2017 Kia Forte5 SX 1.6L Turbo Manual

There is a red pinstripe across the middle of the lower grille. The seat bolsters are accented with wide orange stripes, and the contrast stitching on the seats, center armrest, and doors pops against the black leather interior. There’s a third pedal that meets the left foot, and the shift-knob graphic displays numbers, not letters. The rear opens with the assistance of struts, not just hinges. And yet, this is no Honda Civic Type R, nor even a Volkswagen GTI or a Hyundai Elantra GT Sport. It’s not a true hot hatch, but the six-speed-manual Kia Forte5 SX comes close. Call it a bargain funmobile with practicality to boot.

Perform and Function

The 2018 Stinger sedan will be Kia’s first genuine performance vehicle, but the South Korean brand has been flirting with the sporty idea for years. The Forte and its variations, including the now dead Koup, have shown some promise as driver’s cars, but while Hyundai prepares to dive in headfirst with its N sub-brand, the SX is as close as a Kia gets for 2017.

The SX is the top-of-the-line Forte5, the hatchback version of the generally sedate Forte sedan. It starts at $24,695 equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters; the six-speed manual we tested starts at $26,895, but that $2200 also buys some extra standard equipment that’s optional with the automatic. We’ll detail that later, but at the heart of every Forte5 SX is the turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four with direct fuel injection, an engine familiar from the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. It also powers the recently launched Kia Soul Exclaim, among others. This T-GDI, as Kia calls it, puts out 201 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque at 1500 rpm, advantages of 37 horsepower and 44 lb-ft compared with the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter found in LX and EX models.

Weighing in at 3018 pounds, the Forte5 has a fairly spicy power-to-weight ratio (about the same as the GTI’s). The manual’s shifts are smooth and direct, and it’s easy to find the engagement point in the light-action clutch pedal; the only flaw is that the gear throws are a bit long. Torque goes to the front wheels only, so hard launches must be carefully finessed since the tires tend to spin and chirp in first and sometimes second gear, triggering traction control and bogging down acceleration. Occasionally, there’s a trace of torque steer to be sensed in the wheel, although it rarely requires a steering correction.

During our testing, the Forte5 went from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and did the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 94 mph; we deactivated the traction control for our quickest runs, easily besting the computer’s effort. That’s barely slower than the Ford Focus ST, though the similarly priced GTI posted sub-six-second times. We won’t be surprised if the dual-clutch model turns out to be quicker, but the manual makes the car far more entertaining to drive.

The SX trim brings more than an engine upgrade, though. It also adds a sport-tuned suspension, slightly bigger front brakes (11.8-inch vs. 11.0-inch rotors), and a quicker steering ratio. The 18-inch wheels wrapped in Nexen CP671 all-season tires are also SX-specific. Despite the sportier upgrades, the Forte5’s refined ride is firm but not stiff. Poor road surfaces are managed well, road noise is kept at bay, and a solid chassis keeps vibration under control. It takes a large bump to upset this car.

Unfortunately, steering is a sterile experience that diminishes the fun. Turn-in is a bit slow, although it gets better when pressed hard. This Forte5 registered 0.84 on the skidpad, average for a hatchback but a bit off the pace for the hot ones. The same might be said for the 172 feet it needs to stop from 70 mph. A more subjective demerit goes to the high seating position and flat, stiff seats, which together lend the driving experience a decidedly un-sporty sensation, as if you’re sitting atop the car rather than in it.

Down the Hatch

The design looks cleaner than some recent hot hatches, with crisp lines rather than edgy overstated performance addenda. The SX trim adds different front and rear bumpers with round fog lights and a wider mouth, as well as the bigger wheels, high-gloss black side mirrors, puddle lamps, and dual chrome exhaust tips. Where the previous model looked cartoonish, this car has a more sophisticated aesthetic.

The interior offers both positives and negatives. It’s feature-rich and well-built, but the design and materials are very much economy-class. Those who are OCD about straight lines or symmetry would chew their nails to nubs in the Forte5, as the center stack is tilted slightly toward the driver, and the surrounding trim sweeps up and over the gauge cluster. The dashboard looks bloated, and although the firm rubbery surfaces aren’t overtly offensive, the fake carbon-fiber is tacky. The SX’s aluminum pedals look great, if somewhat out of place in a cabin where such premium highlights are few and far between.

Unlike its sedan sibling, the Forte5 has adequate room in the back seat for six-footers. There’s plenty of space for oddments in the massive cubby below the HVAC controls. While cargo space behind the rear seats is only average, there’s more room than in many competitors when you fold them down.

Equipment Changes with Transmission

The Forte5 is surprisingly tech savvy for a junior member of the family. The manual model comes standard with a 7.0-inch color touchscreen infotainment system with navaigation and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatability, a rearview camera, a 10-way power driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, HID headlights, a power sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 4.2-inch color LCD display in the gauge cluster.

Cars with the dual-clutch automatic don’t include all that kit, hence the lower starting price. Instead, Kia offers a $3600 Premium Tech package that includes all of the aforementioned items, plus advanced safety equipment—rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot detection, and lane-change assist—that’s not available on manual-transmission cars.

On a hatchback spectrum from ice cold to flaming hot, the Forte5 SX is in the warm zone, several degrees beyond tepid. Viewed in a vacuum, it’s peppy and solid enough to generate smiles on a daily basis, but it’s not fully committed to its craft. More entertaining than typical hatchbacks, the Forte5 is not deserving of its own badge like GTI or ST. However, with the impending launches of the Stinger and Hyundai’s N division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a fully developed Kia hot hatch in the near future.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $27,020 (base price: $26,895)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 97 cu in, 1591 cc
Power: 201 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 195 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 171.3 in
Width: 70.1 in Height: 57.1 in
Passenger volume: 98 cu ft
Cargo volume: 23 cu ft
Curb weight: 3018 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.1 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 29.1 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.1 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 7.4 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 6.7 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.0 sec @ 94 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 140 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 172 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway: 25/23/29 mpg
C/D observed: 28 mpg
C/D observed 75-mph highway driving: 32 mpg
C/D observed highway range: 420 mi