NST's CBT Reader's Question @ Sunday, 17th September 2010

Question from 012-3030591 :
I was told that the Kia Forte 1.6 engine might be underpowered compared to the 2.0, hence petrol consumption is higher.

Which has better resale value, ie if the 2.0 costs RM12,000 more than the 1.6, will the depreciation for 2.0 drop faster than 1.6 until both are at around the same prices five years down the road?

What is a motor-driven power steering and will it help give better fuel consumption?

Answer :
I have driven the 1.6 Forte and it is not underpowered unless you meant to drag race around the city.

It offers class-leading interior features and good cabin environment.

Resale value for the 1.6 should be better as Malaysians start realising the upward trend in petrol prices.

The motor-driven steering will save a little fuel.

NST's CBT Test Drive of Kia Forte 2.0 SX @ Sunday, 17th October 2010

http://www.cbt.com.my/101016/feature-packed-and-smooth-wheels

AS a value for money proposition, the Forte 2.0L SX is tough to beat in the four-door, five-seater sedan C-segment.

It is roomy and comes with generous comfort and safety features.

The Forte's  dynamic exterior styling is thanks to Kia Motors Corporation chief design officer Peter Schreyer who was formerly from Audi.

We found features such as leather seats, an engine start/stop button, automatic air-conditioning, and an MP3/USB/iPod playable audio system with steering wheel-mounted controls to our liking.

The boot has a large 495 litre capacity, and a 2,650mm wheelbase afforded more than adequate leg room for all occupants.

Rear headroom was also adequate for two of our 1.7m friends.

Fit and finish in the cabin was excellent, and there was a sporty ambience as the black leather-clad interior combined well with the reddish lighting of the instrumentation.

The 2.0-litre Theta II engine revs eagerly  and, according to Kia Motors, the Forte can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 10.5 seconds with a 1,326kg kerb weight.

The four-speed automatic transmission is a crisp shifter, and the Forte provided very smooth drives for us on small neighbourhood roads and highways.

Running on 17-inch alloy wheels, and featuring a McPherson strut front and coupled torsion beam rear suspension, the Forte offers a ride quality that struck a nice balance between comfort and sportiness.
The tilt and telescopic steering enabled us to settle into a relaxed driving position. 

Wind and road noise was quite muted when we drove at 110km/h on the Elite Highway. Engine noise was not overwhelming when we stepped hard on the accelerator pedal.

Our only complaint was the motor driven power steering (MDPS). Although it was precise, the MDPS felt quite light and was a tad lacking in road feedback, especially when we took corners in an aggressive manner. The MDPS is essentially an electric powered system which is said to aid in providing better fuel economy compared with the hydraulic power steering found in both the 1.6-litre variants of the Forte. Still, the MDPS is a boon as we did not need to stretch our arm muscles in tight parking situations.

The Forte 2.0L SX is a well-packaged and solid set of wheels that offers nice levels of occupant comfort and competent handling at a very attractive price tag.

In the same class: 
Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0V : RM131,990 OTR with insurance
Honda Civic 2.0S : RM130,980 OTR with insurance
Mazda3 2.0L sedan : RM134,890.90 OTR with insurance
Nissan Sylphy 2.0L X-CVT Luxury : RM118,880 OTR with insurance
Ford Focus 2.0L Ghia : RM116,097.40 OTR with insurance
Hyundai Avante 2.0 : RM98,888 OTR with insurance
Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 EX :  RM120,980 OTR with insurance

Kia Forte 2.0L SX  
Engine: 1,998cc DOHC with multi-point fuel injection (MPI) and continuous variable valve timing (CVVT) with timing chain
Max power: 154hp @ 6,200rpm
Max torque: 194Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Four-speed automatic with shiftronic
Features: Six airbags, ABS, electronic stability control (ESC), traction control system (TCS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), cornering brake control (CBC), brake assist, all-round disc brakes
Price: RM93,800 OTR with insurance

NST's CBT Tips @ Sunday, 17th October 2010

http://www.cbt.com.my/101015/tips-17-oct-10

The Forte, of course : THE C-segment  Forte, known as the "Cerato" in some markets,  was the best selling Kia model in September 2010 with 36,981 units sold. 

The B-segment Rio and Sportage compact CUV follow with 19,056 and 18,866 units sold, respectively. The Sorento mid-size CUV is  fourth with 16,143 units sold and the Soul urban crossover rounds out the top five with 11,839 units sold.

Overall, Kia Motors Corporation  posted a  year-on-year increase of 20.6 percent global sales growth for passenger cars, recreational vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles in September 2010.

This represented  a total of  187,251 units sold.

"These are exciting times for the Kia brand," said Kia Motors Corporation vice chairman Hyoung-Keun Lee.

"We are seeing our new generation of products like the recently launched all-new Sportage CUV and Optima gain favorable acceptance  for their chic, striking styling and vastly improved, fuel efficient powertrains not to mention all the modern high-tech convenience and safety features that are driving home our value proposition to the worldís consumers.

"Building on this strong momentum for the brand, we will be launching our class-leading petrol-electric Optima hybrid at the end of this year as the next step in our plans to fortify the Kia product line-up with our EcoDynamics range of environmentally friendly vehicles."

How Your Forte Looks Like After The Tint Is Forcefully Peeled Off?

I hope none of you have to bear the experience of peeling off your own RM2k tint due to the authorities' instructions, but just to share, this is how it would look like after the tint has been peeled off. Patches of sticky glue solutions on the torn part (highlighted in green in pictures). I thought of going to Ecotint to replace the tint earlier the week but as the USJ location is out of the way and jam-prone, I thought it's best that I wait until I can secure a good appointment to do that.

(Looks fine from the outside)

 (Sun glare gets really distracting)

There's a lot of good cars around my housing estate and I spotted the new Porshe Panamera and Merz SL500 beside me as we turned out from the condo. These were cars worth in the regions of mid-to-one million buckaroos over this part of the world; and one Panamera is equivalent to 9.5 units of Forte 1.6 SX. Hehe, my carpark is situated right smack between my neighbours' Cayenne on one side and E90 3-series on the other; so you can imagine how humbled I am (although there is also a Forte 1.6 SX's parking spot a few feet from mine, so that's a saving grace, I suppose :).

 (Sporty grill and brooding headlights)

 (Check out the gills)

(Huge rims)

My FIL drives a Lexus LS460L and during the many occasions whereby I was the driver, I must say that it is a pretty comfortable ride that can really speed when you floor it. Saw one similar LS460L earlier and thought that I would just have a short run with it. The driver was also driving fast as we zipped between the lanes; and on twisties, we were back-to-back but as soon as the straights were in view, the 4.6 engine just threw caution to the wind and bid my 1.6 a prompt goodbye. I wonder if the Forte 2.0 would have been able to keep up just a few more secs ;p

 ("Hello, Forte!", says the LS460L)

 ("Catch me if you can!", it adds before bidding goodbye)

Oh well, might as well get back to googling the other nice cars on the road!

Kia Forte 1.6 SX For Sale - How are Fortes doing in the used lots?

Haha, nope, not mine but surfing through the classifieds, there have been a few used Fortes on sale over the months; mainly thru personal sales while a couple thru used car dealers. Most of these are from owners going overseas for work/returning home and I referred the adverts to my colleague whom was looking for a Forte too. And upon his queries and test drives, it looked as though most of the Forte sellers going off are foreigners.

Generally, I dare say that Fortes are holding their prices well. There was a 1-owner 1.6 SX no. plated WTJ 5501 selling at a used car dealer in Jalan 222 selling at RM68k.

 
That's about 18% depreciation over a year; not a bad figure considering that used cars normally depreciate more over the first 5 years and would reduce over time thereafter. Even the Proton cars are having depreciation values of around 10% - 15% during the earlier years; so for a non-national car, I believe that the Forte's depreciation value is quite good already.

I inquired with the car dealer how much can they trade-in mine for if I wanna go for the Harrier in the picture. Mine is also a 1-owner 1.6 SX but with additional works done such as Kia emblems (RM180), Ray Barrier (RM2,000) and SierraGlow paint nano-protection (RM800). The trade-in value is about RM66k on overtrade (must purchase the Harrier, not plain sale); not bad either IMHO but am too pleased with the Forte and plan to use the car for many more years to come.

I asked them why are they so keen to take in the Forte as I have seem much reluctance from used car dealers when it comes to foreign cars, especially certain makes and models. I was informed that Fortes can move from the showrooms easily, so they have no fear on taking in Fortes under trade-in. Moreover, the parts are easy-to-get and affordable now that Naza is the franchisee for Kia in Malaysia; so the brand has been elevated from the cold list to the hot list. In fact, even banks are more eager to finance these makes compared to other cars.

So there you have it- you can now choose to have a Kia Forte and still enjoy good resale value and after-sales support in years to come. It's like getting a Proton Inspira, but with much more goodies packaged therein and with better branding all over the world! Well, the latter thanks to Peter Schreyer's reputation!

Test : Will Ecotint Replace Our RM2k RayBarrier Tint? (Part 1)

Watch this space!

We are going to Ecotint to see if they would honour their warranty and replace the RayBarrier tint that was peeled off under the authorities' instructions. I have studied the warranty card earlier and it did state that there was a 10-year warranty against the normal defects and that it complied in accordance to the road transport regulations.

I shall be armed with my trusty DSLR and let's see if Ecotint makes it an enjoyable experience, or just makes excuses to pry more monies off our hands? Their professionalism is at test here. I hope that it would be an easy experience for us all.

Courteous Drivers OTR

I have a meeting in KL this afternoon and as I wasn't to sure on the way as we were gonna be using the B-twisties, I followed behind a friend whom was driving an 1.8. He was in turn following behind a GTO driver friend. We were in a hurry so there was a fair bit of swerving left, right and centre as we moved in between the other vehicles on the road (albeit with calculated risks and please don't try this at home, kids). At one point somewhere along Desa Pandan, there was a roller-coaster downward drive that was pretty exhilarating, especially as you can't see the upcoming road as you climbed up the slope.

During the drive, I can see that the Forte SX definitely had more than enough grunt to chase after the 1.8 and the suspension was good at around the corners. There was still a fair bit of bounciness; but oh well, you just gotta learn to live with that. The tiptronic was nice to use- although I wished that there was more gears to play around with. Four just can't quite cut it enough, IMHO.

After the meeting, it was a sprinted drive to Damansara to meet up with some government personnel. Finally, after 2 back-to-back meetings, there was some ME time. I took a leisurely drive to Mont Kiara and along the way, I saw 2 other Forte SX drivers. Both drivers smiled and waved when we were alongside each other. Nice... okay, it's proven then : Kia Forte drivers are a courteous bunch :)