2022 Kia Forte GT |
1.6-liter turbocharged four (201hp @ 6,000 rpm, 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm) Seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, front-wheel drive 27 city / 35 highway / 30 combined (EPA Rating, MPG) 8.7 city / 6.6 highway / 7.8 combined. (NRCan Rating, L/100km) Base Price: $24,485 US / $31,834 CAN As Tested: $26,840 US / $32,084 CAN Prices include $995 destination charge in the United States and $1839 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can’t be directly compared. |
I’ll grant that I’m not a university-trained linguist, but I will forever cringe when I encounter egregious misapplications of the English language. Examples include the otherwise-excellent Alanis Morissette applying the term “ironic” to simple coincidence, and the ever-present misuse of “literally” by my kids when describing a figurative.
In the realm with which I’m more familiar, we can consider the heinous mislabeling of sundry sedans and crossovers as “coupes” due to their sloping rooflines. Another is the haphazard use of the “GT” badge, a violation that most automakers have made over the decades. GT, of course, originally implied Grand Touring – and has been since claimed by various racing series to denote race cars that have been based upon street cars.
I’m not certain which definition was in mind when the 2022 Kia Forte GT was in development.
I’ll admit that I had high hopes when I found that the Forte GT would be appearing in my driveway. I’d been casually shopping for my next car and thought that something with around 200 horsepower and a dual-clutch transmission would be ideal – generally picturing something with similar performance to a late-model VW GTI. Two pedals were preferred as I have two drivers in the household who don’t like or can’t drive manuals, so in perusing automaker websites for options the Forte GT stood out.
In normal use, the Forte GT is a perfectly fine commuter. Interior comfort is good both front and rear, with controls that fall readily to hand. The 10.25-inch touchscreen is as good as it is in other Kias, with a real knob for volume controls and excellent redundant controls on the steering wheel. The premium Harmon/Kardon branded stereo sounds quite good to these ears, and I appreciate both the wireless charging pad and the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay compatibility. Oddly, the larger touchscreen on this GT trim doesn’t offer wireless Android/Apple – a cord is needed. The lower trims with an eight-inch screen, however, can wirelessly connect.
Materials for the interior are quite nice considering the price bracket, with comfy SynTex (a decent faux leather) seats and a padded steering wheel both trimmed in red stitching. Trunk space is a high point, too – 15.3 cubic feet of whatever can be stuffed in the cargo hold.
The red (because red is fast, right?) trim carries over outside, with crimson flashes on the grille and surrounding the stacked LED foglamps. Beyond GT-exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels and the small badge out back, there isn’t much else to let onlookers know that you’re in the presence of a Certified Fast Car.
That’s probably a good thing, as while the GT gains both 54 horsepower over the standard Forte and a transmission with real actual gears versus the standard CVT, it’s still not what I’d call quick. Further, that extra horsepower doesn’t yield a car that wants to be driven in any sort of enthusiastic manner. The Forte GT will pull out of corners just fine, but the handling is so dull and uncommunicative that you don’t find yourself hunting for the fun roads in the first place.
Of course, handling is tuned for understeer – it’s a mass-market compact sedan. But other front drivers like the aforementioned GTI feel like they want to be driven. Even corporate cousin Hyundai knows what it takes to make this platform dance when applying the N badge. Why can’t some of that grin-inducing handling trickle down?
The Forte GT even uses a different rear suspension setup from the lesser Forte trims – a multi-link independent suspension, compared to a torsion beam axle on the rest of the lineup. Perhaps some aftermarket tuning with better shocks/struts paired with a larger rear sway bar will encourage this Kia to get out and play?
Look, the 2022 Kia Forte GT is a solid car at this price point. The excellent warranty, good interior comfort, and solid infotainment make this a hard choice to pass up should you be looking for a compact sedan. But that GT badge is writing checks that the engine and chassis can’t cash.
[Images: © 2022 Chris Tonn]
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Another misapplication of the English language….using “gifted” instead of “given”. Gift is a noun, you idiots!
At some point gifted will be in the Webster dictionary as the English language is ever evolving and will be fully accepted. I have given or gifted 2 vehicles to family.
Looks like it already is ( and has been used as a verb for 400 years)
Looks like it already is ( and has been used as a verb for 400 years)
Well according to Merriam-Webster it has been used as a verb for over 400 years
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/gift-as-a-verb
So I think there is a possibility you may be incorrect.
My 65yo mother has a ’19 Forte GT. Which is very similar to this aside from some sheet metal differences.
-I don’t know if your tester had the summer tires or the all-seasons. My mother’s has the summer tires and it likely helps the handling.
-It really isn’t “fast” but I think it is at least normie quick. She has complained that my Stinger’s power delivery is stronger than her car.
-Fuel economy is pretty solid. You’ll likely always be in the 30s.
-The DCT transmission isn’t awesome but it isn’t as bad as some reviews make it seem either.
-At pre-pandemic prices and incentives this thing was a screaming deal for the features you get. I want to say she paid around $22K for a loaded example.
-The two cars it beat out were a Corolla XSE sedan (too slow) and the GLI (too spartan on the low end, too expensive in Autobahn trim).
“The excellent warranty, good interior comfort, and solid infotainment make this a hard choice to pass up should you be looking for a compact sedan. But that GT badge is writing checks that the engine and chassis can’t cash.”
So if Kia had used an SXL badge instead, then we’re good?
Its a 2017 Elantra Sport with slightly less appealing styling…
We live in this fascinating world where manufacturers are sending out press vehicles that barely exist in the real world. If you ask cars.com, there are 406 of these available nationwide. Autotrader says 256.
It’s funny last I looked at these 3-4 months ago there were 20 within 30 miles of me, now there are 4 within 75. I’m guessing they build them in batches other then to order.
Chris, your reviews are a highlight of the site. Thank you.
With that said, I’d like to know a bit more about why the car feels boring. Is the steering lifeless? Is there too much body movement if you try to drive aggressively? Is the powerband of the engine narrow, or is the transmission often stuck in the wrong gear? When cars don’t act as powerful or capable as they are there is usually at least one specific reason.
I’d like to hear more about how Chris’ opinion of the DCT. I tried out the Hyundai version of this car with that transmission, and it’s much improved over H/K’s older efforts…still not in VW’s league, though.
Thanks all for the kind words. Yeah, I could have elaborated on the boredom. I think it’s down to the numb, over-boosted steering and the overall unwillingness of the rear to rotate under trail braking. The GTI and GLI – sadly as of this year significantly more expensive as others have pointed out as the entry trims have been eliminated – simply feel more alive.
The DCT is…better than it used to be. In normal and even in the spirited driving I attempted, it was fine – my complaints are limited to low-speed maneuvers where the transmission doesn’t creep like a traditional automatic, and instead hunts and lurches a bit.
I wouldn’t mess with it. OK I would adjust the toe and tire pressures to give it a little better rotation, although it’s possible to further tune it by adjusting the camber, f/r ride heights and others, but you could get snappy oversteer and a real handful.
a real GT it’s not. of course.
but push the Sport button, then review the driving dynamics from there. many of these small & midsize cars do handle a bit more “sporty” in the different drive modes.
What a difference a year makes…
I tried out the Elantra version of this car, which has an identical powertrain, a year ago when I bought my GLI. Overall, it was a good driver, and the list of features was also appealing. On the other hand, the GLI offers far more performance. Price-wise, the base “S” GLI model and the loaded-up Elantra were pretty much a wash. Given that, the GLI was definitely a better choice.
A year later, the GLI’s only available in the top trim, so it’s now a $32,000 car. It’s still the better performer by far, but is it six grand better? Well, that’s between you and your wallet. If you can’t justify the price difference, then this Kia, or the Elantra, would be a good choice.
But I think the best choice of all at this price point would definitely be the Civic Si.
Especially now that a couple people have taken Civic Sis onto dynos and found them to be making around 220 hp at the crank, I tend to agree. Although Honda’s decision to take out the heated seats purely to protect the Integra is embarrassing.
The Si may well be making more power at the crank than advertised, but in the real world, its’ performance numbers are actually quite similar to this Kia’s. Either of these cars is quite a bit slower than a GLI, GTI or WRX.
For a couple grand more, I’d definitely gravitate towards the Si, though – the shifter is brilliant (assuming it’s the same one in the old model), and from what I hear, its’ personality is far more eager than the Kia’s.
The Elantra I drove – and I assume this Kia drives similarly – struck me as more of a commuter car with a bit more balls, versus a sport compact. For some folks, that’s not a bad thing. Besides, the more choices we have in this segment, the better.
My choice would be “infuriating!”
The previous version of the Elantra hatch with the same drivetrain that was unfortunately dropped after 2020 was a nicely put together hot hatch, almost Audi like in its execution.
Agreed – the pre-refresh Elantra Sport was a classy-looking little car. A bit short on performance, though.
I wonder if that 201hp rating factors in drivetrain losses…
I wouldn’t touch any Hyundai/Kia with this DCT.
What? Lower Models use torsion beam? We need to rake them over the coals like we do Mazda /s
In all seriousness, I saw a new Forte the other day and I have to say it looks sharp. I don’t generally like most compact vehicles styling because they generally seem half baked like the civic or corolla.
I like the way these look. Still on my potential new car list. I guess I will have to drive one. I know someone that has the similar Elentra sport from a couple years ago and they love it.
Looks like Hyundai dropped the N-line version for 23 so that a big jump to get anything faster then the base engine.
There seems to be a space to fill in the sport compact world with an automatic that Honda and Toyota are kind of ignoring.
A Corolla comes standard with IRS. Not sure why its a bragging point for Kia. Very lazy offering
Why would any car designer advocate for turn/rear lamp indicators to be placed on the bumpers?
An answer, to a question nobody asked.
Well, GM in their infinite wisdom, built a bunch of cars (I remember them on wagons) in the 80’s with all the rear tail lights in the bumper. When they inevitably packed up with snow you couldn’t see shit.
It’s a lousy idea.
More great work from KN, now not only is it going to be a PITA to change the bulb when the corners are tapped there’s a good chance they break and I’m sure its integrated to the bumper somehow for cheaper manufacturing. So over its life expect a 50% chance to replace the bumper cover at least once. Winning!