2014 Kia Forte EX: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
Our new Kia Forte EX saw a decent workout schedule for the month of July, rolling up an additional 2,207 miles on the odometer. That included a trip to Las Vegas in 111-degree heat.
2014 Kia Forte: A Nice Little Touch
August 1, 2013
I was killing time at a stoplight on a recent hot summer afternoon, when my eyes landed on the passenger side door panel of our long-term 2014 Kia Forte. And I was struck by those subtle arching lines the designers put there. Everyone probably knows by now that the Forte was completely redesigned for 2014 and that Kia was trying to up the ante with this version of the compact sedan, especially when it came to interior materials and styling.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Driver Selectable Steering Feedback
July 30, 2013
See that little button on the steering wheel of the 2014 Kia Forte that looks like a steering wheel? You might assume it was the switch to turn on the heated wheel (which it also has), but you'd be wrong. That button changes the feedback of the electric-assist power steering (EPS).
Click through to see more.
2014 Kia Forte: Smooth, Quiet and Not Very Fast
July 29, 2013
When you upgrade to the "EX" trim level of the Kia Forte you get the bigger 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. With 173 horsepower and 154 pound-feet of torque, it's one of the more robust engines in the compact segment. And combined with a standard six-speed automatic you would think it would be pretty quick.
2014 Kia Forte: Slick Navigation System
July 26, 2013
After spending a few days in our long-term 2014 Kia Forte, I found that the navigation system and its associated functions are very easy to use and nicely designed. Take for instance this notification I got when the fuel was low.
2014 Kia Forte: DRLs and LED Brows
July 22, 2013
I'm a fan of daytime running lights (DRLs). They make it easier for me to spot cars at a glance in the rear-view mirror and on the road. In Canada, all cars are required to have DRLs. In the U.S., it is optional. Kia opted not to include DRLs on the 2014 Forte. But this could be a quick fix, if Kia wanted to add them.
2014 Kia Forte: What English Majors Fight Over
July 19, 2013
The word forte has two useful meanings: 1) something you're good at and 2) a musical instruction to play strong and loud. And I thought I knew how to pronounce it, too. For-tay, right?
But a couple of years ago I did something I'd never done before: I watched a season of Celebrity Apprentice. Penn Jillette was making his first appearance on one of the teams. His opponents named their team Forte to reflect their presumed skill and confidence, and they went around pronouncing it like I always had.
"It's pronounced fort," grumbled Penn more than once. He may have thrown a "morons" in there, too. I forget.
2014 Kia Forte: Three Things I Like
July 17, 2013
I drove our long-term 2014 Kia Forte this weekend. Our test model is a fully-loaded EX with pretty much every option except mudguards and a rear spoiler. There's a lot to like about this car, but I've narrowed it down to three.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Las Vegas Road Trip, Part 3
July 12, 2013
As if I didn't have enough reasons to dislike Vegas already, traffic was big-time backed up on Interstate 15 as we headed out of the city on Sunday. At 8:30 in the morning!
This was clearly going to be a miserable road trip back to southern California. A plan was needed. Super secret back route, here we come.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Las Vegas Road Trip, Part 2
July 11, 2013
I don't know about you, but I can only take Vegas for so long. Especially when it's miserably hot and the strip is crowded with all manner of...people.
So we took a break from Vegas during our Vegas weekend with a side trip to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead in the 2014 Kia Forte EX.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Las Vegas Road Trip, Part 1
July 10, 2013
A road trip to Las Vegas in the summer? Pure insanity, even with the cooled driver's seat in our 2014 Kia Forte EX.
So why did I go? Good question. Honestly, I still question it myself.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Folding Rear Seats
July 9, 2013
It's super handy that our 2014 Kia Forte EX long-termer has split/folding rear seats.
And even though the seats don't form a perfectly flat (not even close) load floor, you can still pretty easily fit a road bicycle or a 29er mountain bike in the back, thanks to the generous trunk pass-through.
2014 Kia Forte EX: Bright Seat Cooler Lights
July 8, 2013
I did the initial instrumented testing on our latest long-termer, the 2014 Kia Forte EX. Nice car.
It was exceptionally hot out in Fontana the day we were running the numbers, so I was thankful for the Forte EX's front seat coolers.
But later on I noticed something that hadn't stuck out in the bright California sunshine.