Small sedans have held steady in the automotive market, thanks to their good fuel efficiency and typically low price tags. A strong competitor in this segment is the 2019 Kia Forte.
For this model year, it has been given a revised look, with more angular and sleeker body styling.
The Forte comes in four trim levels: FE, LX, S and EX, which our tester was.
The Forte's power plant is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 147 horsepower and is linked to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission (tester was automatic). Fuel economy is rated at 30 mpg city, 40 highway with the automatic, and 27 and 37 in the manual.
Driving dynamics were surprisingly nimble for this type of small sedan. At times, it truly felt as if it had a little sports car DNA in it. The steering system uses sensors to adapt to the lane lines on the highway. That takes a bit of getting used to, but once you become comfortable, it's a nice convenience.
Don't tell anybody, but for a short stretch of highway driving, we took our hands off the wheel and the Forte performed just fine, that is, before flashing a message on the dashboard to "Keep hands on the wheel." Ok, just checking.
Pricing for the Forte starts at around $19,000, but our highest trim tester carried a sticker of $26,515. That might seem a little high for a non-luxury subcompact, but the features and the cool styling make a solid case for it being a decent value.
As compact sedans go, the Forte has just about everything you might be looking for.
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