2018 Kia Forte Video – More Stylish Than A Honda Civic?

Recently unveiled at the 2018 Detroit Motor Show, this third-generation Forte takes many of its styling cues from the award-winning Kia Stinger sports sedan. Penned under the stewardship of Kia design guru Peter Schreyer, the Forte’s long hood and short deck lend it an overall fastback-like shape.

Creases in the Forte’s hood help accentuate a muscular appearance, while Kia’s trademark ‘Tiger Nose’ grill is now flanked by ‘Stinger-esque’ headlamps with a unique light signature, as highlighted in the video. The Forte’s turn signals are mounted at the bottom of the front bumper, near the integrated air curtains that aid the car’s aerodynamics.

The separate turn signal design cues continue at the rear, with the rear turn signals and reverse lights housed at the bottom corners of the rear bumper. Similar to the Sportage compact crossover, a sleek horizontal trim piece connects the taillights, the taillights themselves carry a crisp graphic signature.

In term of dimensions, the all-new Kia Forte has grown to 4,640 mm in length, 1,440 mm in height and 1,798 mm in width.

The video also takes us through the cabin space of the new Forte, which has grown considerably since the last-generation vehicle. The cabin space has actually grown by 81 mm, from the front of the cabin section to the end of the boot, now up to 4,640 mm – aiding legroom and a cargo space. The boots pace is rated at 427-litres.

At the heart of the dashboard is the infotainment system, which comes standard with an 8-inch color touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, integrated neatly into the dash. Kia also offers wireless charging and a 320-watt Harman Kardon premium sound system as an option.

As for the powertrain, the all-new Forte is powered by Kia’s second-generation 2.0-litre Nu four-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine estimated to produce 147 hp and 179 Nm of torque. The engine can be paired with a six-speed manual or Kia’s all-new in-house developed CVT type-transmission.

From the video, we also find Kia has claimed a 15.2 km/l fuel economy, courtesy of Kia’s new “Smart Stream” powertrain line, that will eventually find its way into more future models. The fuel economy readings are even higher than the figures released during the Detroit debut, of 14.8 km/L, however, those figures were estimates at the time of print.

Separately, if you’d like to more about how a Kia Forte matches up against a 700 hp Lamborghini Aventador, check out the video below.