2019 Kia Forte Challenging the Status Quo
video description
Date: 2019-05-30
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
hunter1701d
I own a 2017 Elantra. They have a 2. 0 Atkinson cycle variant of the Nu engine. Mine, and according to many reports the dealer told me they get, is they make a loud ticking/tapping noise when cold. It sounds like a diesel. Dealer reported Hyundai said it was normal because the metal shrinks in cold weather and there is no need to look into the issue further. They further recommended I bring the engine and transmission to operating temperature before driving. I am not sure why they would recommend this since this requirement it is not listed in the owners manual. The owners manual only states that engine speed should be kept moderate until the engine reaches operating temperature. I have never ever had a car do this in cold weather and I have had my fair share of junkers. I think there is a real safety issue here that Hyundai is ignoring. Are they engineering piston slap into their engines causing them to wear out early and suddenly which can happen while in motion which can lead to a dangerous situation like stalling or power loss on the road. It seems Hyundai in Canada acknowledged this with a recall for an issue with the EXACT same issues on the Nu engine but for some reason failed to take action in the US even though all the engines came from the same plant. That recall was for ill fitting pistons in the cylinder causing knock when the engine was cold. This caused damage that required the engine to be replaced. It seems this issue is continuing on these latest iterations of the Nu engine and Hyundai is continuing to ignore them and blaming the customer about them. Hyundai needs to be held accountable for their product and address/correct any safety issues world wide and not in just one country.
reply
I own a 2017 Elantra. They have a 2. 0 Atkinson cycle variant of the Nu engine. Mine, and according to many reports the dealer told me they get, is they make a loud ticking/tapping noise when cold. It sounds like a diesel. Dealer reported Hyundai said it was normal because the metal shrinks in cold weather and there is no need to look into the issue further. They further recommended I bring the engine and transmission to operating temperature before driving. I am not sure why they would recommend this since this requirement it is not listed in the owners manual. The owners manual only states that engine speed should be kept moderate until the engine reaches operating temperature. I have never ever had a car do this in cold weather and I have had my fair share of junkers. I think there is a real safety issue here that Hyundai is ignoring. Are they engineering piston slap into their engines causing them to wear out early and suddenly which can happen while in motion which can lead to a dangerous situation like stalling or power loss on the road. It seems Hyundai in Canada acknowledged this with a recall for an issue with the EXACT same issues on the Nu engine but for some reason failed to take action in the US even though all the engines came from the same plant. That recall was for ill fitting pistons in the cylinder causing knock when the engine was cold. This caused damage that required the engine to be replaced. It seems this issue is continuing on these latest iterations of the Nu engine and Hyundai is continuing to ignore them and blaming the customer about them. Hyundai needs to be held accountable for their product and address/correct any safety issues world wide and not in just one country.
reply
Stephen Hendricks
Solid and detailed review as always, Alex. I was struck by the reference to KIAs targeting of first time buyers with the Forte. The first thing that struck me about the Forte was its appeal to recent college graduates struggling under a mountain of student debt and to parents sending a kid off to college in a (relatively) affordable, attractive, roomy vehicle with loads of safety features. And as a daily driver Im sure KIA is thrilled with that 40+ mpg figure. It will jump off the Moroney sticker on the car window in the showroom where 40+ mpg is much more impressive psychologically than 39. As far as comparisons are concerned, as an owner of both a KIA (Sorento) and a VW (GTI) the relative merits of the Forte and the Jetta are especially interesting to me. If I were shopping in this category I might have to give the nod to the Forte. But as a GTI owner, the more relevant comparison would be the GLI and the Forte GT. And Id have to know more about each before making that choice. Of course, KIA will be selling only a fraction of the Civics (and the Corollas) numbers. But KIA is playing a long game here. Brand loyalty isnt what it used to be but if KIA can hook first time buyers on a Forte and the experience is a good one, those buyers will take a close look at the Optima, the Sportage, the Sorento, and even the Telluride when the time comes to trade up several years down the road. All in all, the associated Korean brands continue to knock it out of the park.
reply
Solid and detailed review as always, Alex. I was struck by the reference to KIAs targeting of first time buyers with the Forte. The first thing that struck me about the Forte was its appeal to recent college graduates struggling under a mountain of student debt and to parents sending a kid off to college in a (relatively) affordable, attractive, roomy vehicle with loads of safety features. And as a daily driver Im sure KIA is thrilled with that 40+ mpg figure. It will jump off the Moroney sticker on the car window in the showroom where 40+ mpg is much more impressive psychologically than 39. As far as comparisons are concerned, as an owner of both a KIA (Sorento) and a VW (GTI) the relative merits of the Forte and the Jetta are especially interesting to me. If I were shopping in this category I might have to give the nod to the Forte. But as a GTI owner, the more relevant comparison would be the GLI and the Forte GT. And Id have to know more about each before making that choice. Of course, KIA will be selling only a fraction of the Civics (and the Corollas) numbers. But KIA is playing a long game here. Brand loyalty isnt what it used to be but if KIA can hook first time buyers on a Forte and the experience is a good one, those buyers will take a close look at the Optima, the Sportage, the Sorento, and even the Telluride when the time comes to trade up several years down the road. All in all, the associated Korean brands continue to knock it out of the park.
reply
Ben Sarlin
Nice review as always. When the Forte 5 comes, it will be the car of the year in my opinion along with the Mazda CX-4. This car allows a first time buyer like myself to not feel like theyre settling. For value, is there a better deal on the road? After problems with the Honda crv, this car feels like the class leader, especially when the hatch becomes available. For people like myself who want a car rather than a more high driving suv, I think many will like this. I think the hatch is one of the best styled cars of the year as well over even Mazda products. I think Honda continues to fail in design more than any brand now. They put everything into Acura, and shortchange on every Honda model with few exceptions. Even the CRV shortchanges on safety on the LX model, which isnt really acceptable. Doesnt the civic suffer from engine lag at higher speeds with such a small engine? These small turbo engines just dont have the reliability it seems in every comment. Not sure why the love for the Hondas Alex? But great review.
reply
Nice review as always. When the Forte 5 comes, it will be the car of the year in my opinion along with the Mazda CX-4. This car allows a first time buyer like myself to not feel like theyre settling. For value, is there a better deal on the road? After problems with the Honda crv, this car feels like the class leader, especially when the hatch becomes available. For people like myself who want a car rather than a more high driving suv, I think many will like this. I think the hatch is one of the best styled cars of the year as well over even Mazda products. I think Honda continues to fail in design more than any brand now. They put everything into Acura, and shortchange on every Honda model with few exceptions. Even the CRV shortchanges on safety on the LX model, which isnt really acceptable. Doesnt the civic suffer from engine lag at higher speeds with such a small engine? These small turbo engines just dont have the reliability it seems in every comment. Not sure why the love for the Hondas Alex? But great review.
reply
Data Storage
I shopped all of the vehicles that Alex has mentioned. I agree with most things reviewed here except for the final verdict. I bought a Kia Forte based on a primary and secondary differentiation. Primarily the styling. The Civics exterior and interior design will not age well and the exterior design is polarizing. You either like the Transformer and Japanese robot anime (Gundam) styling of the Civic or you dont. Its not something that is classy or subtle. The Kia Forte has great exterior and interior styling and something that is much more attractive now and will age better. Its not boring but its not as outlandish. Secondarily was the financial practicality of the purchase. The Civic is more expensive for an equal based trim of features and does not deliver fuel consumption as well as the Forte. Alex, I watched your earlier review of the Forte at launch and it actually helped me to go out and buy the 2019 Kia Forte. Thank you
reply
I shopped all of the vehicles that Alex has mentioned. I agree with most things reviewed here except for the final verdict. I bought a Kia Forte based on a primary and secondary differentiation. Primarily the styling. The Civics exterior and interior design will not age well and the exterior design is polarizing. You either like the Transformer and Japanese robot anime (Gundam) styling of the Civic or you dont. Its not something that is classy or subtle. The Kia Forte has great exterior and interior styling and something that is much more attractive now and will age better. Its not boring but its not as outlandish. Secondarily was the financial practicality of the purchase. The Civic is more expensive for an equal based trim of features and does not deliver fuel consumption as well as the Forte. Alex, I watched your earlier review of the Forte at launch and it actually helped me to go out and buy the 2019 Kia Forte. Thank you
reply
M Fishing
Oh to be different. Sometimes these engineers/marketing, whoever is responsible for this nonsense - need a wake up call. For decades, our eyes have become accustomed to seeing a turn signal in a particular area of a car. To change that formula is ridiculous and simply exists because someone thought it would look cool and/or is trying to retain their job so they felt pressured to design something for the sake of designing anything different. Theres never a good reason to reinvent the wheel. In this case - putting the signals much lower is ridiculous. Its much less visible, especially to those directly behind this vehicle. A similar argument could be made for more recent gear selector designs in some cars. Moving the traditional P - R - N - D - 2 - 1 out of order, can absolutely throw someone completely off track to the point of being dangerous.
reply
Oh to be different. Sometimes these engineers/marketing, whoever is responsible for this nonsense - need a wake up call. For decades, our eyes have become accustomed to seeing a turn signal in a particular area of a car. To change that formula is ridiculous and simply exists because someone thought it would look cool and/or is trying to retain their job so they felt pressured to design something for the sake of designing anything different. Theres never a good reason to reinvent the wheel. In this case - putting the signals much lower is ridiculous. Its much less visible, especially to those directly behind this vehicle. A similar argument could be made for more recent gear selector designs in some cars. Moving the traditional P - R - N - D - 2 - 1 out of order, can absolutely throw someone completely off track to the point of being dangerous.
reply
Joseph G
Panoramic moon roofs have had issues with exploding. Perhaps Kia decided theyre not worth it (probably smart, they still sell on value so its not worth the potential headache) I think its very impressive what Kia has done with this car. I think its a winner in value for now, though I wish high speed AEB was standard. Regarding your plug at the end, the Ioniq and Niro have struggled with transmission issues. Personally for a commuter Id probably go with the upcoming Corolla hybrid or the Prius, though I appreciate that some cant get over the Prius name. The long warranty might mitigate that for some, but I dont like the uncertainty. Kia/Hyundai tend to dabble in transmissions. The Forte is also an all new transmission, hopefully itll do better since I understand durability was a priority in its design.
reply
Panoramic moon roofs have had issues with exploding. Perhaps Kia decided theyre not worth it (probably smart, they still sell on value so its not worth the potential headache) I think its very impressive what Kia has done with this car. I think its a winner in value for now, though I wish high speed AEB was standard. Regarding your plug at the end, the Ioniq and Niro have struggled with transmission issues. Personally for a commuter Id probably go with the upcoming Corolla hybrid or the Prius, though I appreciate that some cant get over the Prius name. The long warranty might mitigate that for some, but I dont like the uncertainty. Kia/Hyundai tend to dabble in transmissions. The Forte is also an all new transmission, hopefully itll do better since I understand durability was a priority in its design.
reply
Carlos Guevara
Just bought a 2019 Kia Forte LXS. After buying Toyotas and Hondas for over 30 years, I bought a Kia. The other surprise is that I bought a CVT. Not a manual Transmission like Ive done for 30 years. I have a 1972 Citroen DS21, and a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere. But for daily driving I always buy something reliable and practical. After looking at a SE Corolla Hatchback, and a Civic 5 door Hatchback, the amount of Standard equipment and build quality was hard to beat. Even though it has an MSRP of 20500 u. s. dollars, they sold it to me for 15900 The most important thing is that Im 63 and the legroom in front is excellent. Very happy. I never thought I would buy a KIA, but I did and Im happy. Also, right off the bat Im averaging 35mpg. I can only imagine it going up when it breaks in.
reply
Just bought a 2019 Kia Forte LXS. After buying Toyotas and Hondas for over 30 years, I bought a Kia. The other surprise is that I bought a CVT. Not a manual Transmission like Ive done for 30 years. I have a 1972 Citroen DS21, and a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere. But for daily driving I always buy something reliable and practical. After looking at a SE Corolla Hatchback, and a Civic 5 door Hatchback, the amount of Standard equipment and build quality was hard to beat. Even though it has an MSRP of 20500 u. s. dollars, they sold it to me for 15900 The most important thing is that Im 63 and the legroom in front is excellent. Very happy. I never thought I would buy a KIA, but I did and Im happy. Also, right off the bat Im averaging 35mpg. I can only imagine it going up when it breaks in.
reply
Bob Martens
WAS ready to pull the trigger on an EX with Launch edition package in black when the visibly frustrated salesman advised its only available in Fire Orange with black wheels (the package includes a number of items but my wife wanted the Harmon Kardon, leather, ventilated seats and sunroof ) This will most likely be another deal breaker for this poor guy who stated the genius folks in marketing are targeting a younger age group which is fine. But just ONE color thats sort of a love it or hate it shade? -Im done with Honda after 29 of the past 32 yrs owning one. Most recent is an 08 Civic Hybrid that has become a money pit (not even including the IMA issues ) As the service manager at Nissan stated, Honda has become the Japans Audi to repair
reply
WAS ready to pull the trigger on an EX with Launch edition package in black when the visibly frustrated salesman advised its only available in Fire Orange with black wheels (the package includes a number of items but my wife wanted the Harmon Kardon, leather, ventilated seats and sunroof ) This will most likely be another deal breaker for this poor guy who stated the genius folks in marketing are targeting a younger age group which is fine. But just ONE color thats sort of a love it or hate it shade? -Im done with Honda after 29 of the past 32 yrs owning one. Most recent is an 08 Civic Hybrid that has become a money pit (not even including the IMA issues ) As the service manager at Nissan stated, Honda has become the Japans Audi to repair
reply
are vee
Ive always considered recent Fortes to have attractive interior and exterior styling and the current one continues the trend. Not a big departure from the previous one, but an improvement. Recent (for at least the last 10 years) Honda styling is a bit over done for me. Wont bore you with a long explanation of why, but in short, it tries too hard to be different. I didnt watch this from start to finish in one sitting, but if it was only the addition of the CVT that made all of the mileage increase, thats impressive. I do agree with Alexs suggestion that the Ioniq hybrid might be a good alternative. It looks normal, has hatchback utility and is cheaper than other alternatives.
reply
Ive always considered recent Fortes to have attractive interior and exterior styling and the current one continues the trend. Not a big departure from the previous one, but an improvement. Recent (for at least the last 10 years) Honda styling is a bit over done for me. Wont bore you with a long explanation of why, but in short, it tries too hard to be different. I didnt watch this from start to finish in one sitting, but if it was only the addition of the CVT that made all of the mileage increase, thats impressive. I do agree with Alexs suggestion that the Ioniq hybrid might be a good alternative. It looks normal, has hatchback utility and is cheaper than other alternatives.
reply
John Hoo
Alex, I think Kia is separating the rear turn signals from the main cluster to meet regulations and get their design. Regulations say the tail lamps cannot be placed on a movable piece. It also says the signals need to be of a certain size. If you look at the design, the rear red lamp shape already take up a huge amount of room. So the only way to combine the flashers and the brake lamps will be to make the part of the cluster that doesnt move beside the trunk lid even larger. which would eat into trunk opening space. I think.
reply
Alex, I think Kia is separating the rear turn signals from the main cluster to meet regulations and get their design. Regulations say the tail lamps cannot be placed on a movable piece. It also says the signals need to be of a certain size. If you look at the design, the rear red lamp shape already take up a huge amount of room. So the only way to combine the flashers and the brake lamps will be to make the part of the cluster that doesnt move beside the trunk lid even larger. which would eat into trunk opening space. I think.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
