Kia Forte Koup 2

Regardless of being a huge car fan or not, having at least followed the car news for the past few years it’s enough to assume you’ve read at least some information of the Korean automakers’ recent rise around the world. Like its sister Hyundai, Kia started to attract the attentions with very tasteful designs and converted them into sales with a big overall quality of those new cars. This article won’t tell that story once again but keep it in mind, in order to tell how this attractive coupe’s nameplate became so important for Kia.

Do you remember Kia Cerato’s first generation? Called Spectra for the North-American market, it came as sedan and hatchback and featured everything it’s said about the Korean cars of the early 2000s. Both platform and powertrain were modern, shared with the contemporary Hyundai Elantra, but none was an appealing product. The overall opinion for Cerato was positive as a product, but with no competitive edges at all, such as outstanding performance or lower prices. Such situation only came to an end with the second generation, in 2008. This was one of the first Kias designed by Peter Schreyer, who turned to be the bigger responsible for this automaker’s subsequent success. Besides what is usually mentioned with terms such as “design revolution”, the Korean cars were improved at comfort, sophistication, technology and performance, not to mention entering new categories and expanding the refreshed showroom into new markets. These changes needed to be abrupt because Kia never had strong traditions worth to maintain; actually, this was the first time they found a path worth to stick to, which ended making most customers consider them as much as any other renowned automaker. In some cases, even preferring Kia’s models instead of Ford’s or Opel’s, to give examples.

However, enjoying such acceptance never ceased to bring the concern of what could be done to maintain it during the following years. After creating a whole new line for the Europeans (the cee’d family), Kia also decided to offer these cars as Forte for some markets. Since each one seems to have received its own variation very well, the next strategy couldn’t be different from improving the cars for the third phase, rather than betting at strong changes once again. This is the exact reason why the new Koup gives such a big déjà vu in whoever remembers the previous one: it looks like the original concepts were only adapted to the new generation Cerato/Forte, whose design Kia claims to be “European-inspired”. It’s interesting to see how the hatchback’s front fascia works very well in the coupe’s bulky volumes which end at opulent tail lights; there’s nothing over or undersized at this car. Civic Coupe may take bigger attention at a first sight, but that comes from being a facelifted car, instead of Forte’s typical naturality of a whole new vehicle. Like the hatchback, the EX trim brings a direct-injected 2.0L with 173 hp and 154 lb-ft, while SX uses a turbocharged Gamma 1.6L with 201 hp and 195 lb-ft. Both bring large equipment lists and six-speed automatic transmission, but SX can bring a manual gearbox to suit its exclusive side: there are exclusive external style items, 18” wheels and improved braking system.