The 2017 forte receives mildly updated front-end styling with available adaptive xenon headlights, plus new taillights (with available led lighting). There's a new s sedan trim level with sporty accents and a firmer suspension, and the sedan's base engine is now a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that is rated to deliver slightly better overall fuel economy than the discontinued 1.8-liter unit.
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What's New for 2017
The 2017 forte receives mildly updated front-end styling with available adaptive xenon headlights,
plus new taillights (with available led lighting). There's a new s sedan trim level with sporty accents
and a firmer suspension, and the sedan's base engine is now a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that is rated
to deliver slightly better overall fuel economy than the discontinued 1.8-liter unit. The ex receives
some formerly optional luxuries as standard, while newly available features include apple
carplay/android auto integration and a suite of advanced safety technologies. Finally, the forte5 sx
hatchback now offers a seven-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission instead of last
year's more traditional automatic.
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Summary Review Body Styles
The perennial small-car sales leaders have never faced stiffer competition,
and the 2017 Kia Forte is the latest shot over the bow. Although it falls short
of a full redesign, the 2017 Forte offers freshened styling, a new standard
engine for the sedan, a sport-themed S sedan trim level, Apple
CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, and optional safety technologies such as
automatic emergency braking that are still rare in this class. With fuel
economy as high as 38 mpg highway and just about every available feature
one could ask for in this price range, the 2017 Forte makes a strong case for
itself against its more established foes.
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Summary Review Body Styles
The sedan's base 2.0-liter engine is perhaps the biggest news, as it's not
often that a car swaps out its primary powerplant in the middle of its
production cycle. Although it's slightly larger, the new 2.0-liter is more
efficient than the smaller engine it replaces. Paired with the revised six-
speed automatic transmission, the new engine increases combined fuel
economy to 32 mpg (up one from 31 mpg), but the city rating gets a big
boost from 26 mpg to 29 mpg. Notably, the top-of-the-line EX trim level gets
a different, carryover 2.0-liter engine that makes a bit more power (though
less than last year) but gives up an eye-opening 4 mpg in combined driving.
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Summary Review Body Styles
If you're shopping for a small car like the Forte, you probably already have
two names in mind: Civic and Corolla. In terms of resale value, you can't
beat 'em, and the current Civic also happens to be an unusually rewarding
car to drive, especially with the optional turbocharged engine. The Corolla
doesn't fare nearly as well on the merits, however, and the Forte
undoubtedly offers more bang for the buck than both. We also recommend
the sharp-handling Mazda 3 and Ford Focus, but their backseat space pales
by comparison.
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As of this writing, the 2017 Kia Forte is available as a sedan in LX, S and EX
trim levels, while the hatchback Forte5 model is offered in LX, EX and SX
trims. The two-door 2017 Forte Koup will be announced at a later date.
Standard features on the LX sedan include 15-inch steel wheels, heated
mirrors, air-conditioning, full power accessories, a trip computer, a tilt-and-
telescoping steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 60/40-split
folding rear seat, Bluetooth, and a four-speaker sound system with a CD
player, satellite radio, USB connectivity and an auxiliary audio jack.
Summary Body Styles:
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The S sedan's Technology package adds foglights, LED taillights, and keyless
entry and ignition plus a few safety technologies (lane departure warning
and prevention, blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking).
There's also a Premium package that builds on the Technology package with
a sunroof, heated front seats, a power driver seat, driver memory settings, a
sliding front armrest, and a navigation system with voice controls.
The Kia Forte EX sedan drops the sport-themed extras but adds the more
powerful 2.0-liter engine, foglights, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED turn signal
indicators on the mirror housings (and puddle lamps underneath), LED
taillights, keyless entry and ignition, ambient interior lighting, leather
upholstery, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic temperature control
with rear vents.
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Body Styles Powertrains and Performance Safety
The Forte LX and S sedans are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at
147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. Power runs to the front wheels through
a six-speed manual transmission (LX only) or a six-speed automatic. EPA fuel
economy estimates are 32 mpg combined (29 city/38 highway) with the automatic and
a rather disappointing 28 mpg combined (25 city/34 highway) with the manual.
The EX sedan gets a 2.0-liter four-cylinder generating 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque
(or 160 and 149, respectively, in SULEV specification). This engine comes only with
the six-speed automatic and returns an EPA-rated 28 mpg combined (25 city/33
highway), which is decidedly unimpressive given the relatively modest power output.
Note that the Forte5 LX and EX are also equipped with this powertrain, although the
numbers had not been finalized as of this writing.
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Body Styles Safety
Performance Safety Special Features
Every 2017 Kia Forte comes standard with antilock disc brakes, traction and
stability control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. A rearview
camera is optional on the LX and standard on the other trims. The optional
Uvo eServices telematics bundle includes roadside assistance, emergency
crash notification, and secondary driver (i.e., teenage) monitoring features
that include notifications when curfew, vehicle speed and vehicle location
limits are exceeded.
As noted above, the sedan offers automatic emergency braking, lane
departure warning and prevention, and blind-spot monitoring, although the
Forte5 only offers the latter.
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Safety Interior Design and Special Features Driving Impressions
The 2017 Kia Forte is much more than just an economy car stuffed with
gadgets. Boasting a handsome cabin furnished with quality materials,
especially in the higher trim levels, the Forte gives other top compacts a run
for their money. In addition, the Forte's high-tech features are well-designed
and easy to use. The 7-inch touchscreen interface, with large, logically
positioned virtual buttons, is one of the better examples of this technology.
Seat comfort front and rear in the sedan and Forte5 Door is very good, and
even 6-foot adults should be comfortable sitting in back. The Forte sedan
offers very generous cargo capacity, with a trunk capacity of 14.9 cubic feet,
while the Forte5 hatchback boasts 23.2 cubic feet with the rear seat up and
plenty more with the seatbacks folded down.
Performance Special Features
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Safety Driving Impressions
Special Features Driving Impressions
Based on our experience with the 2017 Hyundai Elantra that uses the same
2.0-liter engine as the base Forte, we're not expecting quick acceleration
from the base Forte sedan. The new engine is fuel-efficient, however, at
least with the automatic transmission, and should feel adequate in terms of
power delivery to most drivers.
The kia forte 5 door available turbocharged 1.6-liter engine is the logical
choice for those who want extra zest, as it transforms the Kia into a
genuinely speedy little car. The EX sedan's 2.0-liter engine is caught in the
middle, providing no more power than the standard engines in many rival
sedans yet sucking down fuel at a relatively prodigious rate.
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Safety Driving Impressions
The six-speed automatic transmission provides smooth shifts, and it's
surprisingly responsive during typical passing and merging situations. The
slick-shifting six-speed manual in the Forte5 SX is pleasant to operate and
makes the most of the turbocharged engine's power.
Most shoppers in this segment will likely be satisfied with the Forte's overall
ride quality, but the Forte's suspension is occasionally a bit firm and
unrefined. Rougher roads produce a somewhat busy ride; in comparison,
rivals such as the Focus and Mazda3 feel relatively cushy over broken
pavement. The Forte feels steady on winding roads, but it's not particularly
engaging.