Instrumented Test
When we first tested Kia’s five-door-hatch version of the Forte (there are also sedan and coupe, ahem, Koup variants), we were critical of its maker’s claim that the car was “ultra hot,” noting that a 7.5-second 0–60 run doesn’t qualify for hot-hatch status.
That car had a manual six-speed manual transmission. Now we’ve tested a six-speed automatic, and it got to 60 mph in just 6.4 seconds, only 0.3 slower than our long-term Ford Focus ST took, and we don’t question the ST’s hot-hatch credentials at all. That a modern automatic can accelerate more quickly than even an expertly shifted manual equivalent doesn’t come as a shock to us anymore, but a full second?
Shaving 1.1 second off the launch time would seem worth the $1000 Kia charges for the automatic, which offers manual gear selection via big paddles behind the steering-wheel rim, but hold on a bit. The stick-shift car showed fewer than 1000 miles on its odometer while this automatic had nearly 3700 miles of experience when it went to the track. Perhaps part of the performance difference can be attributed to a tight 1.6-liter turbocharged four in the manual-transmission car, one not as fully broken-in as was the automatic version?
Comparing curb weights, the similarly (but not identically) equipped automatic car was 69 pounds heavier. The ordering process here is pretty simple: To get the turbo engine, you need to skip the $1200 cheaper EX and choose the SX trim. It starts at $21,700. Add $1K for the automatic, then opt for this example’s $2200 Premium package, which includes a sunroof, leather trim, heated seats (also ventilated and 10-way power adjustable for the driver), a heated steering wheel rim, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. And you must get all that before you’re allowed to add another $1800 for the Technology package on this car, including navigation, HID projector-beam headlamps, a color TFT display in the instrument binnacle, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Throw in $495 for push-button starting and remote start, and you’re looking at $27,195 all-in.
That figure undercuts the manual-shift (only) Focus ST by more than a couple grand and includes features the Ford doesn’t have or offer. So Kia holds the value position here, even as it closes the performance gap.
The numbers never quite tell the whole story, of course. The Focus ST and Volkswagen’s GTI still have a level of sophistication and refinement that the Kia can’t quite match—the Forte5 takes a big step closer with this generation, but steering feel, handling, and braking aren’t quite there yet. And don’t dismiss entirely the lower level of driver engagement that comes with this automatic.
The Ford and VW entries still hold a performance advantage, albeit a smaller one than our earlier manual Forte5 test suggested. The Focus ST, for instance, not only gets to 60 mph more quickly but holds the edge through the quarter-mile (14.7 at 96 mph vs. the Forte5’s 14.9 at 93). More significantly, the Focus ST recorded a much more impressive 0.94 g on the skidpad where the Forte5 could muster only a very ordinary 0.85 g, while understeering more insistently. Some blame surely goes to the less-grippy Nexen Premier tires.
Handsomely designed and built to a high standard with good-quality materials and an easy-to-use navigation/infotainment system, the Kia Forte5 is very nearly a contender. But its 201-hp, 1.6-liter engine, although eager and pleasant enough in use, doesn’t quite measure up to hot-hatch standards. The Focus ST and the VW GTI have 2.0-liter mills and substantially more horsepower than the Forte5’s as a result.
You might expect that the smaller engine would win the fuel-economy derby, but not so according to EPA estimates: It gets worked awfully hard, so the EPA rates the Ford at 23 mpg city/32 highway while the Forte5 SX clocks in at only 21/29. In the real world, we’re seeing 26 mpg in our long-term Focus ST and got 27 mpg during a couple of weeks behind the wheel of the Kia. Even that 1-mpg edge on Kia’s side of the ledger hardly seems enough to give up 51 horses and 0.09 g on the skidpad in exchange.
So, the Kia Forte5 doesn’t quite offer the levels of performance and driving enjoyment as the Focus ST or the GTI, but the Kia is also not quite as expensive as the Ford and VW hot hatches. For those who insist on a car with all the toys and don’t really care about a quarter-second here and there, it’s not a bad deal. But if you rank the driving experience high on your list of priorities, be sure to check out the Focus ST and the GTI before signing any paperwork at the Kia dealer.
