That’s a ringing endorsement.

Nathan
Automotive media, racing, vehicle evaluation, wrecking yards, and car
sales are just a part of Nathan Adlen’s vehicular past. He writes out
of high octane passion! To read more reviews by Nathan Adlen or just to
enjoy more of excellent writing please visit him on at his examiner.com
page HERE.

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