A week in the 2010 Kia Forte SX...any questions I should try to answer?

[bradyholt]

I just picked up the sporty version of Kia's latest compact sedan for a weeklong review. Any particular questions I should look to answer before I take it back next Thursday?

Introduction and photo gallery at link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Ca...1-introduction

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[eurohazard]

Let us know how many Honda Civic owners do a double-take in incorrectly assuming a mid-cycle refresh happened without them knowing!

I am (seriously this time) curious about real world gas mileage. Thanks Brady.

[Neanderthal]

Interesting. Also an interesting re-read on the EX Forte. Keep up the good work.

I'm quite happy with my '07 Spectra EX, back to basics with good quality, and a nice drive in general.

[ne_one]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Let us know how many Honda Civic owners do a double-take in incorrectly assuming a mid-cycle refresh happened without them knowing!

And the Volt.

[bradyholt]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

I am (seriously this time) curious about real world gas mileage. Thanks Brady.

The trip computer has told me 30.1 mpg over the first 80ish miles today, which was a pretty even mix of rural, suburban, city, and highway. The average made it up to 33 during one stretch of freeway, and that would have been higher had that average not also included a narrow, winding road.

[bradyholt]

Originally Posted by Neanderthal

Interesting. Also an interesting re-read on the EX Forte. Keep up the good work.

I'm quite happy with my '07 Spectra EX, back to basics with good quality, and a nice drive in general.

The Spectra isn't perfect, but it is measurably better than the Forte in quite a few ways. I may have mentioned this, but I came close to owning one of the first 2nd-gen 2004.5 Spectras to make their way south of $5k earlier this year, but I moved too slowly.

[Ttple]

I couldn't wait to test drive the Forte, but when I did , I absolutely hated the clutch. I couldn't change gears without a huge delay. I have taken the car off my list.

[Htay7500]

Seems to have neat pkging. Could you tell us what the clutch version is like?

[bradyholt]

Originally Posted by Ttple

I couldn't wait to test drive the Forte, but when I did , I absolutely hated the clutch. I couldn't change gears without a huge delay. I have taken the car off my list.

The abrupt clutch, touchy throttle, and rubbery shifter do make for very jerky low speed driving. When I wasn't in a hurry I'd start in second instead of first, which helped a bit.

[Bravada]

You might want to try to get Kia to answer why couldn't they give the car that is supposedly to advance the brand into "classy" territory the interior of the Kia Cee'd, but rather the awful mix of Kia Soul and other fine elements that suddenly make you wonder what was so bad about Pontiac that GM had to kill it....

[Neanderthal]

Originally Posted by bradyholt

The Spectra isn't perfect, but it is measurably better than the Forte in quite a few ways. I may have mentioned this, but I came close to owning one of the first 2nd-gen 2004.5 Spectras to make their way south of $5k earlier this year, but I moved too slowly.

How odd. And a shame. IMO the dash, inside panels, and upholstery could have been held over. Seats need a little Honda-style firming up, but to go downhill on a new, improved model is just dumb.

Originally Posted by Bravada

You might want to try to get Kia to answer why couldn't they give the car that is supposedly to advance the brand into "classy" territory the interior of the Kia Cee'd, but rather the awful mix of Kia Soul and other fine elements that suddenly make you wonder what was so bad about Pontiac that GM had to kill it....

[bradyholt]

Originally Posted by Neanderthal

How odd. And a shame. IMO the dash, inside panels, and upholstery could have been held over. Seats need a little Honda-style firming up, but to go downhill on a new, improved model is just dumb.

Perhaps they decided their customer base doesn't care about nice interiors. I was noticing that a local dealer is already taking over $6500 off Fortes -- they could have decided that Kia buyers on the whole are shopping primarily for the price.

[Neanderthal]

Originally Posted by bradyholt

Perhaps they decided their customer base doesn't care about nice interiors. I was noticing that a local dealer is already taking over $6500 off Fortes -- they could have decided that Kia buyers on the whole are shopping primarily for the price.

Oy. That sounds like a GM-style poor decision.

I had a rental Spectra--actually wanted to try the Cobalt but the only one they had was red--while visiting MI friends a while back. My conniseur bud was reasonably impressed with the Spectra interior.

You will always have a market for low priced wheels, but KIA needs to understand that others are watching. To carry over with minor changes, rather than downgrade the interior, would seem the more logical thing to do.

OTOH, $6500 is a lot off the top.

[Bravada]

The Spectra wasn't that bad, the car was in a desperate need of a chassis (i.e. suspension+steering+braking), but the top hat was OK, perhaps ready for a brush-up, but it was only 4 years since they've launched it!

[YEH]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Let us know how many Honda Civic owners do a double-take in incorrectly assuming a mid-cycle refresh happened without them knowing!

The Civic is a combination of r*cer and jellybean; the Forte has a more aggressive, Germanic look to it.

But yeah, the clutch action isn't that good and Kia really needed the new powerplants/drivetrains in the Forte (probably won't be added until the refresh).