2010 Kia Forte Coupe

Production of the 2010 Forte Coupe marks Kia’s first ever 2-door model and brings a whole new sporty image to the Kia brand. Peter Schreyer, designer of the Audi TT, worked at Audi for 25 years before joining Kia as Chief Design Officer. His design of the Forte Coupe highlights the design strength of the "simplicity of the straight line". Bold body lines and sharp edges make the Koup stand out against its competitors.

The Forte Coupe uses the new Kia family narrow opening grille design, but the Coupe also has a large air intake below the grille. Large black simulated brake-cooling ducts frame the air intake and the SX model adds vertically mounted rectangular fog lights to emphasize the bold look. Wide tail lights flow around the fender corner and into the trunk panel. The black lower rear bumper acts as an air diffuser to decrease aerodynamic drag and adds to the car’s high performance image. While the Koup exterior design stands out, there is much more to this car than just looks.

The Koup is available in two models: EX and SX. Both are very well equipped with stability control, traction control, ABS brakes, tilt steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls, air conditioning, cruise control, and six airbags. The SX model adds larger 17-inch wheels and tires, bigger front brakes, automatic climate control, telescopic steering column, Sirius satellite radio, fog lights and alloy pedals. Leather seat trim with heated front seats and power sunroof are optional on both models. The SX model also gets a quicker 2.4 litre 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission or optional 5-speed automatic than the EX model’s 2.0 litre engine with 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic. Although the SX is noticeably faster, I found the 2.0 litre EX model had more than enough power.

Kia has to be proud of the suspension engineering in the Koup. Taking a few hot laps on a twisty roadrace track, the Coupe handled like a dream. The car exhibits neither understeer or oversteer, although oversteer could be induced with the throttle. Applying the brakes or backing off the throttle doesn't upset the car while cornering at all. Do something really stupid on a corner and the stability control would unobtrusively kick in to get the car back in line, but only if the car was beyond the limits of control.

The steering is quick, with good feedback to the driver. The larger 17-inch tires on the SX model do provide more traction and sharper steering but both the EX and SX models handle wonderfully. A few quick laps did get the brakes heated up but there was no fade or overheating. The only fault found on the track was the 6-speed manual transmission needs closer gear ratios between 2nd and 3rd gear. This was also noticeable while accelerating on the street.

Some rough roads demonstrated the firmer ride of the SX model, mostly due to the lower profile 17-inch tires. I actually preferred the ride with the 16-inch tires on the EX model for everyday driving. Interior noise levels are low, with a little wind noise from the sunroof on our SX model, but the sound levels are still more comparable to a luxury car than an economy sports coupe.

Inside, seat bolsters are larger and keep both the driver and passenger in place. Front seat legroom is good and rear seat legroom is fair even when the front seats are adjusted all the way back. Access to the rear seats is good for a coupe. Front seat headroom is excellent without the sunroof and just enough with the optional sunroof. Rear seat headroom is fine for shorter passengers, but tall passengers would only want to spend a short time there. The 60/40 split rear seat folds to increase the trunk’s 12.7 cubic feet capacity.

Safety features include side curtain airbags and front side airbags, ABS brakes, stability control and traction control. Active headrests move forward during a rear end collision to minimize whiplash injuries and the headrests are also adjustable for/aft in several steps.

Distinctive sporty styling inside and out, a long list of standard features, economical price and excellent handling make the Koup an impressive car. It isn’t perfect. Soften the ride of the SX model slightly and change a couple transmission gear ratios and it might be getting close though.

AT A GLANCE:

Configuration: Front wheel drive 5-passenger coupe

Engine: 2.0 L 4 cylinder with 156 hp or 2.4 L 4 cylinder with 173 hp

Transmission: 5 or 6 speed manual or optional 4 or 5 speed automatic

Fuel Economy: 2.4 L engine: City 22 mpg; Hwy: 32 mpg

Suspension: Front: independent struts, coil springs, stabilizer bar; Rear: independent torsion beam, coil springs, stabilizer bar

Brakes: Four wheel disc brakes, ABS, brake assist

Special Features/Options: power sunroof, automatic climate control, power driver’s seat, stability control, Bluetooth phone connection with voice recognition, steering wheel audio controls, leather upholstery, heated bucket seats

MSRP: $16,595

Price as Tested: SX trim: $19,990 including $695 destination charges

Posted by: carshq on 9/26/2009 at 8:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink