2018 Kia Forte

Designed to compete with the industry’s heavyweights, the 2018 Kia Forte is available as a compact sedan or hatchback. With its most recent facelift, the Forte gained a little width and length, but not height; this is most noticeable in the sedan’s attractive, lengthened roofline and profile.

The stubby rear end of the hatchback adds a certain amount of drama. While the Forte’s interior is less complex and more uncomplicated than the interiors of Kia’s bigger cars, it retains a sporty appearance thanks to a simple layout, excellent multimedia systems, displays that include an array of analog instruments under a hood, and a touch of sport-sedan styling.

The Forte sells itself on its spacious cabin and excellent fuel efficiency. Still, vehicles like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla have a long history and better brand recognition among budget-conscious buyers. On the other hand, the Forte is an excellent option for compact-car customers who are looking for high safety ratings and an easy-to-use infotainment system.

Performance and Fuel Economy

Even though it has elements of sportiness in its form, the 2018 Forte is not a sports sedan. To that end, Forte is a good economy sedan that delivers excellent performance just slightly below that of the finest cars in its size and price category. Kia offers the Forte with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine or a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine as an option. Similarly, the inline-4 engine that comes standard produces 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque.

In the 2017 model year, a new engine took the place of an older 4-cylinder engine design. The resulting transmission options were available either as a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. The upgraded 4-cylinder engine is a new design that has direct injection and produces 164 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. In terms of fuel economy, the Forte LX and S sedans with the 2.0-liter engine and 6-speed automatic gearbox are the most efficient, with 29 mpg in the city, 37 on the highway, and 32 combined.

Overview:

The 2018 Kia Forte is offered in 4 trim levels:

• S
• LX
• EX
• SX

Specifications

• Height: 56.3 in
• Length: 179.5 in
• Width: 70.1 in

Engine type: Regular Unleaded I-4, 2.0 L

Fuel tank: 13.2 g

Design, Comfort, and Quality

The Kia Forte‘s inside is cloth and plastic-bound, appropriate given the vehicle’s low price, but the design is whimsical and makes the most of the vehicle’s materials to great effect. Seats made of leather are offered in the most expensive variants. The Popular Plus option, which costs $1000 and is available on the hatchback’s LX model, now includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Forte’s standard cloth seats are somewhat unremarkable, while a firmer cushion would be a welcome addition for long-distance comfort. However, a memory feature for the driver’s seat is a welcome addition. Similarly, so are are cooled front seats, which are an option.

Owner’s Manual

When consumers purchase the vehicle new, a 2018 Kia Forte owner’s manual containing all the required information was included. Assuredly, owner’s can reference this book for questions about maintenance, vehicle operation, and features.

• Important Safety Instructions
• Introduction
• Overview
• Operation
• Maintenance
• Troubleshooting
• Maintenance Record

While this list is thorough, the owner’s manual for the 2018 Kia Forte owner’s manual set provides more operational suggestions to enhance the user experience. Bound in premium leather, this manual also contains materials, such as warranty cards, and other supplemental manuals. These additional manuals can be helpful for operating unique components with the vehicle, such as premium sound system receivers.

Plenty of Space

Compared to other models in its class, the Forte and Forte5 offer an average amount of storage. Don’t expect them to manage large IKEA trips, but supermarket runs and short journeys to the airport should be no problem. The trunk capacity of the Forte sedan is 15 cubic feet, which places it in the center of the pack among its competitors. When the rear seats are folded down, the Forte is relegated to the rear of the pack in terms of carry-on baggage capacity.

Even though the Forte5 has a generous 56 cubic feet of capacity behind the front seats and its carry-on storage is the second-best among its competitors, the dedicated cargo space aft of the rear seat is just average at 23 cubic feet. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were made available in the Forte for the 2017 model year. An AM/FM radio and CD player are included as standard equipment in the sedan, while higher-level trims and all hatchbacks have two tweeters installed on the doors, bringing the total number of speakers to six.

2018 Kia Forte Price

Below mentioned you will find the pricing of the 2018 KIA FORTE:

• S: $16,400 or €15539
• LX: $18,300 or €17339
• EX: $22,200 or €21034
• SX: $23,900 or €22645

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reliability rating of the Forte?

JD Powers gave it a 4 out of 5

What are some problems customers complain about with the Forte?

Defective stereo, Door lock malfunctions, road noise, engine issues, etc

What is the useful life of the Forte?

100K-200K miles