2019 Kia Forte: We’re Driving it This Week
The Car Guide will be getting behind the wheel of the Kia’s compact sedan, which receives major overhaul for the 2019 model year.
Overall, the Forte is longer, higher and wider, and in addition to a new exterior design, the car receives a new cockpit that provides more rear-seat leg- and headroom, while trunk space has increased as well. The company says ingress and egress has been improved, as is outward visibility and seat comfort.
The 2019 Kia Forte is built on a new, stiffer frame that is said to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, which obviously amounts to a more serene cockpit. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is carried over from last year, producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, but a new automatic transmission is introduced, which the brand calls an Intelligent Variable Transmission, or IVT. It sounds like a continuously variable automatic to us, so we’re anxious to see what’s new and innovative about it.
The Forte should come standard with an eight-inch touchscreen, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, while wireless charging and a 320-watt Harman/Kardon sound system are available as well.
We’ll be driving the new Forte from Ottawa to Mont-Tremblant, which should give us a great opportunity to evaluate the car’s comfort, driving dynamics and performance. Check back in a few days for our full review of Kia’s second-best-selling vehicle in Canada, right behind the Sorento SUV.