2012 Kia Forte 5-door User Reviews

Pros

warranty warranty warranty!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cons

Good luck finding a Blue SX

Purchased As New

More cabin room than Focus,I hit my knee on the center console/door, comparable price. WARRANTY WARRANTY WARRANTY!!!!!!!!!!!! Worth spending a little more $$ for the extended. Roughly $25 a mo. for B to B for 10/100k!!! DUH!!

Pros

Fuel Economy, Handling, Looks, High Tech Features

Cons

No Interior Hatchback Release

Purchased As New

The 5 Door KIA RIO SX is clearly the best car in its class and the driving experience can only be described as pure fun. There are other competitors in this class that are better in one or two areas, but none have the overall combination of a terrific engine with an excellent 6 speed automatic transmission, lots of interior room, fantastic looks, an abundance of safety features, high tech gadgets, nimble handling, and the best warranty in the industry. The RIO is extremely comfortable on long trips, which is unusual for a small car. Can you believe the outside mirrors are heated electronically and fold into the car with the touch of a button? And it has a rear view camera!

I really like the combination of brisk acceleration with outstanding Fuel Economy 38-39 highway only, 23-25 City only, and about 31-33 Combined. LED brake and running lights. 4 Wheel Disc Brakes, traction and electronic stability control, plus numerous air bags. Nimble handling with the SX Package. Rear View Camera is far more useful than I thought. Cabin room: 88 cubic feet. Highway Driving, operates @ only 2500 rpms while going 70 mph. Can easily pass other vehicles on the Interstate. 49.8 cubic feet of storage space with rear seats folded down. And did I mention driving this car is tons of fun as everyone loves it! Best industry warranty by far!...read morehide

Pros

Looks like an Audi A3 from behind, had german design help, comfort, economy, performance.

Cons

Speakers can be heard outside at low volume, little road noise. No gray interior option.

Purchased As New

I picked up my Forte 5 (now called my 45) on March 1st. On March 3rd I decided to take a 150 mile road trip to get an early feel for mileage, road handling, and comfort.

The car shined in all areas. I also used the fold down seats as I picked up a grill guard for a Dakota. I was torn between the Sol, and the 45; that was until I drove the Sol. It was like sitting on plywood with 1/2 of foam. The Sol drove nice, but anyone who drives it on a road trip is going to be pissed. I actually bought the 45 sight unseen. I was looking at the Forte sedan, and saw the 45 in the brochure. The dealership started the quest and found one as I wanted it configured just 100 miles north in Ogden. They did a car swap and mine drove up three hours later.

I am very impressed with the lines. When I saw it from the back I thought Audi. The side view has very smooth lines, and the steep rake to the back window looks very nice. The new Kia front for the Forte is clean, and maintains its own personality. It seems everyone is trying to copy the Mitsubishi EVO look (Ford Focus, Hyundai, and others); which is funny because Mitsubishi has said they are moving away from the EVO front end.

I drove a 75/25 mix of highway and city. It tracks perfect on the highway, giving a little allowance to new tire grab. Besides being a very comfortable ride, I was most impressed at how well it traveled over rough surfaces with such a short wheel base. It also corners well, which I suspect is a direct result of the German influenced suspension. I went from a 2005 Jetta GLI twin turbo with a Rokker suspension to this, so I know cornering.

The Bluetooth and complete hands free dialing is a snap, and super accurate. I use an iPhone, but my wife uses a Samsung phone, and both connect without issue. It actually supports five phones. The sound system is all I need, but at 51 I know my hearing is not as demanding at a 20 year old. The steering controls are great, and easy to use. The cruise holds its speed, and Utah is a great test with mountain passes.

I am not sure what to think of the Nexen tires yet, so that will be determined over time.

One reason I wanted the Sol was for the large hatch, but the 45 gives it a solid run for its money. I also love the fact it has both a spare and an organizing bin above it.

27 mpg on my first tank, but that was at 80 on the Interstate, and stop and go in the city. Still way better than 22 on my Jetta.

The guys at Doug Smith Kia American Fork Utah were fantastic. They did not play the manager -v- customer -v- salesman games. They told me how much, gave me the discount, and I told them how much my out the door price was and we had a deal. I have never before given positive reviews about a dealer....read morehide

Pros

More room than it looks, drives well, good on gas

Cons

Not the quietest of rides

Purchased As New

Had a Rio before and hated it. I swore I would NEVER buy another KIA ever. My new FORTE is growing on me and all the luxuries for the price is a sweet deal. Unfortunately I got a screw in one of the tires 2 days after we drove it home and we have been having problems with tire pressure ever since. I just hope it lasts a lot longer than my Rio did....read morehide

Pros

very nice interior, perfect layout, ton of room

Cons

okay appearance

Purchased As New

Appearance: Got the sx version in bright blue color. Looks good from the read and the side but don't like the front as much. Front looks similar to the civic, not the biggest fan and not big fan of big kia emblem on the front either. From the rear looks similar to mazda 3 or subaru wrx hatchback which looks good imo and has nicelooking 17 inch rims. Also, I have only seen one on the road since I bought it 2 months ago which makes it a unique car.

Comfort: Excellent. I have cloth seats (much better in hot weather), very comfortable. Very roomy inside both legroom and headroom. Mine had a big sunroof.

Performance: Very good performance, 2.4L engine has adequate power. Very smooth ride. Automatic and manumatic transmission. Excellent on highways. Sporty suspension very tight, have to slow down on bumps. Has a meter on the front to calculate mpg instantly. I have been averaging 23mpg 90% city driving. On the highway it can definitely be around 36mpg.

Value: Excellent. Very useful car, hatch trunk is useful, folds all the way, nice compartment separations above the spare wheel. Car is difficult to find. Only one dealership had them and there were only 2 with cloth seats in a hundred mile vicinity.

Reliability: no probs so far but only about 1k so far...read morehide

Pros

So much car for the money. Very quiet and smoothe. Like the CVVT transmission

Cons

None at this time.

Purchased As New

I recommend this vehicle over Fiesta/Focus, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa. I looked at all of these before deciding on the Forte.

Pros

Good on gas, quality and all the standard things! Good looking too.

Cons

Their selling so fast that dealers don't have a lot to choose from!

Purchased As New

This is our 2nd new KIA within the past several months. So you have probably figured out that we were very impressed by out first KIA! The engine is powerful enough for a car in this class, and the supurb 6 speed electronic transmission puts all the power to good use. It rides quite well on our choppy SoCal freeways, and handles, stops and can handle curves well too! We also have a Mazda5, which is also a good car, but the KIA has a much more powerful A/C and heater, and the dash board and interior of the KIA is good quality and well equipped, comfortable too. And the Hatch back gives you enough room to move my daughters stuff into her dorm room in just 2 full loads!...read morehide