The 2010 Kia Forte SX has lots of power for a small sedan and minimal body roll, but needs sharper steering and a less-sensitive throttle to be really fun to drive.
How a car drives is generally one of its most important characteristics, especially on a car that's supposed to be sporty like the 2010 Kia Forte SX that spent a week with the DC Car Examiner.
In this space, readers have found details on interior space and gas mileage before hearing much about the basics of ride, acceleration, and handling, besides that the touchy throttle and abrupt clutch on its standard six-speed manual transmission resist gentle driving.
This order of presentation was used not because these are unimportant characteristics -- far from it. Rather, the Forte needed more time than most cars to deliver a good impression of how it drives.
Initial impressions of the Forte suggested that its over-sensitive accelerator was an attempt to disguise a lack of power by making the car quick off the line. But over a week of driving and hundreds of miles, the Forte did demonstrate that its 2.4-liter 173-horsepower 4-cylinder is quite strong. You can't give it too much in first gear in normal driving or you'll never make it cleanly to second, but there's plenty available in second and third, and good highway-speed passing power even in the higher gears.
The touchy throttle still presented many problems over the week, both in starting from a stop and in maintaining a steady low speed. This Forte has been unwilling to cooperate smoothly in reversing into or out of parking spaces or making its way to and from the third floor of its parking garage. First gear is essentially unusable for any steady speed and even second is far from ideal, while third lugs badly under 20 miles per hour.
Perhaps the sensitivity of the gas pedal is easy to fix. If so, one would hope it is done quickly; it's hard to think of any advantage to the setup as it is now.
See photos of the 2010 Kia Forte SX in today's slideshow
Harder to fix, but less serious, is chassis control that lags the best small sporty cars. The Forte is unsettled over even the smoothest highway surfaces, and some bumps that some cars take in stride lead to cringe-inducing "did I break it?" slams. Gravel roads and driveways were twice tackled during the past week, and the Forte's ride quality was its worst over the constant bumps, and of course the throttle and gearing once again made it difficult to maintain a low, steady speed. There was also a trace of floaty motions with the ride on the highway, quick but noticeable, after some bumps.
Yet at the same time, the Forte does handle some types uneven pavement quite cleanly. It would take more than a week to determine a pattern of exactly what sort of bumps cause which chassis response.
None of this is to say the Forte rides poorly, especially for a car billed as sporty. It would not be called uncomfortable in most uses, despite an underlying firmness. But more control would offer a greater sense of sophistication.
The suspension's firmness does keep the Forte from wallowing on twisty roads, where body roll is impressively suppressed. However, the car's steering isn't quick enough at lower speeds -- where the road is twistier and more sharpness is needed -- or immediately off center. It's appropriately weighted and returns good feedback, but the response is too slow. And as discussed earlier, it's far too easy for occupants to slide out of the minimal bolstering the front seats offer, a distraction and discomfort while taking the Forte around a tight turn.
The off-center lag in steering response, a quiet engine, and an acceptably pleasant -- if not plush -- ride make the Forte a good highway car. The high gas mileage its sixth gear lets you accomplish is another big plus, but it's somewhat offset by seats that lack long-distance comfort.
But sharper steering would go a long way toward making the Forte SX a legitimate sporty car rather than just a quick one, and a more relaxed accelerator would make the car far less frustrating to drive at low speeds.
Check back next month for a comparison of the Forte SX with four other powerful compact sedans, or click to subscribe to automated e-mail updates from the DC Car Examiner (the link is between the headline and the photo near the top of the page) if you fear you'll forget to return here.
And check back later today and over the next week for an in-depth look at the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
Day 1: Introduction
Day 3: Stop-and-go driving
Day 4: Highway driving
Day 6: Inside the car
Day 8: Ride, acceleration, and handling
Vehicle tested: 2010 Kia Forte
Vehicle base price (MSRP): $13,965
Version tested: SX
Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $19,490
Estimated transaction price as tested: $16,905
Odometer at beginning of test: 1,442 miles
Odometer as of this writing: 2,083 miles
Test vehicle provided by: Kia Motors America
Comments
I really like how you gave it time to report on everything. Thanks for all your hard work for us, Brady.
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