Used 2012 Kia Forte Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Great value at a very good price!
bd21, 02/25/2012
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
37 of 38 people found this review helpful
The Kia Forte is a well engineered vehicle that I believe is best in class for the price. I paid $17,713.00 out the door for a EX 5-door in Titanium with stone interior. My car was equipped with auto-dimming mirror w/compass, wheel locks, rear bumper applique, cargo net, cargo tray, spashguards and an i-pod cable. I had no trade-in and the price included 6% sales tax and all dealer fees. I did get $2,000.00 in rebates. This car is fun to drive around town and on the interstate. I'm very impressed with the design, quality and functionality of this car. I don't think you will find a better car under $21K.
Great Compact Car!
Alan Sloan, 01/26/2016
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
Keep in mind this is a compact car. You are not going to get ride/room or power of a mid-size car. We purchased our Forte 5 door new on 6/2012 and have 50,000 miles on it. THE GOOD - a/c, engine power, drives nicely, cup holders and storage room, big back seat (5 door), blue tooth, only one repair - the key would not unlock the driver's door but the remote has always worked. Also a great warranty - 10 yr/100,000 mi We live in Texas and the a/c can handle the hottest days. I am 6'3" and I have room in the back seat. THE BAD - No Water Temperature gauge (has light), head rests are very uncomfortable, and the fuel mileage. If I use the cruise control I get poor fuel mileage. If I drive into a head wind I get poor fuel mileage. Keeping the speed at 70 mph or less with a tail wind and accelerating down hill and backing off going uphill I have gotten 35 mpg as advertised or better several times.
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2012 Kia Forte for sale near you
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Wow, this car was a great ride!
connelly.carol@gmail.com, 12/30/2015
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
For the first 56,000 miles, this car is dependable and looks great; however, do not be fooled by the "normal" KIA noise coming from the engine. I live in Tampa, Florida, and dealership support has been poor thus far. The clicking sounds in the engine base ended up needing a tension pulley at 60,500 miles, just 500 out of warranty. Kia USA agreed to honor and pay as it was 600 $ for repairs. I still heard a metal whirling sound, but was told that was a "normal" KIA sound...what? At any rate, about 3000 miles later, the whirling sound is getting louder and now it has been diagnosed as needing a new compressor..haha. seriously? I still like the car; it handles a little better than the Honda fit (which is out of my league, it seems pricewise), but the Forte is still the riff raff of the hatchbacks, and honestly? With this happening at 60,000 miles, holy moly, I do not see the car having any value whatsoever at 100,000. P.S. I had an Isuzu Trooper 290,000. It was the sweetest 20,000$ I ever spent. I feel I was a bit rough with the scoring, but if I was to get mezmerized and sucked in on a 100,000 power train warranty, it would be with an Elantra. Right now with the boom shakalaka noise and rattle and roll, anything is better than what I am dealing with...1200$ for a compressor, wow!
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2012 Kia Forte Hatch SX - dead at 93k
CG from WA, 08/30/2019
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Purchased a new to me 2012 Kia Forte at a Kia dealership with 66k miles. After 3 years and 33k miles, light driving, the engine seized on the highway. Car was good well it worked. Scary when it failed at 65 mph. 8k for engine replacement. Appears that Theta II failures are common even with the MPI engine, according to my mechanic and certainly in my limited experience. Should have bought the warranty--no factory powertrain to 100k for second owner. Really don't recommend this car, or KIAs, maybe as a lease it makes sense but don't buy it.
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So far, great purchase
fallis, 06/06/2015
updated 06/08/2018
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
Let me first say that I'd never thought I'd look twice at a Kia until recently. THey've certainly improved their vehicles in every way. Purchased a certified 2012 Forte EX 5-door at a Kia dealer w/ 27k miles after trading in 07 Toyota Rav. This is a great design as a small wagon. Seems like a best kept secret too, since I don't see too many out there. Great looks, great mileage (30 average, more on hiway), and MUCH better acceleration than my Honda Fit. I was doing hiway speeds of 75 mph, and the tach was still under 2500 rpm! I've had it for 1 1/2 months and already put almost 3k miles, no probs. Can't beat the warrantee either. Way to go Kia. Hi again. It's now been 3 years owning this vehicle (June 2018) and I now have 105k miles on it. So total so far from purchase I've driven approx. 80k miles with no major problems with the car. I've purchased a set of tires, brakes all around, and regular check ups/oil changes. Still getting great mileage, so it's a keeper for at least another year.
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quicker than you expect
rb7385899, 12/12/2011
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
I have the hatch with the 2.4 liter. this is a seriously fast car (for its class/price) with 0-60 in about 7 seconds (A/T). i've owned mine since february 2011, and have about 11,000 miles on it. no service issues so far.
My experience with this car
Oscar Bonilla, 08/21/2021
updated 02/23/2023
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I bought this brand new from Yonkers Kia in New York I had for 4 years at 55k I was driving the car and then all of a sudden I saw fire coming from the hood minutes later my car was on fire I lost it even my maintenance was on time I complained to Kia and the dealer and they did nothing. I never in my life would never buy a Kia brand don’t even look at it . Really bad experience they look good but they don’t last.
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Nice Tweener Car
brianth, 02/22/2012
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 19 people found this review helpful
The five-door SX lives between base-level economy hatches and higher performance (and higher cost) cars like the GTI, WRX, and Mazdaspeed3. You will likely not see many of these, probably because the Soul gets most of the attention in Kia's sub-Sportage slot, but we use ours as an urban family car, and for that purpose it is an excellent value--ample interior room and good cargo space with the rear seats in use, nice standard features and reasonable options, and classy "European" styling. Given the pricing available on this Kia, particularly in relation to newer-model used cars these days, we are still very happy with our choice.
Work Commuter
finzphan68, 01/12/2013
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Needed a new car for my daily commute, and have wanted a hatchback for a while too, so came across the Kia Forte, and found that while its not the top of the line model, it offers everything that I needed in a functional and stylish package.
Amazing car for the price
marco34, 07/28/2014
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I purchased the Kia Forte Hatchback (really a wagon) with 16,000 miles for $12,400. I drive short distances to work and weekly long highway trips to family. Recently got 43.7 mpg on a flat highway for a 100 mile drive. Normally average 25 mpg in the city. Easy to hit 36 mpg on the highway at 70-75 mph. Absolutely no problems at current miles of 27K miles on the odometer-only oil changes so far.
Almost 7 years
Mark, 01/30/2019
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Almost 7 years and 152000 miles. Yes the engine is clicking. And the sounds it makes are wacky. Never anything done but matinence. But now it won't stay in gear? When over 70 mph. I have heard of this on other Kia models but not the Forte. Will be taking it in and I'm sure it will be fun😉.
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Love, love, love my Kia Forte!
doitalone, 07/28/2012
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 7 people found this review helpful
It's a fun car to drive. Even with being one of the bigger hatchbacks on the market, (I call it a mini-SUV) it's got great handling and fun engine. My previous car was a suped up Ford Focus, and I actually like driving this Kia more. The back seat provides a ton of room for passengers. Seats are comfortable to sit in, and I drive 40 minutes to and from work most mornings and never have problems with my knees or back - which was a problem with my focus and sometimes my boyfriends civic. The price is a little high for the SX version - but see if you can find rebate deals. I got mine on a lease fully loaded for $250 a month. If I choose to buy it out I'll only pay $20,000 total.
Perfect So Far
mustrockon, 07/22/2012
2012 Kia Forte SX 4dr Hatchback (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've owned this car for 3 weeks and absolutely love it. I traded in my 2010 Nissan Sentra SR. I have a dog that is close to 100lbs and he fits in the hatch area no problem. It came with leather, a sunroof, bluetooth, all cargo accessories, heated seats, great radio, and Ipod plugin. It has some serious getup and go even transferring from Nissan's CVT which I wasn't sure about. My nissan was fully loaded, but didn't have all the features of this Kia for the same drive out price 21K. I have gone on 3 long distance trips already getting 29+ mpg hwy/city without even being broken in. If you live in Houston area go to the dealership in Conroe, they'll treat you right. Couldn't be more pleased.
20k miles in... great car
morningland, 02/25/2013
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
I got this car because of the fold down seats and the great interest rate. I do a lot of camping and traveling so the fold down seats were critical since I sometimes car camp. I am able to comfortably lay down in the back area for a cat nap during a long trip or to get a good nights sleep. I am trading it in only because I want the four wheel drive but this car performed pretty decent on forest roads for what it is. It rides very nice too. I borrowed some chevy car of the same size for a week and when I got my Forte back, it felt like driving butter! It is reliable too. 20k miles and not a single engine problem at all!
Really good, roomy and nice looking car and great value!
mazda5forme, 09/18/2011
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
84 of 359 people found this review helpful
Everytime we buy a new car, we look at all the brands and compare. Mazda, Toyota's, Honda, Fords, etc. We currently have 2 Fords and we also have a Mazda5 that we bought new a few years ago, that my college age daughter is now using.We bought a brand new 2011 KIA Sorento SX suv in March. Very impressed with the quality and value, also the styling. Then we needed a car for my wife, and looked at everything in the way of small sedans. To make a long story short, we bought a 2012 KIA Forte 5 door EX.
Owner since new. Long term review
Brad, 12/02/2023
2012 Kia Forte EX 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Only new car ive ever bought and still running strong at 300k km. Engine replaced under a factory recall at 187k. Hows that for customer support....no one does that they did. All original wheel bearings and exhaust and front end. Aside frome the engine change its needed front and rear calipers 3 times. Thats it. All controls still work ac works everything has held up well. No rust whatsoever and i live in a heavy salt area near the ocean. If the engine has been replaced buy one. It should be cheap given its now 11 years old.
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