Check Drive: 2022 Kia Forte GT | The Day by day Drive | Shopper Information® The Day by day Drive

2022 Kia Forte GT in Metal Grey

2022 kia Forte GT Automated

Class: Compact Car

Colour: Metal Grey

Miles pushed: 280

Noticed gas financial system: 28.6 mpg

Driving combine: 60{4923b8d85f1c2e2d3da0980e024bf10110aa33bec65ebb04189818113595ddc8} metropolis, 40{4923b8d85f1c2e2d3da0980e024bf10110aa33bec65ebb04189818113595ddc8} freeway

EPA-estimated gas financial system: 27/35/30 (mpg metropolis/freeway/mixed)

Gas kind: Common fuel

Base worth: $23,490 (not together with $995 vacation spot cost)

Choices on check automobile: GT2 Package deal ($2200), carpeted ground mats ($155)

Worth as examined: $26,840

Fast Hits

The nice: Enjoyable to drive, wonderful greenback worth, simple on the fuel

The great: Logical management structure, cozy front-row seats, engaging cabin

The not so good: Pronounced engine quake at low velocity and idle

Tom Appel:

Not solely is Kia’s Forte secretly well-liked, it’s additionally secretly enjoyable to drive. Fashionable? The compact-sedan market is dominated by two gamers: the pleasant Honda Civic, and the very-popular Toyota Corolla. Collectively, the automobiles accounted for greater than half 1,000,000 U.S. gross sales in 2021.

2022 Kia Forte GT

The battle for third place within the phase is a brutal conflict between the Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, and Nissan Sentra, every of which notched between 115,000 and 130,000 gross sales throughout the identical interval. The likable however considerably dear Mazda 3 trailed the compact-car pack, with simply 38,000 gross sales to its credit score. When you’re shocked that the Forte sells about in addition to the Elantra and Sentra, you’re not alone. That’s why we are saying it’s secretly well-liked.

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2022 Kia Forte GT

As for enjoyable, In GT type the frisky Forte is a reliable and more-affordable different to the spunky Civic Si, although not fully with out its faults. We’ll get again to the GT in a minute.

Out there solely in sedan type, the Forte was freshened for 2022 and handled to revised exterior styling and upgraded tech and security options. When you’re questioning in regards to the 2-door Koup, it was quietly dropped from the Forte lineup approach again in 2016.

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2022 Kia Forte GT

The Forte lineup ascends although base LX, LXS, GT-Line, and GT trim ranges. There are technically two GT trim ranges, one which features a 6-speed handbook transmission, the opposite a nifty 7-speed dual-clutch computerized.

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2022 Kia Forte GT

All however the GT fashions are powered by 147-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mated to a CVT computerized transmission. Go for the GT, and also you improve to a 201-horse turbocharged 1.6-liter 4. Additionally, you possibly can benefit from the basic appear and feel of the GT with the usual engine by going with the GT-Line. Shopper Information just lately hung out with a GT computerized in Metal Grey.

Underway, the Forte GT transitions rather less fluidly than the Civic Si, and maybe feels rather less balanced and somewhat extra like a front-wheel drive automobile. That’s to not say the FT isn’t enjoyable to drive, it’s, and we’re inclined to explain the little Kia’s dealing with peccadilloes as “character” reasonably than flaws.

The GT appears to have all of the grip a commuter may ever want, and the steering is pure feeling, agency, and correct. The brakes really feel good, too. Not nice—we may do with rather less preliminary sponginess—however good.

If ever a small automobile cried out for a handbook transmission, it’s the Forte GT. The small turbo mill revs freely, and works very nicely with the dual-clutch auto. Nonetheless, it will be enjoyable to come back out of a nook in a gear of our personal selecting. The engine itself, although well-suited to spirited driving, is surprisingly throbby at idle and in low-speed driving. We’ll name this a personality flaw.

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2022 Kia Forte GT

We noticed nearly 29 mpg in pretty-much common driving. We suspect our gas financial system may need been higher if the Forte GT wasn’t as a lot enjoyable to drive as it’s.

Inside you’ll discover a tidy however sporty cabin that includes the Kia-typical wonderful management structure. The seats are agency and supportive, and highway, wind, and engine noise are nicely squelched at fixed velocity and on the freeway.

In case you had been interested by going with a crossover as an alternative, know that the Forte boasts a helpful 15.3 cubic really feel of trunk house. Additionally, a little bit of pricing information: the GT2 bundle, as seen on our check automobile, turns into customary for 2023, together with a roughly commensurate base-price improve.

Concerning the Civic Si: it’s a pleasure to drive, and it’s somewhat extra polished than the Forte GT. That mentioned, it additionally prices extra, and may very well be—dare we are saying it?—somewhat too refined. Shopper Information evaluated a manual-transmission 2022 Si early this 12 months that got here to only beneath $29,000. That’s about $2500 greater than our check Kia. We’d go along with the Civic, however when you admire good worth and somewhat extra “character,” remember to check drive the rewarding Forte as nicely.

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2022 Kia Forte GT

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2022 Kia Forte GT

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2022 Kia Forte GT

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