2014 Kia Forte5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Kia spawned an all-new hatchback with its 2014 Forte redesign, and it's an exceptionally promising entry. Dubbed the Forte 5-Door, Kia's latest compact is essentially a re-skinned Hyundai Elantra, just like the rest of the Forte lineup, but the 5-Door exclusively offers Hyundai's Veloster Turbo engine and Kia's concept of sporting driving dynamics.
Geared much more toward fun rather than function, the 23.2-cubic-foot trunk hopes to be overlooked for its pair of appetizing but as yet untested engines. Both the base EX and sporting SX direct 4-cylinder power to the front wheels, but the EX's 2-liter pumps out 173 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque, and the SX's 1.6-liter is turbocharged for 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy for the 2-liter is estimated at 24 mpg city/36 highway without any other benchmarks or estimates to speak of just yet, but we do know the SX offers a 6-speed manual as well as the EX's 6-speed automatic. This should put the SX under 7 seconds to 60 mph, but whether Hyundai lets Kia get the full 6-second treatment is anyone's guess at this point.
Available options are far and away the most varied you will ever see in this segment, but standard features suffer a bit of a clip as compared to competitors in order to offer a higher materials standard and what some argue may be the best build quality of any affordable car made this side of 2005. The 2014 5-Door is definitely a choice place to enter the Forte lineup, as it shouldn't have the road noise, materials and ride quality issues of its last 4 years—and those with their hands on one first agree it feels like a well-made, well-executed, well-considered and thoroughly refined "sure thing" inside and out, thanks at least in part to its basis on a tried-and-true favorite. Safety scores reflect as much, too, the 5-Door fetching second-best and top-notch marks on every account.
The only catches are a conspicuous lack of features discerning drivers will desire at no extra cost and a steering wheel that likes to move toward center when you least expect it. Aside from sporting chrome accents and 17-inch alloy wheels, the top-shelf SX offers little more different from the EX than its engine. Options for both amount to the very same options available to the Forte sedan—in short, a sunroof, keyless ignition and entry, leather upholstery, heated seats (front and back) and a heated steering wheel, among many other features that come only with an upgrade price attached.
Standard features for the base EX include 16-inch alloy wheels, full power accessories, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, 60/40-split-folding rear seat, keyless entry, cruise control, adjustable steering weight, foglights, LED running lights, chrome and leather accents, Uvo voice command system, rear-view camera and 8-speaker sound system with CD player, satellite radio, auxiliary jack, USB/iPod and Bluetooth connectivity. That's an impressive list, but it doesn't offer things like automatic wipers or climate control, remote ignition and several other features drivers of similarly European-feeling cars have come to expect but won't find in a standard Kia Forte 5-Door.
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2014 Kia Forte5 Pricing
Trims & specs
Air Conditioning
Single front air conditioning zones
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: diversity · Voice recognition audio system · Auxiliary audio input: iPod/iPhone integration · Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · Touch screen display radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · Total Number of Speakers: 6
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Braking assist: hill start assist · Front brake diameter: 11.0 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 10.3 · Rear brakes: disc
Comfort Features
Armrests: rear center with cupholders · Floor Material: carpet · Shift knob trim: leather · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Assist handle: front · Center console: front console with armrest and storage · Cupholders: front · Multi-function remote: trunk release · One-touch windows: 1 · Power outlet(s): two 12V front · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: cruise controls · Storage: door pockets · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Driver Seat
Manual adjustments: 6
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: black · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color · Rear spoiler: lip · Rear spoiler color: body-color · Rear trunk/liftgate: liftgate · Window trim: black
Headrests
Front headrests: adjustable · Number of front headrests: 2 · Number of rear headrests: 3
In Car Entertainment
Infotainment: UVO · Infotainment screen size: 4.2 in.
Instrumentation
Fuel economy display: range · Warnings and reminders: low fuel level
Lights
Headlights: LED
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power · Inside rearview mirror: manual day/night
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Safety
Active head restraints: driver · Camera system: rearview · Child seat anchors: LATCH system · Crumple zones: rear · Rearview monitor: in dash
Seatbelts
Front seatbelts: 3-point · Seatbelt pretensioners: front · Seatbelt warning sensor: driver and passenger · Second row seatbelts: 3-point
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Front seat type: bucket · Rear headrests: adjustable · Rear seat folding: split · Upholstery: cloth
Steering
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.0
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Rear Spring Type: coil springs · Rear Suspension Classification: semi-independent · Rear Suspension Type: torsion bar · Stabilizer bar(s): front
Telematics
Phone wireless data link: Bluetooth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: variable intermittent · Liftgate window: fixed · Rear wiper: intermittent
Air Conditioning
Single front air conditioning zones
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: diversity · Voice recognition audio system · Bluetooth auxiliary audio input · Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · Touch screen display radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · Total Number of Speakers: 6
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Braking assist: hill start assist · Front brake diameter: 11.8 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 10.3 · Rear brakes: disc
Comfort Features
Armrests: rear center with cupholders · Floor Material: carpet · Shift knob trim: leather · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Assist handle: rear · Center console: front console with armrest and storage · Cupholders: rear · Multi-function remote: trunk release · One-touch windows: 1 · Power outlet(s): two 12V front · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: cruise controls · Storage: front seatback · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Driver Seat
Manual adjustments: 6
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Exhaust: dual exhaust tips · Exhaust tip color: chrome · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: black · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color · Rear spoiler: lip · Rear spoiler color: body-color · Rear trunk/liftgate: liftgate · Window trim: black
Headrests
Front headrests: adjustable · Number of front headrests: 2 · Number of rear headrests: 3
In Car Entertainment
Infotainment: UVO · Infotainment screen size: 4.2 in.
Instrumentation
Fuel economy display: range · Warnings and reminders: low oil level
Lights
Exterior entry lights: puddle lamps · Headlights: LED
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power folding · Inside rearview mirror: manual day/night
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Safety
Active head restraints: driver · Camera system: rearview · Child seat anchors: LATCH system · Crumple zones: rear · Rearview monitor: in dash
Seatbelts
Front seatbelts: 3-point · Seatbelt pretensioners: front · Seatbelt warning sensor: driver and passenger · Second row seatbelts: 3-point
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Front seat type: bucket · Rear headrests: adjustable · Rear seat folding: split · Upholstery: cloth
Steering
Turns lock-to-lock: 2.90
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Rear Spring Type: coil springs · Rear Suspension Classification: semi-independent · Rear Suspension Type: torsion bar · Stabilizer bar(s): front
Telematics
Phone wireless data link: Bluetooth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: variable intermittent · Liftgate window: fixed · Rear wiper: intermittent