An LS460L Owner's Take on the Forte SX

I must admit that the Lexus LS460L is a luxurious ride!

My FIL was in town and it would be interesting to note his take on Sharlotte's Kia Forte SX given that he's more used to the finer things in life. His daily rides at the moment consist of the luxurious Lexus LS460L and the huge Toyota Highlander.

And his Highlander is a full-size badass SUV that is surprisingly easy to live with!

I have driven both his cars consistently whenever we visited my parents-in-law; but given his haughtiness and his love to share his opinions of all things under the sun, it was just natural that he would have lots to say about the Kia Forte.

Our Kia Forte SX waiting for the Jury to sentence- gulp!

Thank goodness we got the SX guise as the ride comes with more bells and whistles compared to the less-complicated EX version; so perhaps he would be less critical of this "cheap car" as he professed over the line before seeing the car in skin.

And the day of reckoning soon arrived and after seeing the Kia Forte SX in the skin and riding as the front passenger over the next few days, he was ready to deliver the verdict. Surprisingly, he was not as harsh as expected on his take regarding the Forte SX, rendering it as an "acceptable" car instead of his initial thought of this being a mere "cheap car".

Face-off...

Ride and comfort was of course nowhere in comparison compared to his LS460L, which had the dual-suspension setup at a touch of a button (Sport or Comfort). The Forte SX was found to be rather bumpy, although at high speed, the car was relatively more well-behaved and poised.

He also found the car a little bit cramped; but being just "a little" when it was a comparison between a C-segment and an E-segment was actually a brownie point in the Forte's fort.

Spacious interior with the push-start ignition.

He liked the Push-Start button ("Hmmm, same push-start ignition as my cars eventhough yours costs 10 times lesser?"), the keyless entry and the remote-enabled trunk control. And he thought that the rear lights at a 45" angle looked pretty much similar to the LS460L's.

Spot the similarities, anyone?

 "Altogether, not a bad car- kind of like a mini Lexus of sorts!", he concluded before flying off.

Differences in sizes become clearly visible when parked side-by-side.

And the pressure is building up as Sharlotte shared with him on my plan to get a Toyota Harrier in the near future, although I am only just starting to save up the extra pennies now. Gulp...

Harrier vs Highlander @ next round.