Test Drive: Kia Forte SX Coupe 6MT

If you're looking for a new car, and your budget is around $20k, there are a lot of choices. This is a pretty thick segment of the new-car market in the US, as credit requirements get tighter and people are becoming more prudent with their spending.  Gone are the days of financing a $40,000 Pontiac for 5 years because the APR was good - people are actually starting to shop within their means.  Which means that the affordable car is no longer being neglected by manufacturers in the US.  And while some of them focus on luxury or tech goodies as their means of pulling customers in the door, some of them focus more on the fun-to-drive quotient.

Cars like the GTI and WRX that were closer to 20 grand at the beginning of the last decade are closer to thirty and out of reach of a lot of people.  If you're looking for a fun to drive car under 20 grand, it's not going to be an absolute rocketship - but there is some fun stuff out there.  The Honda CR-Z, Scion TC, Mazda 3s, and Nissan Juke (which I reviewed previously) all offer something more than basic transportation with a reasonable sticker.  With choices like these, it's easy to ignore a brand like Kia, which has never really been known for peddling fun cars to their customers.

And truth be told, most of the stuff they sell today is really nice but not particularly fun.  Still, I would recommend you don't overlook the Forte lineup, which is Kia's competitor to the Civics and Corollas of the world.  I test drove a 2011 Kia Forte Koup SX with a manual transmission, and for the money it's really hard to beat.  Let's take a look at why this is a valid competitor for your bang-for-the-buck dollars.

The Forte is available in three body styles (sedan, "Koup", and 5-door hatchback) with two engines (both 16v aluminum I4, a 2.0L on lower models and a 2.4L on the SX.)  The Koup (Korean Coupe?) is easily the raciest looking of the three, with the sedan doing a decent Civic impression and the hatch doing a decent Vauxhall Astra impression.  They were all styled by the rather talented Peter Schreyer, who used to pen designs for VW/Audi - including the original Audi TT, which is still a styling landmark, as well as the '96 A6 and A3, the VW New Beetle, Golf IV and Eos.  The styling is sharp without being over-the-top like the excessively square-jawed new Scion tC, and gives the Koup an air of European sophistication.

There are some excessive details, like the prominent rear diffuser (which I really doubt is functional) and the huge (blocked off) front bumper air intakes, but overall the Koup is a very attractive car, especially sitting on the SX model's 17" 2-tone alloy wheels.  The particular car I test drove was sprayed in what Kia calls "Racing Red" - or what some people call "arrest me red."

Inside, it's a mixture of aluminum-look and piano black trim, with a relatively high belt line to give you that "in a bunker" feeling that's so popular in cars today.  Visibility forward out out the sides is good, but the thick C-pillars making reversing into a spot a bit of a pain.  I suppose these are the concessions one must make when picking the stylish coupe over the sedan.  Being a new car aimed at young people, it is of course crammed with technology - Bluetooth phone connection, auxiliary 3.5mm and USB inputs for a media player, Sirius XM satellite radio, and funky adjustable "mood lighting" - which I sadly didn't get to demo as I drove the car in the daylight.  The seats are comfortable and well-shaped, if a little short on torso support, but the steering wheel is a really nice piece - thick and contoured, wrapped in leather, with a multitude of hand controls for cruise, stereo, phone, etc.

However, it's not all smiles inside.  The interior styling itself is really derivative - what you'd expect to see in a mid 2000's Focus, sort of - and some of the switchgear (like the HVAC knobs) are disappointingly cheap to operate, even if they're nice to look at.  Most confusing is the "mood lighting" control on the left side of the steering wheel, which for some reason flips down out of a crevice for adjustment.

So it's good looking and well equipped - how's it drive?  Well, looking at the specs on paper, it doesn't sound super promising.  Front suspension is via MacPherson struts with coil springs and sway bars, and the rear suspension is a torsion beam (solid axle) with coil springs and sway bars - a surprising cut corner considering a lot of new compact cars these days have independent suspension in the rear.  The engine is a 2.4L Theta II family I4 with all-aluminum construction, dual overhead camshafts, variable valve timing on both cams, and port injection.  Power output is a competitive 173 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque, which goes through a short-ratio 6-speed manual (or a paddle-shifted 5-speed automatic) and an open differential to the front tires.

Average suspension, unexciting engine - what's to like?  Well, from the first drop of the clutch and turn of the steering wheel, you can tell that the Forte SX Koup was designed to be a fun, responsive car to drive.  Despite being electronic-assisted power steering, the weighting is heavy and consistent, allowing you to feel your way through a bumpy corner rather than float over it devoid of information about what the front tires are doing (which is what most EPAS systems I've use tend to do.)  It's not BMW heavy, but it's certainly not Honda light.

The shifter is the biggest surprise.  Most manual transaxles in low-end cars are abysmal: lots of play in gear side-to-side, long throws with a ropey action, poorly defined gearstops, slow synchros that like to crunch more than slip, just generally torture.  None of that with the Koup.  This is the first econobox I've driven that I wouldn't immediately fit an aftermarket short-shift kit to.  Throws are remarkably short, there's next to no play in gear, and each gearchange hits home with a solid "thunk."  It doesn't mind if you rush a 1-2 or 2-3 shift while you're pulling out into traffic, and you find yourself downshifting just because it's fun.  It's not on part with the rifle-bolt action of, say, a Honda S2000 - but most transaxle FWD cars could learn a thing or two about shift linkage design from this six speed.  That good.

Gearing is just right for the car - the tall 6th gear allows a relaxed 2,500 rpm cruising speed around 80mph on the highway, but the 1-5 spread is close enough that you're not always wondering where the hell the power band is.  Clutch takeup is pretty high in the travel, but doesn't take a whole lot of acclimation to get with it.

The engine isn't crazy powerful, but it's got a lot of low-end torque - which makes pulling a jackrabbit start from a stoplight as easy as pie.  The powerband on Hyundai/Kia's 2.4 port injected motor is almost the opposite of the K20Z3 in Honda's Civic Si - it pulls hard down low, but doesn't like high revs.  Like a lot of Hyundai/Kia products I've driven, the engine is really quite coarse at high rpm - you want to shift before 6,000 just to spare your ears the torment.  It will rev to 6,500rpm (which is where the redline is set) but doesn't really sound happy doing it.  By contrast, the Si's 2.0L makes almost no torque down low, but is happiest between 6,000rpm (around where the high-duration VTEC cam lobe engages) and 8,500rpm (the fuel cut.)

Throttle mapping on the Koup was a little strange - it would occasionally surge at lower rpm, and have slight flat spots when downshifting into a lower gear - say, 4th to 3rd.  This wasn't a consistent issue, but is likely a result of throttle-by-wire and emissions-friendly throttle mapping.  Still, put your foot in it and the Koup goes - 0-60 in just over 7 seconds, with a 15.4 second quarter mile means it's just a touch slower than the Civic Si, and a little faster than the new Scion tC.

More impressive than the powertrain is the handling.  This Koup corners flatter than week-old roadkill, seemingly irrespective of the corner angle or throttle load you put on it.  I would imagine most of the Koup's handling prowess can be credited to the sticky Goodyear Eagle LS2 Tires (215/45/ZR17) and thick sway bars, but the result is a car that's genuinely fun to thread down a curvy road.  It's not hard to imagine making a reasonably competitive STS-class SCCA autocrosser out of the Koup with stickier tires and bigger sway bars - and probably a limited slip diff.  Around town the ride can be a little harsh, but not absurdly so like some S-model Audis - it's well-judged for a daily driver.

This is all well and good, but what really impresses is how the Koup is priced.  The base-model Koup starts at $16,995 (the EX with a 2.0L), and the manual SX is $18,395.  With the options on the test car (power sunroof and an auto-dimming rear view) it rang the register at $20,090 - a lot of car, and content, for the money.  The Civic Si starts at $22,205, although the Scion tC undercuts the Koup at $18,275.  Not to be a bore, but the Kia also has a better warranty than both - 5/60 for comprehensive and 10/100 for powertrain is a whole long time of not paying to fix broken things.

But that's just the thing - I came to pricing last in this review.  It used to be that was all there was to talk about with Hyundais and Kias.  "It's really cheap!  The warranty is good!  Financing is easy to get!"  But with their new cars, like the Forte Koup, they stand on their own merit rather than their aggressive pricing strategy.  The Forte Koup might have some rough edges, but it's fun to drive and look at, well equipped, and makes a lot of sense.  Now let's hope they make a Forte Koup R with the 2.0L GDI-turbo engine from the Optima and Sonata - then the only excuses and rationalizations will be coming from their competitors.

2011 Kia Forte SX Koup

Base price: $16,995Price as tested: $20,090Options: Electric Sunroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror

Body: Unit-construction 2 door coupeDrivetrain: Transverse front-engine, front wheel driveAccomodations: 5 passengers

Engine: All-aluminum Inline 4 Cylinder Displacement: 2.4LAspiration: N/AFuel delivery: Port Fuel InjectionValvetrain: Dual Overhead Camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder, twin variable cam timingCompression ratio: 10.5:1Horsepower: 173@6,000rpmTorque: 168@4,000rpmRev limit:6,500rpm

0-60mph: 7.1sTop speed: 132mph 1/4 Mile@ET: 15.4 seconds @ 91mph

EPA fuel mileage estimate: 22 city/ 32 highwayRecommended fuel: 87 octane unleaded Fuel Tank Capacity: 13.7 gallons Theoretical Range: 438.4 miles

Wheelbase: 104.3"Length: 176.4"Track (F/R): 61.4"/61.6"Width: 69.5"Height: 55.1"Curb weight: 2,844lbs

Main Competitors: Honda Civic Si Coupe, Scion tC, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Mazda 3s, Mini Cooper, VW GTI, Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V Pros: Looks fantastic, surprisingly great steering feedback and shift action, great value for money, great warranty, lots of fun on a curvy road, huge amount of content for the price Cons: Ride is a little rough, strange throttle mapping, some cheap interior parts, painfully thrashy at high RPM, short on head room, Conclusion: If you're looking for fun on a budget, this one is hard to overlook.  Perhaps the first Kia to be recommended on it's merits, not it's pricetag.