Used Kia Forte For Sale

The Kia Forte has lots of competition -- Corolla, Civic, Impreza, Mazda 3, Ford Focus, VW Golf, Hyundai Elantra (similar) and others. None of these is best at everything. We've had the Kia for 32 months now. An LX base package, automatic transmission. We wanted a hatchback, but the bigger engine that comes with it uses more fuel. The standard 1.8 has more than ample power everywhere, and is an outstanding match for the transmission. The ride, engine/transmission, warranty, price, reliability, and overall design were why we bought the car. They continue to be its strengths. In a 160 mile test drive we got 41 highway, 27 city gas mileage. These figures have held up over the last year. We generally use the Eco button on the dashboard. So it is better than average in its class on fuel, similar to a Honda Fit. (Update: At about 4000 miles we started getting between 43 and 47 mpg in long highway trips. At 12,000 miles, we continue to be in the 43-47 mpg area, 40 in the mountains.) This car is especially likeable on hilly, curvy highways, or on expressways in the West Virginia mountains. And it tends to get 39-40 mpg in those conditions, an extra plus. Weaknesses are shared by many newer cars of other manufacturers: the design limits vision anywhere to the rear of the driver; headrests are not great; rear window gets dirty quick; not especially easy to enter/exit the car, shape of car is harder to park than older models. Not as nimble as a Honda Fit in the city. Looks like the Forte is meant to go head to head with the Honda Civic. We previously had a 2005 Honda Civic. This is a better car in most ways, except for the weaknesses I just mentioned, which most manufacturers have adopted. It handles crosswinds on expressways much better than that Civic. Rides smoother. Handles even better. Engine feels very strong. Based on experience so far, we'd buy it again, though still wishing for a hatch with the standard engine. We also could not buy one in white that wasn't a hatch. The Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Subaru, and VW Golf all have a lot of good things going for them, but this seems like the best overall car. I would compare it to Toyota and Honda in the 90s. It will not knock your socks off, but it is maybe the best car to own. Update April 2017: Our continued satisfaction with this car has us interested in the new Kia Niro hybrid, which is highly reviewed and not real expensive. If we were to add a second car, that'd be our first place to look.