E-mail from Reader : Crazy Love for Kia Forte

"Dear KFSX,

Please forgive my language if I sound a little worked up as I was quite put off by my GF earlier. I had to go for a negotiation with my buyer, whom had refused to pay his dues for some time now; and there was indication that the negotiation may take a turn for the worst and snowball into a confrontation/fight. My GF advised me to go out earlier and settle the matter; and perhaps I could march into his place and seat myself there until a solution was worked out.

As my GF's and my cars were in tandem parking, I grabbed her Kia Forte keys and informed her that I would be taking her car out simply because hers was parked on the outside and thus, easier to drive out. She then chided me that I shouldn't be thinking of driving her car to the negotiation as things could turned bad and her car could be damaged in the process.

Her imagination had ran wild then and she was thinking that the buyer could chase me fast and furious-style and ram his car into her beloved Kia Forte. This was of course, not going to happen in reality. Logically-speaking, if I was there making an arse of myself in the buyer's pad with his mates over there, if things do turn bad, they would most likely beat the crap out of me in the pad itself. I don't think that they would be giving me the opportunity to go out of the pad, take the lift some 18-storeys down, retrieve the Kia Forte and then only come after me in their Mini Cooper S so as to ram their car against mine.

But it does feel pretty hurtful that she would be thinking of her car's safety, rather than mine; when I would be walking into a dragon's den shortly during that time. By the grace of God, all things worked out properly with no blows thrown about during the confrontation; but I felt really shortchanged.

Don't you think that that was some crazy love for Kia Forte?

Yours truly, CA Hurt"

Kia Forte SX's reply :

Dear CA Hurt, this is mainly a car blog; and I am not a trained social behaviourist so I am not going to make an arse out of you and me by trying to read into her action and come out with my own judgements, which may only make things worst. I am just glad that you are alright (least that I have one less reader if anything happened- btw, that was a tongue-in-cheek joke) and hope that things would work out fine.

The Forte does leave one speechless at times; and in this case, well, the case leaves us speechless. However,I am sure that she didn't mean you any harm and probably just used a poor choice of words leading to the current misunderstanding.

Any smart readers whom wanna assist to comment and hopefully draw some consolation for CA Hurt? I'll moderate the comments but leave the essence of the comments thereon. Thanks in advance!

US-based About.com Review : 2010 Kia Forte sedan test drive

Meet the all-new 2010 Kia Forte, which replaces the Spectra as Kia's entry in the crowded compact sedan segment. Kia claims the Forte represents the New Age of Kia -- top-quality cars that can hold their own against Toyota, Honda and Nissan while retaining Kia's traditional value equation (translation: cheap prices). 

That's a pretty tall order -- can the Kia Forte really deliver, or is this just more marketing hype? 

First glance: Promises, promises

When a second-tier automaker says they're going to build a first-rate car, I get all giddy inside, because I know that much hilarity is about to ensue. I've seen it before: Public-relations proclamations that this is the car that will launch them to the top of Consumer Reports' best-buy list and make Soichiro Honda roll over in his grave. The car turns out to be a noisy, tinny, plasticky piece of crap, and I get to write a knee-slapping review telling you not to buy it.


So when Kia said that the all-new Forte was going to give cars like the Corolla, Civic and Sentra a run for their money, I figured I could just sit back and let the jokes write themselves. Don't get me wrong -- I like Kia cars, but they aren't exactly keeping Toyota executives awake at night. A Kia that's as good as a Corolla? Comedy gold, my friends.


And then I drove the Forte...and it was a major disappointment. Not because it's bad, but because it's every bit as good as Kia promised it would be. Damn, I thought as I turned my first mile in the Forte, there goes my review.


Truth is, you could slap any one of a number of Japanese badges on the Forte -- Mazda, Nissan, maybe even Toyota if the light wasn't great -- and most people would believe it. It really is that good. The Forte is handsome, but not divisive; its feature list is long, but not excessive; its road manners are athletic, but not punishing. Like the best cars in this class, the Forte is solidly middle-of-the-road -- a major accomplishment from an automaker that has spent most of its time, metaphorically speaking, in the breakdown lane.

In the Driver's Seat: As good as anything else 

Inside the Forte, the plastics, fabrics and carpets are as good as or better than those found in competing cars. The controls are simple, the instruments clearly labeled, and visibility is great. All Fortes get a height-adjustable driver's seat and steering column; only the top-of-the-line SX model get a telescope (in-and-out) adjustment for the steering wheel, but even without it I found the driving position comfortable enough. Ditto for the back seat -- I had plenty of room back there, and even with the front seat adjusted all the way back there was adequate space for my feet. The trunk is huge -- 14.5 cubic feet -- but the opening is small.

Being a Kia, the Forte is heavy on value. The base model costs $14,390 -- $1,825 less than the cheapest Honda Civic sedan -- and comes with stuff the Civic doesn't get, like a Bluetooth speakerphone, CD stereo with USB input jack, and electronic stability control. You can add air conditioning for $1,500, but a better deal is to spring for the $16,490 Forte EX, which comes with A/C, power windows, mirrors and locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, a split/fold rear seat, and other goodies. (For those keeping score, that's $1,675 less than a mid-level Honda Civic LX, and the Forte EX is better equipped). Top of the range is the $17,890 Forte SX, which, like the $19,610 Toyota Corolla XRS, gets a bigger engine and a sportier suspension. Tick all the option boxes -- heated leather seats, moonroof, automatic -- and the Forte SX tops out at a reasonable $20,535.

On the Road: A tale of two engines

LX and EX models are powered by a 2-liter engine. Its output of 156 horsepower sounds promising, but its old-tech automatic has only four speeds -- which means frequent flooring of the pedal to get at the engine's power. 

There are two fixes: First, save a thousand bucks and get the five-speed manual; second, spend an extra $600 on the Fuel Economy Package, which includes a 5-speed automatic that provides more flexibility (and better gas mileage, to boot).

What I like best about the Forte is that all versions come standard with a full load of safety features, including six airbags, antilock brakes and ESC, a life-saving technology that reduces the chance of the driver losing control in a swerve or a skid. Honda only offers ESC on the priciest Civics, but it comes free on the Forte. Bravo, Kia! Another good deed: Both engines are available in Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) versions for California-compliant states, with only a slight drop in power output.


Journey's End: Good news for you, bad news for me

The 2010 Kia Forte is an impressive car that does the job just as well as mainstreamers like the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, and Ford Focus. The Honda Civic's innovative interior and the Mazda 3's long list of creature comforts put them ahead of the Forte, but both are significantly pricier.  

The Forte SX does even better against big-engine compacts like the Toyota Corolla XRS and Mitsubishi Lancer GTS -- it's more fun to drive than the Toyota and has a better interior than the Lancer.

The Forte's best rival is the Hyundai Elantra. (Hyundai is Kia's parent company.) Like the Forte, the Elantra has a roomy interior and long warranty, plus it's good to drive and a great value. But base models don't come with ESC, and the Elantra is as bland-looking as the Forte is attractive. Advantage: Kia.

Resale values are a Kia weak point, but the Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) has set the Forte EX's 3-year residual value at 50% -- 15% better than the outgoing Spectra and only 3% and 11% behind the Toyota Corolla LE and the class-leading Honda Civic EX-L respectively. (Other Fortes range from 46 to 54%.) And Kia backs their cars with a great warranty -- 5 years/60,000 miles on the whole car and 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain.

Bottom line: 

The Forte is exactly what Kia promised -- a first-rate car that can run with its mainstream rivals. It may not be best in class, but it's far, far, far from the worst. That's great news for car buyers, even if it's bad news for us writers.  

-- Aaron Gold

What I liked about the Kia Forte:

All models get the full load of safety equipment as standard

Handsome looks

Roomy, well-appointed interior

Decent to drive

Inexpensive price

What I didn't like: 

• Four-speed automatic puts a damper on power output  
• No center headrest for the back seat

Who should buy the Kia Forte:

Anyone looking for a good deal on a compact sedan


Who should not buy the Kia Forte:

Brand snobs

Details and specs:

• Body style: 4-door sedan
• Seating capacity: 5
• Trim levels: LX, EX, SX
• Price range (including options): $14,390 - $20,535
• Base engine: 2.0 liter inline 4-cylinder, 156 hp @ 6,200 RPM, 144 lb-ft @ 4,300 RPM (SULEV version: 154 hp @ 6,200 RPM, 139 lb-ft @ 4,600 RPM)
• Optional engine: 2.4 liter inline 4-cylinder, 173 hp @ 6,000 RPM, 168 lb-ft @ 4,000 RPM (SULEV version: 165 hp @ 6,000 RPM, 161 lb-ft @ 4,000 RPM
• Premium fuel required? No
• Transmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, 5-speed automatic
• Driveline: Front engine, front-wheel-drive
• EPA fuel economy estimates: 25 MPG city/24 MPG highway (2.0 manual/automatic), 27/36 (EX with Fuel Economy Package), 22/32 (2.4 manual), 23/31 (2.4 automatic)
• Where built: South Korea
• Standard safety equipment: Front airbags, front-seat-mounted side airbags, two-row side curtain airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes with antilock control, electronic stability control
• Optional safety equipment: None
• Major standard features: AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with USB input jack, Bluetooth phone connectivity, variable-delay wipers
• Major options: Air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and locks, split/fold rear seat, alloy wheels, heated leather seats, moonroof, trip computer, floor mats
• Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, 5 years/60,000 miles outer body rust-through
• Roadside assistance/free maintenance: 5 years/60,000 miles roadside assistance

Best rivals: Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Mitsubishi Lancer GTS

Kis Forte SX's Verdict : 

Choose your own poison- all these cars in the US C-segment category look the part and represents modern driving at the current best standards. While the prices do not differ much in the US market, we are lucky that the Kia Forte SX's price is much lower compared to these other rides, thanks to Naza doing a badge swap and then saving loads of import taxes by declaring that the Forte SX is a CKD effort. I have chosen to go with the Forte SX- have you been left speechless lately?

Happy Diwali Long Weekend : A Drive Up Genting Highlands

Welcome to Genting Highlands!

Nice and cold weather!

Okay, so here I am at Hotel Highlands writing a piece on the test drive of the Forte SX up Genting Highlands. You have probably read how the Forte did beautifully in its assent and descent of Cameron Highland's long and winding roads earlier the week; so let's put the Forte to the test on the sharp slopes and turns of Genting Highlands, where you can always find cars parked alongside the road with their bonnets opened.

Pulling strong...

Nice power play...

We kept overtaking each other off...

The weather is nice and cool up here, and the wind is blowing massively outside the hotel room's windows. Earlier the day, I made a trip up here in my well-maintained Civic EG and along the way, I had the opportunity to drive alongside a nifty Forte 1.6 SX, which gave me plenty of chances to squeeze every ounce of my B16A juice against its eager Gamma powerhouse.

Fun with a capital F!

Power at your fingertips!

Now, my B16A has been tuned and dynoed for best results; and the fact that the presumably stock standard Forte SX was still pulling strong despite us travelling at speeds in excess of 130 kmph on uphill driving indicated that it should be fun to take the Forte SX up the mountain for a spin.

Gamma engine can be fun!

So, after we have checked into the hotel, I decided to drive back home and climb the mountain again- this time in our Forte SX too.

And the fact that I am writing here showed that the Forte SX had no issues taking up the hills; although at certain stretches it seemed to huff and puff a little. Note that our Forte SX is completely stock standard for now; and a simple drop-in or open-pod filter should improve things somewhat. And the tiptronic was a wonder to use and functioned beautifully- enabling me to overtake cars in a furious yet comfortable pace throughout the journey. 

Simple driving made fun!

No wonder I see so many Kia Fortes at the car park earlier- it's just so easy to tackle the mountain roads with the well-designed Forte SX!

Can our police force park indiscriminately?

Since we were marveling at how handsome the Forte SXes make as police pursuit vehicles, let's hope that they don't turn up at the hands of some quarters whom think that parking indiscriminately is a perk for the police personnel.

The policeman driving the Waja must have been REAL hungry to flout the law for his dinner.

For example, I turn a few rounds around Damansara Uptown before securing a rightful parking space to park my Forte and have my dinner. A police car is seen looking for a parking spot too and the driver thought nothing of parking at clearly-drawn yellow lines before going off for his dinner at the DU Hawker Centre. Point to ponder, would a police car be issued a summon by a fellow policeman (one whom assumably exercises integrity at work)?

Disabled Parking!

Then, over the weekend, I saw a Peugeot 406 parked indiscriminately at a disabled parking at The Curve eventhough the driver did not look disabled (unless he was challenged mentally, as such that can't be seen at face value). A closer inspection at his car showed a police force sticker (I can't tell if it's genuine or otherwise), and that would inevitably bring about bad perception by the general public, when it's probably just a few bad sheeps that are spoiling the names of our good men and women serving the country with their lives.

Police force maybe?

Test : Will Ecotint Replace Our RM2k RayBarrier Tint? (Part 2)

Well, going by the e-mails that I have received from my fellow readers, this is amongst the most eagerly-anticipated answer pursuant to Test : Will Ecotint Replace Our RM2k RayBarrier Tint? (Part 1) ; and since I have now managed to get a result, I shall post it over here for our mutual sharing.


The long and short of it is that... Ecotint passed the test.

Come to the dark side...

Their business must be good, for it was a tad challenging to secure an appointment to replace the front windscreen tint. Finally, I decided that I would just drive there and kindly request for a replacement on the spot; and if this was declined, I would just pay for another tinting to be done vide one of the many competitors in the market.

Ecotint and competitors

I drove there, they saw how bad it looked with the partially torn tint, took over the car and 3 hours later, the Forte had a fresh set of RayBarrier tint on the front windscreen. The services were with a smile although the technician was unable to give me a straight answer as to why the tint was guaranteed to conform to the local authorities' guidelines and yet failed and was forcefully torn off.

Do you want to be stopped by a police officer like her?

In any case, the Forte looks the part again and hopefully, the authorities would have no more issues in the near future with the RayBarrier installed. Or hopefully, even the police forces' Forte SX would be pre-installed with the high-standard RayBarrier fresh from Naza; which would the render the tint acceptable to the enforcers!

Lancer GT : "I hear that the Forte SX's joining us on our patrols soon."

Looks charming!

A new addition to the force besides the previous batch of Mitsubishi Lancer GT!

 

E-mail from Reader : Best Way to Modify a Mitsubishi Lancer GT?

I thought this was a rather tongue-in-cheek modification suggestion from our fellow reader, Inspira878thOwner and would post it here just for laughs.

(Please note that I am in no way condoning for such a prank to be played on unsuspecting Mitsubishi Lancer GT owners and would not be responsible for any untoward actions as a result of the prank.)

Inspira878thOwner noted that everybody was all excited about the new hyped-out Proton Inspira, that was supposedly with better handling than the Mitsubishi Lancer GT. Current Mitsubishi Lancer GT owners must be feeling the blues.

"What better ways to give the current Lancer GT owners the pride and joy of the public ooh-ing and aah-ing their rides?", he asked and presented the solution as per the following :

1) Buy a tube of glue at RM2.90.
2) Buy a Proton logo at Brothers at RM20.
3) Stick the Proton logo on current Lancer GT.

Wherever the owner of the "Protonised" Lancer GT goes, the public is bound to turn and stare at the owner's ride then. Win-win situation!!!

Not bad for a RM22.90 modification, Inspira878thOwner!

Kuala Lumpur-Cameron Highlands 600 km Test Drive (Part 2)

"Strawberries galore!"

"Welcome to Cameron Highlands!"

Updated from Century Pines Resort :

"IMHO, Century Pines Resort looks good externally but indoor lighting was a tad dark"

"Nice crafting as decorations"

If any of you are interested in joining me and my family at Cameron Highlands now, you would do well to bring a brolly or two over... because it is wet with a capital C. I remembered the cool temperature, the mist, the hospitality but I probably forgot the rain.

"Scenes like this are common back at the English countrysides"

Haha, this almost feels like back in UK again- minus the grey skies and beautifully-groomed horses. Wifey may just pester me for a trip back to our home there; but I shudder at the thought of the 14-hours flights that we used to take to and fro UK and Malaysia a few times annually, over the last few years when we lived there.

"Tackled the slippery winding roads beautifully"

Back to the Forte, it's just as well that we reduced the 17" sports rims' tyre pressure to 32 psi because at the previous setting, the ride would have bopped up and down like a rodeo's saddle. The roads to and fro the few places of interest that we visited at Cameron Highlands were peppered with stones, pebbles and sand; and I am glad to share that the Forte was well-engineered to battle these elements without breaking as much as a drop of sweat.

At one point at a sharp gradient, the vehicle in front of us stuttered to a halt and started slipping backwards; but thank goodness to the responsive tiptronic, we quickly revved and overtook it from the side.

"The Golden Sunset- breathtaking!"

"Hills and hills of tea plantations"

"Strawberry Park Resort's beautiful architectures"

The places of interests here included Boh and Cameron Bharat tea plantations, vegetable and fruit farms, strawberry parks, butterfly and insect gardens, aborigine villages (try the one at Batu 24- the orang aslis are real friendly) and flower nurseries. Most are situated towards Brinchang, as we now found out- so there have been quite a few trips up and down our hotel at Tanah Rata and the aforementioned places of interests.

Updated from Hotel De La Ferns :

"De La Ferns is fairly new and we like the hospitable staff"

"Nicely-lited corridors"

"Room's not as big as Century Pines Resort's but there was magic in the air (at night anyway- wink!)

This hotel was suggested by one of the personnel whom we met at the earlier hotel; and we decided to try it out since the room rate was comparable and it was nearer to Brinchang. We had steamboat at the hilltop (although there was a steamboat restaurant too right next to the hotel) but perhaps the food was less than thoroughly clean, as wifey and myself had stomachache some time later. And that happened after we reached back the hotel; and wifey sent me out again to get some contact lens solutions, toothbrushes and toothpaste. I drove out to Tanah Rata and all the shops were closed. Okay, and my stomach was rumbling somewhat then. 

U-turned to Brinchang and the shops were also closed by then (Note to potential visitors: The shops in Cameron Highlands close quite early at around 8.30 pm so be sure to get your necessities purchased earlier). My stomach was closed to protesting heavily, French-style; so I had to drive downhill to the hotel like nobody's business. At certain stretches, I would have normally engineered a slight drift in my other cars; but in the Forte SX, the car was pretty planted on the tarmac and the whatever-abbreviations-in-charged-of-security seemed to be doing their jobs well.

And just as well too, as it ensured that I reached the hotel in the nick of time to sprint to the toilet. And you wouldn't want to know what took place next, would you?

Conclusion : All in all. the Forte has performed well in its 600 km test-drive to and fro KL-Cameron Highlands, and best of all, its fuel consumption (that would be another story coming soon!) has been nothing short of marvelous. I would give this ride an 8/10 for its overall achievements while under-going the test-drive. The excellent turning radius has enabled short and abrupt turns along the tight spaces to be executed like how it would be in cars costing twice its price tag; so the Forte has really fortified its reputation further!