2011 Kia Forte Koup Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Kia Forte Koup review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Forte Koup, and includes Kia Forte Koup safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Just a year after its debut, the 2011 Forte Koup gets a new six-speed Sportmatic automatic transmission option, complete with paddle shifters on the SX model. The five-speed manual gearbox is also ditched in favor of a standard six-speed manual for EX models. A new Technology Package debuts this year, including a navigation system, a reversing camera display, automatic climate control, a SmartKey keyless entry and push-button ignition. Other goodies tossed into this package include fog lights, automatic headlights, and chrome door handles. Also, the Koup SX is now the only version available with leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and heated front seats.

Regardless of whether you choose the 2011 Kia Forte Koup EX or SX, it will be well equipped. The main difference is that the SX model is more powerful, tuned for better performance, and offered with a handful of exclusive upgrades.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power heated side mirrors with integrated LED turn signal indicators, power windows, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, and floor mats. Sport-bolstered front seats are included, and the driver’s seat features a manual height adjuster. A Power Bass surround sound system is equipped with an auxiliary audio input jack, a USB port, full iPod compatibility, and a three-month satellite radio subscription. There’s a CD/MP3 player, too. Bluetooth hands-free calling is also standard, along with 16-inch alloy wheels. A Sportmatic automatic transmission is optional, along with a power sunroof. A new Technology Package can also be added, and it comes with navigation, a reversing camera, Smart Key keyless entry and ignition, automatic climate control, automatic headlights, fog lights, and chrome door handles.

For maximum performance, try the Forte Koup SX, which has a more powerful engine backed up by bigger wheels wearing performance tires, enhanced brakes, and a sport-tuned suspension. To go along with the added attitude, the Koup SX has stereo speaker lighting that pulses to the beat, or, if you’re rocking out to some Kenny G, it stops pulsing and serves as ambient lighting. Other interior upgrades for this model include a tip computer, leather-wrapped tilt/telescopic steering wheel, a leather-wrapped shift knob, metallic cabin trim, a Supervision gauge cluster, and special fabric upholstery with exposed red stitching. Options include a Sportmatic transmission, a power sunroof, and the same Technology Package that’s offered on the EX model. Exclusive to the Koup SX is a Leather Package with heated front seats.

Kia offers two different engines for the Forte Koup. The EX models have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 156 horsepower. The SX models get a larger 2.4-liter four-cylinder good for 173 horsepower. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, a six-speed Sportmatic automatic is optional, and Kia covers the powertrain for 10 years or 100,000 miles whichever comes first. The Forte Koup also includes a bumper-to-bumper warranty and roadside assistance for five years or 60,000 miles.

Fuel economy ratings are good for a sporty compact coupe. The Koup EX is rated 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission, and 25/34 with the Sportmatic automatic. As expected, the more powerful Koup SX is not quite as thrifty with fuel. The manual gearbox returns 22 in the city and 32 on the highway, while the automatic is good for 23-city/31-highway.

Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, and stability control are standard on every Forte Koup, along with six airbags. Get the optional Technology Package, and a reversing camera is also included.

How well the airbags protect occupants is yet to be determined, because neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have put the Forte Koup through their crash-test programs as this review is written.

When it comes to reliability predictions, let’s just say that it’s a good thing the Forte Koup has a long warranty. Consumer Reports thinks the car will return average levels of reliability over time, while J.D. Power and Associates estimates that dependability will prove to be slightly below average.

Improvements to the 2001 Kia Forte Koup are certainly welcome, but what we’d like to see is more favorable reliability predictions and some crash-test scores. That’s because the Forte Koup strikes us as a fundamentally Kapabl Kar that appeals to the Kidz.

By Christian Wardlaw