Kia Forte GT: Small sedan with large performance

This review first appeared in the September 2020 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – There are many ways to describe the Kia Forte GT, but I think the Massachusetts-based auto website, CarGurus, gave it the best shot: "A sport sedan hiding in plain sight."

Maybe even better: A high-performing sport sedan hiding in plain sight.

Parked on the street, the tested 2020 Kia Forte GT compact didn't prompt much to get excited about.  To be sure, it looked nice enough, with an attractive chop and dual exhausts on the back end. My ride was dressed up with a four-spot of high-quality, 18-inch Michelin tires.

Still, memories of the basic 2-liter, in-line 4 Forte engine rated at only 147 horsepower did not get my pulse to racing.

But this is the GT version, with a 1.6-liter turbo-4 under the hood.  That makes all the difference in the world, as I quickly discovered.

With the Forte weighing in at less than 3,000 pounds, the 201 horsepower power plant moved the Forte out with eyebrow-raising gusto.  I had to grab the car back under control the first time I nailed the accelerator on a freeway entrance ramp.

And I was greeted by a satisfying, deep-bass exhaust note in the bargain.  No mere compact here.

And yet there were numerous charms in my tester. It was nicely equipped for a reasonable starting price of $22,290.  The addition of numerous extras on the tester -- including power/heated/ventilated front seats, a rear cross-traffic collision warning system and a Harman Kardon premium audio system -- brought the bottom line to a still-reasonable $26,445.

The Forte includes state-of-the-art safety features far beyond what one expects from a compact sedan.  That includes the automaker's Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist Car system, which bailed me out of a tight spot just a few years ago.

Other charms are more basic.  The interior is surprisingly roomy in this segment.  You get 15.3 cubic feet of cargo space in the back.  And fuel mileage is excellent at 27 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

Kudos to Kia for adding this sporty GT offering for the 2020 model year.  It provides a heart-racing option beyond the standard Forte daily driver.

The Forte GT comes off as a prototypical, affordable suburban chore-doer, and an easy-to-handle transporter for the crowded urban jungle.