2011 Kia Forte EX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
I bought my Forte EX 2011 new. I am disappointed with the gas mileage I've obtained which for an entire tank remains averages between 20-25 mpg with about 60% city and 40% hwy driving. Yet the worst features are the audio unit and the customer service (both corporate and local). My audio unit will randomly start whistling loudly, will turn itself off, bluetooth turns on and makes settings changes without prompting, the CD device fails, and all of these issue repeated after KIA replaced my audio unit with a brand new one. These glitches occur a few times a week while I'm driving. I've had complaints with KIA that have not been resolved for the past 4 months. I feel ignored by KIA.
The Forte EX has a nice design and sufficient power under the hood. The seats are comfortable and the dash is relatively visually appealing.
The audio unit is poorly designed. It requires a $70 additional cable to use the USB function with an iPod device and even with the KIA made USB it is not compatible with most functions of the Apple iPods or iPhones. Audio unit has many glitches which need KIA service does not seem to understand nor are able to fix. The gas mileage performs below their advertised EPA estimate. Customer service does a poor job of following up with customers and resolving problems (I often get stuck with leaving voicemails and my calls are rarely returned within a month long period). KIA has not stood behind their products or fixed the issues I've had with my 2011 Forte EX even with "platinum warranty".