2018 Kia Forte Owner’s Manual

The 2018 Kia Forte is a small hatchback that aims to compete in a highly competitive market. The Forte stands out with its value for money, excellent infotainment system and optional turbocharged engine. Although, the Forte does fall short in terms of handling and comfort, and rivals such as the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf offer a more comfortable ride. That being said, the 2018 Forte is still a great choice for anyone looking for a dependable hatchback.

The 2018 model is almost identical to the 2017 Kia Forte. The only notable changes are updates to the trim packages. For instance, the EX-trim comes with blind-sport monitoring and you can now add orange panels to the front and rear seats. Other than this, the 2018 model stays the same as its competitors.

Under the hood, standard Kia Forte’s come equipped with a 1.6-liter incline four-cylinder, which produces around 147 horsepower. The base engine is actually really disappointing. It feels incredibly slow and lacklustre and getting to motorway speeds can be a real challenge.

Thankfully, you can select a 1.6-liter incline four-cylinder with a turbocharger, which will produce 201 horsepower. This engine feels much quicker and more able to cope with everyday challenges. It also makes the Forte incredibly fun to drive.

As for overall handling, the 2018 Forte is very respectable. The suspension leaves passengers with a comfy ride but doesn’t compromise on performance. And the steering is sharp and responsive, allowing you to put your foot down even in tight bends.

The interior design of the Forte is very pleasing. More expensive models feature leather trim, whilst base models are surrounded by high-quality plastic. There’s plenty of legroom for passengers and a decent infotainment system too, like a four-speaker audio system.