07:09AM - 27.08.'14
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News Source: Copyright 2014 Brandon Turkus / AOL autoblog.com
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The Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra have long followed similar paths, with each available in a four-door sedan, a five-door hatch and (most recently) a two-door coupe bodystyle. The recent death of the Hyundai Elantra Coupe in the US may be threatening to change the narrative on these two affordable compact lines, of course, but the Korean two-doors have a lot in common under their distinct skins. Their most recent iterations came to market under the power of the same 2.0-liter, 173-horsepower four-cylinder paired with six-speed automatic transmissions and riding atop MacPherson strut front suspensions and torsion-beam setups out back. Each arrived weighing between 2,800 and 3,000 pounds and could be had in base form for less than $20,000. Considering this, the empirical performance stats figured to be similar. There's an important distinction to be made, however. Rather than offer a simple two-door version of a four-door car, like Hyundai did with its Elantra Coupe, Kia has gone to lengths to craft a vehicle with its own unique attitude and attributes. Kia has embraced a sportier stance with its two-door Forte Koup, offering up a standard six-speed manual and going further in an effort to craft a more unique, aggressive coupe design. That drive to be different was further accentuated last year, when Kia raided Hyundai's parts bin and plucked out the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Veloster Turbo. The resulting car is decidedly different than any other Forte we've tested, while also feeling like a better all-around product than the smaller hot hatch it stole its engine from. To see just how much better, we drove the Forte Koup SX for a week and set about seeing how this enhanced model stacks up as a performance offering. Let's start by noting that I'm a big fan of the Forte Koup's appearance. I think that insect-like front end can be a bit ungainly from some angles, but it grows on you, and the overall look has evolved nicely from the Honda Civic clone of the last-gen model. This car's best angle, though, is its rear three-quarter view, which shows off its dramatic rear end, complete with sloping roofline, subtle rear lip spoiler, wraparound taillights and contrasting rear bumper trim. It's a real aesthetic highlight in this increasingly style-conscious segment. 18-inch alloys come standard on the SX, while 16-inch hoops are the sole wheel set offered on the EX. Out back, the EX's single, chrome-tipped exhaust has been replaced with a pair of oval outlets that flank a sporty diffuser designed to look like it's constructed of matte carbon-fiber weave (the front fascia wears a similar strip). Above that is a gloss-black surround for the license plate, which works well with other gloss-black accents (mirror caps and door handles), complementing the Racing Red paint of my tester. Overall, Kia has successfully built a car that balances the Forte Koup's already attractive exterior with a spirit that's clearly meant to appeal to those with sportier aspirations. In the cabin, Kia has been even more restrained with the sporting touches. The SX boasts standard upgraded seats with optional leather upholstery, while the dash wears the same faux carbon-fiber material found sparingly on the exterior. While automatic-equipped SX models benefit from standard wheel-mounted shift paddles, the third pedal on my tester meant the center console was home to a stout, stylish, round shift knob connected to a six-speed manual gearbox. Familiarizing myself with the cabin, I came to find that the Forte's driving position leaves something to be desired. Despite the inclusion of six-way adjustability, it can be difficult to find a comfortable seating position. Headroom on my sunroof-equipped tester was a primary limiting factor, although a greater range of vertical adjustment (maybe an inch or two) would be all that's needed to make the interior feel more spacious. The seats were flat and lacked significant bolstering, both in the backrest and the bottom cushion, a subtle and unfortunate reminder that this car doesn't have terribly sporting ambitions. Disappointing chairs notwithstanding, aside from the much smaller Mini Cooper S, there's not a single car at this price point that can match the Forte Koup for its sheer volume of available equipment. Sure, it ticks the necessary boxes, offering up Kia's UVO infotainment system, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth, push-button start, a rear-view camera and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. But it offers these as standard items. Spend a bit more, and you can get navigation (which includes HD radio and Sirius Traffic), bi-xenon headlights with LED accents, a 4.2-inch TFT display in the instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, and heated seats with driver's side ventilation. That's an impressive list of extras, and my tester was fitted with all of them. Total price? A reasonable-sounding $25,285. This is more than a collection of noteworthy tech, though. Kia has also done its homework with the Forte Koup SX's mechanicals. As mentioned previously, underhood sits the same 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder that I've lived with in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. 201 horsepower is available, while all 195 pound-feet of torque can be accessed between 1,750 rpm and 4,500 rpm. The 1.6T builds on the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, four-cylinder from the Forte EX, besting its 173 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque without breaking a sweat. |
