Kia forte GT

Joined
Oct 16, 2023
Messages
262
These are interesting and kind of enticing. If you own one what is your experience? Thoughts opinions pros cons etc.
 
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Looks like a good and proper place to do business. 6 speed MT and no clutch, LOL!

The overblown exterior body styling though - barff! White color may tone it down.

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OP asks for personal experiences of forum members with the KIA Forte GT, because [reasons] to search the Internet for reviews and other people's experiences, including YouTube and specialized KIA forums.

OP gets recommendations for other vehicles.

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OP asks for personal experiences of forum members with the KIA Forte GT, because [reasons] to search the Internet for reviews and other people's experiences, including YouTube and specialized KIA forums.

OP gets recommendations for other vehicles.
The new forum rent-a-cop? :) :) :)

The Elantra N is the Hi-Po sister car to the Kia on the same platform. Could not find any Forte GT available in the northeast they get grabbed up quickly. I was really surprised to see an N on the lot. Bet its gone next week (unless the ugly color scheme deters prospects)

The GT is a 200hp 1.6L turbo not in same league as the N or a WRX

Just found two GT today on a fresh search to give an idea on pricing

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/81183807-7fd5-47a1-88b0-0b18a72c68aa/
 
The new forum rent-a-cop? :) :) :)

The Elantra N is the Hi-Po sister car to the Kia on the same platform. Could not find any Forte GT available in the northeast they get grabbed up quickly. I was really surprised to see an N on the lot. Bet its gone next week (unless the ugly color scheme deters prospects)

The GT is a 200hp 1.6L turbo not in same league as the N or a WRX

Just found two GT today on a fresh search to give an idea on pricing

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/81183807-7fd5-47a1-88b0-0b18a72c68aa/
Thanks. I'm actually eyeballing me a Charger GT or a Charger SXT Plus AWD for around $29K. I like the platform. I'm waiting until July - August, maybe I can score a Charger R/T in the very low 30s or an even $30K. I owned two Elantra Hatchbacks (upper trims) and a sedan. Two out of three where stick shift. I also had a manual Veloster 1.6T for a little while. I am familiar with what these have to offer. I moved on.

The Kia Forte GT would be nice at around $19K~$20K. However, car prices are still out of wack, and as long as people can borrow and barely make the payment, they will pay whatever the asking price. We now live in a world where a basic Hyundai Sonata is $30K. That's just crazy.
 
Thanks. I'm actually eyeballing me a Charger GT or a Charger SXT Plus AWD for around $29K. I like the platform. I'm waiting until July - August, maybe I can score a Charger R/T in the very low 30s or an even $30K. I owned two Elantra Hatchbacks (upper trims) and a sedan. Two out of three where stick shift. I also had a manual Veloster 1.6T for a little while. I am familiar with what these have to offer. I moved on.

The Kia Forte GT would be nice at around $19K~$20K. However, car prices are still out of wack, and as long as people can borrow and barely make the payment, they will pay whatever the asking price. We now live in a world where a basic Hyundai Sonata is $30K. That's just crazy.
I like that platform a lot also, and I only drove a rental Charger with a pentastar back in 2015.
That thing moved must have been a ringer motor - I even opened the hood to make sure it wasn't a V8. And I have driven '67 SS396 Chevelle and and owned a '69 428 Super Cobra Jet Ford Fairlane sports roof back in the late 70's when these cars were under $1000 bucks used.

Funny thing with that 4dr charger on the highway people get out of the fast lane or slow down when you come up on them at 85.
 
I like that platform a lot also, and I only drove a rental Charger with a pentastar back in 2015.
That thing moved must have been a ringer motor - I even opened the hood to make sure it wasn't a V8. And I have driven '67 SS396 Chevelle and and owned a '69 428 Super Cobra Jet Ford Fairlane sports roof back in the late 70's when these cars were under $1000 bucks used.

Funny thing with that 4dr charger on the highway people get out of the fast lane or slow down when you come up on them at 85.
It's even funnier that I found myself browsing the dealerships in my area for a manual KIA Forte GT the other day, after the earlier exchanges. It's a nice car, and I would definitely drive one with the 1.6T and the stick shift.

The Pentastar is a minivan engine, lol. We have two of them, and they're okay, but nothing spectacular. They can last a very long time if you take care of them. It can move a Charger just fine, because it's not as heavy as an SUV. Though, I'm sure having a ZF 8HP transmission behind that engine helps it out a lot.
 
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It's even funnier that I found myself browsing the dealerships in my area for a manual KIA Forte GT the other day, after the earlier exchanges. It's a nice car, and I would definitely drive one with the 1.6T and the stick shift.

The Pentastar is a minivan engine, lol. We have two of them, and they're okay, but nothing spectacular. They can last a very long time if you take care of them. It can move a Charger just fine, because it's not as heavy as an SUV. Though, I'm sure having a ZF 8HP transmission behind that engine helps it out a lot.
Just looked it up.
The base rwd Charger is only a couple hundred lbs lighter than a grand caravan minivan 4100lbs vs 4300lbs, being old platform MB E-class and S-class derived. But that's empty, lol. Like I said that rental car motor was def a one-percenter for having some major mojo!
 
I test drove one shortly after they came out when I was looking for a new around town car. The best way to think of it is as a poor man's Civic Si. It's slightly less refined, slightly poorer handling, slightly poorer steering and transmission feel, and likely a good bit less reliable than the honda. The Forte's engine did seem a little more lively than the Civic's though, although that may been more of a subjective feeling caused by the Forte's open diff making it's driving experience a more wheel-spinning affair.

My 2 cents.
 
I test drove one shortly after they came out when I was looking for a new around town car. The best way to think of it is as a poor man's Civic Si. It's slightly less refined, slightly poorer handling, slightly poorer steering and transmission feel, and likely a good bit less reliable than the honda. The Forte's engine did seem a little more lively than the Civic's though, although that may been more of a subjective feeling caused by the Forte's open diff making it's driving experience a more wheel-spinning affair.

My 2 cents.
Thank you for your review; it's very good. I had a feeling that the KIA Forte GT was yet another "copy" of something else. I guess the Civic Si was the benchmark. However, KIA also has a cheaper "Forte GT" that isn't really a GT. Either way, I'd rather get the original. In typical KIA/Hyundai fashion, the "original" is $2K to $3K more than the knockoff. I'm not saying that it's an engineering or design copy (although they copied a lot in the past), but more of "we can make a cheaper version of X vehicle." Unfortunately, it's also "cheaper" in quality and driving experience, not just price.

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If i were in the market:
If i could get the Si for this price, i'd get the Si
If i could not, i'd gladly drive the Forte GT and not have a worry.

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If i were in the market:
If i could get the Si for this price, i'd get the Si
If i could not, i'd gladly drive the Forte GT and not have a worry.
If i were in the market:
If i couldn't get the Si for this price, i'd get the Si
If i could drive the Forte GT, I'd gladly get the Si, and not have a worry.
 
The new forum rent-a-cop? :) :) :)

The Elantra N is the Hi-Po sister car to the Kia on the same platform. Could not find any Forte GT available in the northeast they get grabbed up quickly. I was really surprised to see an N on the lot. Bet its gone next week (unless the ugly color scheme deters prospects)

The GT is a 200hp 1.6L turbo not in same league as the N or a WRX

Just found two GT today on a fresh search to give an idea on pricing

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/81183807-7fd5-47a1-88b0-0b18a72c68aa/
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1100 miles, so far, so good. Really enjoying a smooth-operating transmission after tolerating the Ford 10r80 for two years. As I'm slowly turning the horses loose as break-in goes along, I'm noticing that a limited slip differential would really make a difference in this car.

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