Hondadude141
¿pɐǝɥ ɹn ɥʇıʍ uıop nɥɔʇɐʍ
Well, as I promised I went and test drove a 2010 Kia Forte Koup SX today, and I have to say I'm extremely impressed. Just seeing the car in person blew my mind.
Those are the two I drove, the black on is a 6 speed manual, and the blue on is the 5 speed automatic.
Exterior:
The outside is slick and smooth, and the body lines really run together well. The SX model has the gloss black accents in the front of the car as well as foglights, and the SX's most commonly have a sunroof with the "tilt" option. The headlights were aggressive looking but fit perfectly with the cars styling, and the rear "wrap-around" taillights makes the back end look great. The rear end of the car also has the "aerodynamic spoiler" so to speak on the bottom of the rear bumper with the double piped exhaust leading out of the right side.
Interior:
I was really impressed once I opened the door and sat inside, it is ridiculously big for a coupe and definitely leaves the people of front with a LOT of wiggle room. Most coupes don't have the same luxury in the back seat, however, the Koup does. I am 5'10, 175 pounds, average size guy, and I sat in the back seat, with the front seat pushed all the way back and even tilted back a little and I STILL had quite a bit of leg room, which I definitely liked. The truck was huge for a car that size and was easy to put things into and to get things out. The stereo that comes standard has the illuminated 6-speaker system that sounds like its top of the line, and it even comes with 3 free months of XM, which is pretty cool, along with its aux. input, and USB Input. The dash is made out of really good quality vinyl it seemed like and the steering wheel and shift knob where wrapped with leather. The steering wheel has the volume/radio control on the left side, and the cruise control on the right side. AND, the bluetooth connectivity buttons that come standard are on the lower portion of the steering wheel.
Road Test:
I pulled out onto the access road right outside the dealership and right away the dealer told me to step on it, so I did. The 6 speed has an awesome clutch that engages and disengages with no "catching" and the automatic is really smooth when shifting gears under high rpm's. In the automatic they have the "tip-tronic" transmission where you can shift it your self so I floored it and went through the gears quickly and got up to 60-70 going uphill relatively quick. I still like the 6 speed more because it seem to almost give it a little more power with under heavy acceleration. Keep in mind this is the SX model with the 2.4L engine in it, that is rated at 173HP and 168 lb/ft torque. Which you can definitely tell that it has a lot of torque because it's so light.
Suspension:
The suspension in both the 6 speed manual and 5 speed automatic are the same, and let me tell you it is top of the line suspension, or so it feels. Taking corners at an above average speed didn't even phase the car, and the steering felt extremely solid. The suspension is extremely stiff for Kia, seeing as how everything else they have rides like its floating on a cloud, but it was perfect for the Koup and gave the car the suspension needed for a fun and enjoyable ride.
So, overall, Kia has created one of the best 2 door cars on the market right now for its price range (17K-20K) and in my honest opinion it beats out Scion, Honda and Toyota in quality and performance.
So yes, I will be buying one, it's either going to be black or blue, and it will be a 6 speed manual, for my quoted price of $18,090. Just need to figure out when, and get financing lined up.
Thanks for reading!
Those are the two I drove, the black on is a 6 speed manual, and the blue on is the 5 speed automatic.
Exterior:
The outside is slick and smooth, and the body lines really run together well. The SX model has the gloss black accents in the front of the car as well as foglights, and the SX's most commonly have a sunroof with the "tilt" option. The headlights were aggressive looking but fit perfectly with the cars styling, and the rear "wrap-around" taillights makes the back end look great. The rear end of the car also has the "aerodynamic spoiler" so to speak on the bottom of the rear bumper with the double piped exhaust leading out of the right side.
Interior:
I was really impressed once I opened the door and sat inside, it is ridiculously big for a coupe and definitely leaves the people of front with a LOT of wiggle room. Most coupes don't have the same luxury in the back seat, however, the Koup does. I am 5'10, 175 pounds, average size guy, and I sat in the back seat, with the front seat pushed all the way back and even tilted back a little and I STILL had quite a bit of leg room, which I definitely liked. The truck was huge for a car that size and was easy to put things into and to get things out. The stereo that comes standard has the illuminated 6-speaker system that sounds like its top of the line, and it even comes with 3 free months of XM, which is pretty cool, along with its aux. input, and USB Input. The dash is made out of really good quality vinyl it seemed like and the steering wheel and shift knob where wrapped with leather. The steering wheel has the volume/radio control on the left side, and the cruise control on the right side. AND, the bluetooth connectivity buttons that come standard are on the lower portion of the steering wheel.
Road Test:
I pulled out onto the access road right outside the dealership and right away the dealer told me to step on it, so I did. The 6 speed has an awesome clutch that engages and disengages with no "catching" and the automatic is really smooth when shifting gears under high rpm's. In the automatic they have the "tip-tronic" transmission where you can shift it your self so I floored it and went through the gears quickly and got up to 60-70 going uphill relatively quick. I still like the 6 speed more because it seem to almost give it a little more power with under heavy acceleration. Keep in mind this is the SX model with the 2.4L engine in it, that is rated at 173HP and 168 lb/ft torque. Which you can definitely tell that it has a lot of torque because it's so light.
Suspension:
The suspension in both the 6 speed manual and 5 speed automatic are the same, and let me tell you it is top of the line suspension, or so it feels. Taking corners at an above average speed didn't even phase the car, and the steering felt extremely solid. The suspension is extremely stiff for Kia, seeing as how everything else they have rides like its floating on a cloud, but it was perfect for the Koup and gave the car the suspension needed for a fun and enjoyable ride.
So, overall, Kia has created one of the best 2 door cars on the market right now for its price range (17K-20K) and in my honest opinion it beats out Scion, Honda and Toyota in quality and performance.
So yes, I will be buying one, it's either going to be black or blue, and it will be a 6 speed manual, for my quoted price of $18,090. Just need to figure out when, and get financing lined up.
Thanks for reading!