Are you brave enough for the 2019 Kia Forte?
PITTSBURGH — Brands and their mystique hold power over consumers, promising a lifestyle benefit even if it’s not entirely true. After all, you can wear Nike sneakers or an Under Armour t-shirt, but they won’t make you any more fit. Similarly, buying a Ralph Lauren outfit that mimics the look of old money won’t make your bank account any fatter, although it fools the unsuspecting.
Which brings us to the 2019 Kia Forte sedan.
During this model’s introduction last week in Pittsburgh, a BMW 5 Series pulled up alongside this new compact four-door. But here’s what’s so surprising: If you didn’t know the price difference between the two cars, you wouldn’t think the Forte started at onethird of the price of the BMW. The 2019 Forte’s styling is so sophisticated, you could mistake it for something spendier.
The fourth-generation Forte owes its exterior elan to Kia’s European styling studio, which endowed the Forte with its sporting look, one that bears some resemblance to the Optima, although Kia is hoping you’ll see Stinger influence in its looks. That’s stretching a point.
Peek inside and you’ll find a modern interior that exchanges the previous model’s dowdiness for a sophisticated minimalism that lends the cabin a spacious feel. A fixed 8inch screen that controls Kia’s intuitive infotainment system anchors the center of the horizontally oriented instrument panel. A row of buttons underpins the screen, giving you quick access to the radio, navigation or other functions. Below that resides the dual automatic climate control, which is standard, and a rarity in this class.
The Forte EX test car featured a two-tone leather/ pleather interior, along with stitched trim along the instrument panel — an upscale touch.
There’s ample room for four full-size adults. Legroom is generous up front, and above average for a compact in the rear. The seating position in the second row is pleasingly high, although those with long torsos may find headroom tight in the back. Cargo space is generous at 15.3 cubic feet.
Given that the Atkinson Cycle engine is rated at 147 horsepower, you wouldn’t expect the Forte to be as sprightly as it proves to be, although overall acceleration is merely average. Interestingly, the Forte’s Sport driving mode, offered alongside Normal and Smart driving modes, learns your driving style and switches between normal and sport modes automatically. Kia’s new continuously variable automatic transmission, its first, provides an ideal balance between performance and fuel economy, returning 33 mpg during the test drive.
Unlike most continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), the Kia’s unit was developed inhouse and employs a chain belt to improve efficiency, so there’s little of the delay you typically experience with CVTs. There’s little waiting for the CVT to decide which gear ratio to choose. Also, it can be shifted manually, which works very well. Only on extreme uphill climbs will you remember it’s a CVT. Otherwise,
its performance is so adept, you’ll forget it’s a CVT. It’s easily the best one on the market.
As impressive as the Forte is, it’s the ride and handling that is its biggest surprise. Thanks should go to Albert Biermann, who once spent his days running BMW’s M division. You can sense his DNA in this car’s feel. OK, it’s not a sports car, but the front-wheeldrive Forte possesses exceptional compliance and composure. Perhaps this is why Kia chose Pittsburgh to show off its newest compact star. Ride quality is exceptional for the class. Bumps are noticed, but not felt, except for the very worst of them. There are no excess body motions after traversing bumps, no undue rebound. Even body lean is modest. Couple that with its exceptionally quiet ride, engine and exhaust, and you’ll find a car that’s capable yet quiet.
And the EX is stuffed with goodies, like heated and cooled front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multiple USB ports, wireless charging pad and adaptive cruise control.
In fact, the Kia Forte almost everything was either pleasing or better than expected. It’s too bad that brands can blind us to the true value of a product. There’s little doubt that if you’re considering a Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze or Nissan Sentra you’d be better off buying the Kia Forte. But you won’t of course. A Kia? What would the neighbors say?
Don’t let the brand name put you off; the 2019 Kia Forte is one of the best compact sedans you can buy. Look for it when it goes sale shortly. here is a shift occurring where some manufacturers are going to chain drive for the camshaft/crankshaft connection in addition to those that already run them. Timing belts are lighter, quieter and supposedly less costly to build, but they burden the vehicle owner with replacement cost, typically at 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Timing belt failure can also be an expensive catastrophe on interference engines if valves and pistons collide. A timing belt replacement job typically includes renewing belt tensioners and the water pump, if driven by the belt. Cost can range as high as $1,000. A timing chain may eventually require replacement as well, at similar or higher cost, although many are claimed to last the life of the engine. Excessive noise is the tip-off a chain system is worn and heading toward failure.
I'd certainly take a look at this when choosing a potential vehicle, new or used, but there are many other factors to consider as well.
My hunch is you have two issues at hand: brakes and steering/suspension. Your brakes were possibly hot, and this magnifies the effects of brake rotor thickness variation/runout/hardspots. This is what set up the shake, and you've likely got some wear in steering components such as idler arm/center link/tie rod ends that amplified the effect. Are you seeing unusual tire wear or wandering over uneven pavement? I'd get the truck into a brakes/front end oriented service facility for inspection right away!
An illuminated (battery symbol) light indicates a fault in the vehicle's charging system. If the alternator (charging device) is not producing adequate electricity to operate all the systems at hand, the battery will soon discharge. This could lead to a breakdown or failure to restart after parking. It doesn't sound like you've noticed any low-battery symptoms, so the illuminated light may be somewhat of a false alarm, or the fault occurs only briefly.
A careful inspection/testing of battery terminal connections and alternator connections is a good place to start. Unless something turns up, an accurate diagnosis will unfortunately need to be made during one of the episodes. An inexpensive voltmeter placed across the two battery terminals during an episode could bring some piece of mind or expedite a roll-the-dice repair attempt. Normal battery terminal voltage/engine running should be 13.5 to 14.5 volts. 12.6 volts or less indicates no charging is occurring.