2010 Kia Forte Koup Review

First Impressions

What a good looking little sweetheart. It’s hard to believe that a company like Kia can build something like the Kia Forte Koup (view photos). Just a few years back, I considered their vehicles bland and emotionless, something akin to rolling appliances and nothing more. Now, with the recent additions of the playful Soul and Forte sedan, the Kia Forte Koup (silly spelling – I know) is part of an exciting new direction for the automaker.

Many will see similarities to the Honda Civic coupe (currently Honda’s best-looking car) as the proportions and smoothly integrated headlights do indeed look similar to Honda. However, the Koup still looks distinctive enough to fit the new Kia corporate look. Many new Kia vehicles are getting a similar front-end treatment.

The little Kia Forte Koup pretty much looks like a Kia Forte sedan missing a set of rear doors—until you look closer. The sheet-metal similarities end at the front end as just about everything else is unique to the two-door. The visual rake of the Kia Forte Koup is aggressive and gives it a sense of sportiness, especially when viewed from the rear or front corner.

It dawned on me after a day of brutal treatment of the Kia Forte Koup SX that this is more than simply a two-door Forte. This vehicle has a personality and completely unique mindset. Indeed, Kia built something rather special with this new sport-coupe.

Pricing, Trims and Options

Only two trims are offered: the entry Koup EX and well optioned SX.

The base model Kia Forte Koup (view photos) EX starts at $16,595 and comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission. If you want an automatic transmission EX, it’s an additional $1,000. The EX comes standard with 16-inch wheels and offers fewer color/interior choices. 2.0 liter 4-cylinder comes standard in the EX Forte.

Step up to the Kia Forte SX at $17,695 and you get a more powerful 2.5 liter 4-cylinder. A 6-speed manual transmission and nice looking 17-inch are also standard. Add $1,000 to get the 5-speed automatic on the Kia Forte Koup SX.

Options are few and include a sunroof ($700) and leather package ($1,000) which is only available for the SX models. Both models offer auto-dimming mirrors/w compass ($250), cargo net ($40) and 4-wheel lock nuts ($45), along with a few minor additions.

Interior Features

Once again, the Kia Forte Koup looks like the sedan at first blush, but there are differences. The lower roof, sportier seating and overall performance feeling of the Koup’s interior feels immediately frisky. It’s a simple set up and there are a few low quality plastics. Overall, however, the Koup’s interior is competitive with any vehicle in its bracket.

Back seat ingress and egress is just as undignified as other coupes in its class with a nice amount of room for two averaged-sized passengers (as long as the driver and front passenger are average, too). A third person can fit in a pinch and three children should be fairly comfortable in the back.

For additional utility, the Kia Forte Koup’s back seats fold 60/40 and provide a fair amount of space. Cargo room is useful at 12.6 cubic feet and that size places the Koup mid-pack among its competitors.

The most interesting option (on the SX only) is the leather seating. It does cost a pretty penny, but it changes the whole character of the interior. Drivers I polled said that the leather seats made the vehicle “feel” more expensive. I agree. The whole interior looks very good without offering any surprises.

I was impressed at the stereo system and steering wheel-mounted controls. Many of these goodies cost an arm and a leg with other automakers. With Kia, most are standard. I was a tad regretful at the lack of an optional GPS system. Many competitors offer the option, at the very least.

Still, there is plenty of space to mount one of your own on the nicely sculpted dashboard.

Safety, Quality and Reliability

The KIA Forte comes standard with front- and rear-side airbags. Active headrests that help mitigate whiplash in the event of being rear-ended are standard in the front seats.

KIA’s excellent 10-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty with 5-year 60,000 basic warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance comes standard.