Automotive
The surprisingly good-looking Kia Forte continued the brand’s revival with its launch in 2009. The Forte featured lots of elements characteristic of more expensive cars, but was at the same time among the least expensive small sedans on the market.
The Forte had a smooth, clean look from the front and from the back, with the trim proportions being just right. The cabin of the Forte gave an upscale feel with the tall roof and the wider body that offered great room for the passengers.
Headroom and legroom were good for the front passengers; however, the legroom in the back seats was limited. Standard features included Bluetooth, an auxiliary input jack, steering wheel controls, and voice activation. With one of the biggest trunks for its class, the Forte could’ve easily been a great companion on longer journeys. For longer items, the rear seats could be folded to extend the load area.
Kia challenged the small-sized sedan segment with the Forte when it introduced the third generation of this nameplate in 2012 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Playing in the same league as the Civic and the Corolla was not easy for the Korean automaker. But still, it didn’t want to lose its grip on a segment of buyers who were more concerned about what they’d get for their money than what the resale value of their vehicle was. That’s why Kia made the Forte with an excellent warranty program that overtook its competitors. Even if it lacked the brand awareness of Honda and Toyota, the Korean car manufacturer tried to compensate for that with plenty of standard options for the Forte.
At the front, the Forte featured the same European-inspired design language created by Peter Schreyer for Kia. The big grille sported the Tiger-nose element with its pinched upper and lower sections. Its wide, swept-back projector-beam headlights looked organic, with curved lines ending in sharp angles at their top. Lower, on the apron, customers could order the Forte with a pair of fog lamps that flanked the front fascia. Kia offered generous chromed areas on and around the prominent grille to make the Forte look more upscale.
The third generation of the Forte was introduced at the 2018 North American International Motor Show and included cues inspired by the Stinger. The Forte was the Elantra’s sibling built by Kia and designed by Peter Schreyer. The Forte was launched as a 4-door sedan or a 5-door fastback, featuring the same shape as the Hyundai Elantra Fastback from other continents. Thus, the two twin vehicles covered most of the body versions for the compact segment, apart from a station wagon and a convertible.
The sedan version of the compact Forte was the Kia equivalent for the Elantra but with a sportier look. The headlight design showed inspiration from the Stinger. The “Tiger-nose” grille was already a signature design for the Kia brand, and it was successfully applied on the Forte as well.
