There's a new Kia and town, and its name is Forte -- finally putting an end to months of Internet speculation surrounding the official moniker of the long-awaited Spectra successor. Now that the name game's out of the way, upon initial examination, the Forte badge is affixed to a familiar Kia package, but with lots of welcome additions.
The first thing you'll likely notice about the new 2010 Kia Forte (pronounced FOR - TAY) is its styling, which appears to crib several cues from competitors Honda and Toyota. While a clear departure from the outgoing Spectra, the new look is relatively conservative from a design standpoint and likely won't prove controversial. The new car's grown an inch in wheelbase, length, and width, but the Spectra's MacPherson-strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension are still there and the interior volume has changed less than a cubic inch. Cargo volume is up though to 14.7 cu ft from 12.2 cu ft.
The lack of dramatic change to the new Kia sedan's underpinnings is not necessarily a bad thing, though. While we found the top-model Spectra SX a bit unfriendly to ragged-edge driving as part of a sub-compact competition back in 2005, we lauded its comfort and smooth operation around town and on the highway. Its 2.0L four-cylinder was a bit underpowered, though, and Kia has rectified that in the Forte. It now makes 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque, up 18 hp and 8 lb-ft over the Spectra. Mated to a four-speed auto or five-speed manual, the power bump should make the Forte a bit livelier than the Spectra.
Of course, smooth rides and good power aren't always enough for some people. They want more, and for them, the Forte keeps the SX trim level. The SX receives a more-potent 2.4L DOHC inline four-cylinder engine that makes 173 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque, which is more powerful than the Toyota Corolla XRS and nips at the heels of the Honda Civic Si. A standard six-speed manual transmission or option five-speed automatic with Sportmatic should make this car a strong performer in its class, and we hope the performance-tuned suspension will iron out some of the Spectra SX's foibles. One place the SX didn't need much help was in the braking department, but nevertheless, Kia has upped the Forte's game with 11.8-in. disc brakes up front, nearly a full inch larger than on other models.
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