Comments on: Kia Reveals New Forte Sedan

By: Guzzi

Guzzi — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:19:50 +0000

To me this doesn’t look bad, at all. Way better than the current Corolla and Civic. Now gimme a wagon.

By: P.J. McCombs

P.J. McCombs — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:22:43 +0000

I can’t imagine real-world shoppers will mind the resemblance to a Lexus IS/Acura TSX. This is a $15,000 car; the alternative isn’t the “real thing,” but a Ford Focus or Suzuki Forenza.

Wing-mirror turn signals and a stubby BMW-style antenna are nice touches.

By: lzaffuto

lzaffuto — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:20:09 +0000

It looks great, but how will it drive? I’m not a fan of the current Spectra’s 2.0 liter four cylinder tractor engine.

By: menno

menno — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:56:49 +0000

I always thought the Spectra looked a lot like one of those plastic model cars I used to make as a boy, but after it was put into an oven for a few minutes and the front and rear ends drooped…

Could never bring myself to quite consider driving a car with that mental picture every time I see it…

This is a huge improvement.

By: solo84

solo84 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:09:54 +0000

definitely seems to be copying Honda’s Accord and Civic. Attractive nonetheless.

GM could learn a lesson from Hyundai and Kia. These two companies will be the companies to look out for in the next five years.

By: TriShield

TriShield — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:35:47 +0000

Kia makes a Civic that looks better than the actual Civic.

How great is that?

By: kazoomaloo

kazoomaloo — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:46:34 +0000

Hubba hubba! This new focus on making handsome small cars is one of the best results of our current gas prices. This thing’ll blow up the market if they can squeeze some decent mileage out of it… is 29/38 too much to dream? (Answer: Probably, given that the current Spectra gets an appalling 24/32)

By: motownr

motownr — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:43:19 +0000

The Koreans started out with a lot of u/c dealers who wanted a new car franchise. Until recently, they’ve been an alternative to a used car, and so it’s not surprising that you see a lot of u/c sales tactics.

By: rodster205

rodster205 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:11:22 +0000

The big problem with Kia here is the dealers. If you think 2.8 dealers are bad, try the Kia and Suzuki dealers here. They are the guys running the all-day every day infomercials with the “huge tent sales”, $99 dollars a month (* then $400 after 6 months) sales, “buy one get one free” sales, and will “lose your keys” for any vehicle that you arrive in if they look at it for trading unless you actually buy something.

By: offroadinfrontier

offroadinfrontier — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:31:39 +0000

My first thought after looking at the picture – it’s not bad, if you ignore the orgy it came from between a Civic, IS, and one of the Acura cars..

Really though, at least it isn’t downright cheap looking. The Civic-clone front really bothers me (it stands out like a sore thumb – this car could pass as a cheap Honda to some people), but at least the cheap, chunky plastic parts are gone and this actually looks like a modern car. The newer Mercedes cars have cheaper-looking bodies.

By: Bancho

Bancho — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:25:08 +0000

Justin Berkowitz :

I see. It’s kind of tough to judge from the Soul pics I’ve seen so far. That being the case, I do hope they manage to bring us a hatch or wagon version of the Forte.

John R :

Good catch. I think that’s why I like it so much.

By: brettc

brettc — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:20:30 +0000

Looks kinda like a current Accord to me, but smaller. Not bad though. I’d never buy a Hyundai again, but for everyone else, this could be an OK car.

By: ivyinvestor

ivyinvestor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:20:27 +0000

Did any of you see the Forte advert that ran before the start of “Wall-E” here in the DC area last week? I swear it barely resembled the car in the image above! Perhaps the discrepancy was based on my fuzzy-blurry-goofy glasses rendering movie ads as garblygook so they pass more quickly…

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:17:17 +0000

Not bad looking, a little derivative of a Civic and IS, but in a good way.

By: joeaverage

joeaverage — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:17:01 +0000

Go Hyundai. Said I’d never own one after an Excel back in the mid-90s. That car’s problems were mostly previous owner syndrome though in retrospect. Cleaned up good though.

By: SupaMan

SupaMan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:08:32 +0000

It’s uhh…charming in a bland sort of way. I hope Kia has at least augmented the platform (if it is based on the Elantra) to back up the Forte’s somewhat sporty looks. And it WOULD be ballsy if they dropped the Genesis coupe’s turbo 4 into this car.

I think the Elantra 5 door will eventually take over the Spectra5’s duties so Kia can concentrate on the Koupe concept.

By: Justin Berkowitz

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:03:20 +0000

@Bancho:

In theory, the Soul should not fit in that space. It is much smaller, is likely to only get a 1.6 liter as the biggest engine offered (although us North Americans probably won’t have a choice). The Soul is a real citycar, along the lines of a Fit, Yaris, Versa, et al.

By: John R

John R — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:03:14 +0000

I don’t know if this is ironic, but it looks more like a TSX than the new TSX.

I’ve said it elsewhere, but it would be really ballsy if they dropped the Genesis Coupe’s turbo-4 in there before (or if) Honda/Acura decided to put the RDX motor where it belongs.

By: wave54

wave54 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:02:54 +0000

Yes, a definite improvement over the Spectra and, unlike many other manufacturers, had a sales increase in June (7.6% or 21.1% adjusted).

By: Bancho

Bancho — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:00:47 +0000

I agree, this is a nice looking car. I’m wondering if the Kia Soul will be intended to fill the space where the Spectra5 currently sits.

By: Axel

Axel — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:55:39 +0000

Is this based on the Elantra platform, or is it something completely new?

The current Elantra renders the current Spectra completely useless, so it’s good to see Kia’s doing something to stay competitive in this segment.

I also hope they give us a real, honest wagon, not just a hatchback. The small wagon pickings are getting quite slim. The new Matrix/Vibe is horrid, and the Focus wagon is gone.

By: menno

menno — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:55:19 +0000

They’re on a roll, and so are Hyundai.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/07/01/091635.html

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/07/01/091631.html

In fact, the Spectra is the largest selling vehicle in my 5-county area. Bar none. With the Optima, Sportage and I think Rondo (tall-ish station wagon) somewhere in the top 10, I believe.

Unbelievably, that’s in MICHIGAN. (Northwestern lower peninsula).

Might have something to do with the huge warrantee, the reasonable pricing, the decent quality (since Hyundai took them over and also improved – though Hyundai quality is better, in fact).

Not to mention the vanilla but unoffensive styling and modern drivetrains instead of Detroitese overhead valve clunker engines (see Toyota’s play book for details).

By: Chris Haak

Chris Haak — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:52:15 +0000

Not bad – it looks like a sedan version of the Koup concept from a few months ago. Both are attractive cars, and both have a style that’s (to my eyes) somewhat derivative of the Civic.