Photo: Kia
Although it shares many bits and pieces with the third-generation Cee’d, the 2019 Forte is a car made with the U.S. market in mind. Known as the K3 in South Korea, the compact-sized sedan will get a performance-oriented trim as per Motor Trend, which is described as “more exciting.”
Derrick Ty, the product manager of the Kia Forte in the United States, had a chat with Motor Trend at the 2018 Detroit Motor Show. And according to him, “we’re not done with Forte,” adding “so with Forte, we’re not done.” Sister brand Hyundai has the i30 N as the most exciting product in the model range, and Kia has been steadily working on its sporting image.
Reading between the lines, there’s a driver-oriented Forte in the pipeline that will rival the likes of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, Honda Civic Si, and Hyundai Elantra Sport. Speaking of the Hyundai, it develops 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged 1.6-liter.
If Kia is willing to integrate this engine within the Forte, we wouldn’t have our go-faster compact sedan any other way. As standard, the 2019 Forte makes use of a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine with 147 horsepower, 132 pound-feet, and a six-speed manual gearbox.
Motor Trend further highlights a second possible outcome based on Derrick's choice of words, and that is “the return of the Forte5 hatchback.” From the report: “What if Ty was hinting at a Forte variant inspired by the Proceed concept we saw in Frankfurt last year?”
The thing is, the Proceed Concept-based production model is confirmed to replace the three-door Pro_Ceed in Europe, with the latter going the way of the dodo because of poor sales. Adapting the shooting brake variant of the Cee’d for the U.S. is a challenge in its own right, but it wouldn’t be in vain. After all, there’s a market for a vehicle with such exciting looks.
Reading between the lines, there’s a driver-oriented Forte in the pipeline that will rival the likes of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, Honda Civic Si, and Hyundai Elantra Sport. Speaking of the Hyundai, it develops 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged 1.6-liter.
If Kia is willing to integrate this engine within the Forte, we wouldn’t have our go-faster compact sedan any other way. As standard, the 2019 Forte makes use of a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine with 147 horsepower, 132 pound-feet, and a six-speed manual gearbox.
Motor Trend further highlights a second possible outcome based on Derrick's choice of words, and that is “the return of the Forte5 hatchback.” From the report: “What if Ty was hinting at a Forte variant inspired by the Proceed concept we saw in Frankfurt last year?”
The thing is, the Proceed Concept-based production model is confirmed to replace the three-door Pro_Ceed in Europe, with the latter going the way of the dodo because of poor sales. Adapting the shooting brake variant of the Cee’d for the U.S. is a challenge in its own right, but it wouldn’t be in vain. After all, there’s a market for a vehicle with such exciting looks.
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