Kia goes slap silly with Forte's features
Platform is becoming dated for 2022 as it falls behind kissing cousins, but still worth a look
The Kia Forte compact sedan must have a bit of a complex, being the forgotten child in the mercurial Hyundai/Kia/Genesis family. While Kia rolls out class-leading SUVs, and crests the electric wave with excellent affordable EVs and the slick EV6, the Forte soldiers on with a dated platform and old powertrains. Adding insult to injury, its kissing-cousin the Hyundai Elantra ain't so kissing anymore. The Elantra sedan moved on to next-generation status last year, leaving the Forte to sulk in its room.
For 2022, Ma and Pa Kia have found some time to take Forte to the mall for a bit of a visual spruce up. Not that that was much of an issue, as the Forte's sharp body lines still hold up. Nonetheless, for 2022, the Forte sees a freshened front fascia and redesigned grill, both with racy red highlights, and new headlights with slick upper and lower DRL accents. The tail lights and rear end are revised, and we also see new wheel designs.
Tested here is the newfor-2022 GT-Line trim level that, at $26,795, kicks the 147hp, 132 lb-ft 2.0L sedan up a notch via some sporty upgrades and a host of kit. No, the GT-Line doesn't have the GT's 201-hp 1.6L turbo four. Visual upticks include 17-inch alloys, a gloss black grill with red accents, gloss black mirrors, rear spoiler, black beltline, and LED fog lamps nestled behind the lower air intakes.
Inside we see faux-leather sport buckets with white stitching (heated and ventilated, 10-way driver), heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, a new 10.25-inch touch display with navigation, metal sport pedals and a sport steering wheel. There's also a full suite of safety kit — blind spot detection and assist, front collision mitigation with avoidance assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, adaptive cruise control, and auto LED headlights.
Add to this wireless charging, sun roof, a new 4.2-inch digital info display, and it's evident Kia is reading from the brand's tried-and-true playbook — slap `em silly with features. The cabin design is simple and well executed, and as always, we salute Kia and its corporate brethren for its adherence to logical, humanfriendly ergonomics. The analogue speedometer and tachometer are large and clearly backlit, and the centre stack hosts an array of wellmarked buttons and knobs for audio and HVAC control. Additionally, the GT-Line's 10.25-inch touchscreen interface is pin sharp, and easy to negotiate. A tuning knob makes spinning through SiruisXM stations a breeze.
This aging Kia compact sedan is not bad to drive. It's just not great. The ride displays a bit too much impact harshness, and while one might think this could translate into alert handling, it doesn't. Despite its quick steering, the helm lacks a sense of connection, and when tucking into a corner the Forte GT-Line's general lack of dynamic cohesion hints back to the bad old days of Kia. Again, not terrible, but the competition has moved on.
The 147-hp naturally-aspirated four-cylinder gets the job done, but as with most modestly powered engines paired with a CVT (continuously variable transmissions), matting the accelerator sets the drivetrain into drone mode – the engine revs away while the car plays catch-up. Sport mode sharpens throttle response and bumps the revs up by about 1000 rpm, giving it a perkier disposition. It's tough out there in the compact sedan world. There's a new Honda Civic, a new Hyundai Elantra (ouch), a newish (for 2020) Toyota Corolla, and the Mazda3 is a serious class act.
Is the Forte still a contender? Well, it sure looks sharp in this GT-Line trim, and while its interior has been around for a while, fine ergonomics, its elegantly simple design and 10.25-inch screen are a big win. On the highway the Forte settles into a relaxed and quiet cruise (all the better to enjoy that decent audio system), and while back seat room is a bit tight compared to most rivals, at least riders will have warm buns.
Add to this outstanding value and a generous warranty, and we'd say the GT-Line is the sweet spot in the 2022 Forte line up. And still worth a look.