Opinion on 2018 Kia Forte sedan

[wolf_06]

Gooday folks,

My dad recently had a 2018 Kia forte LX plus I believe the trim was. 2.0L with a 6 speed auto.

I have to say, this combo gives good power and extremely smooth shifting.

Manual recommend 6,000 km oil change with the multiport injection, and 5000 km for direct injection. No mention of synthetic oil obligation.

Any of you knows if this car is reliable?

Thanks!

 

[PimTac]

Kia keeps climbing up the reliability charts.

 

[MParr]

The Hyundai/KIA 2.0L is a very reliable engine. My dad had a 2014 KIA Forte EX, it’s a fine car. My sister has it now. The 2.0L Hyundai/KIA engine has a timing chain, not a belt.

 

[csandste]

I've had four Kias (counting a Ford Festiva, or was that a Mazda 121?) and a Hyundai and never had a bad experience. The 2.0 liter is a nice one. Much more power than my previous Buick Encore with the 1.4 turbo and much, much simpler. Never any problems with the 1.6 GDI either.

Very surprised at your short oil change intervals. My Soul has a 7500 mile interval. I'm using MaxLife blend and am planning on changing at 6000 miles. Full synthetic, I wouldn't hesitate to run 7500 miles. All in all, I like HyunKias. Great cars and not fussy at all.

 

[Danno]

Kia Canada requires 6,000 km OCI intervals for warranty coverage.

 

[charbaby]

Was this KIA a rental car?
In January 2018, I had a 2017 KIA Forte 2.0L 6spd auto as rental for 5 days and thought the drivetrain was great. The car was kinda loud on the highway and rode a bit stiff even with 32 psi in the tires.

According to Consumer Reports, KIA & Hyundai are both climbing the reliability latter and the Forte scored quite high in the subcompact sedan category.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I have that engine transmission combo in my Elantra. So far, very reliable. I am changing oil 3,750 miles (6033.75 Kilometers) for warranty since I do severe service driving.

Hyundai does not specify synthetic. I am using 10w30 conventional in summer and 5w30 synthetic in the Winter. I have also used 5w-20 semi synthetic and synthetic. Engine does not seem to care. Very smooth with great fuel economy with all those oils.

 

[Oildudeny]

Very good car with the multi-port injection easy on oil. use OE filter 0 or 5w30 year round well Canada winters definitely a 0w-30

 

[MONKEYMAN]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Was this KIA a rental car?
In January 2018, I had a 2017 KIA Forte 2.0L 6spd auto as rental for 5 days and thought the drivetrain was great. The car was kinda loud on the highway and rode a bit stiff even with 32 psi in the tires.

They must tune the suspension different than the Elantra. I am running 40 PSI in my T-Rated Nexen's and ride is smooth and bumps well absorbed. I am getting some wind noise on highway when cold. Like door seal is leaking. Otherwise quiet.

 

[charbaby]

Yes, I remember our conversation on this exact subject. I believe that the Elantra is tuned a bit more to my liking.

 

[zzyzzx]

Doesn't that car have a timing belt with an interference engine? If so I'd stay away from that car.

 

[StevieC]

I wouldn't use conventional oils in the turbo version of the engine. That said a previous person I worked with had a Kia forte from the first model year and just traded it in for another one. He has been quite happy with them.

My mom's Kia spectra went 300,000km and then she sold it to a friend of ours who put almost 100,000km on it before it was totaled in an accident.

Proper maintenance is key.

 

[csandste]

Nope. Timing chain for years.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I always liked the coupe version with the spoiler. Great looking car!!

 

[cb450sc]

My son has a 2015 Kia Forte 5. Great little car with lots of space for junk. I change his oil every 8 to 10,000 km with synthetic and an OEM filter. He has over 100,000 km on it and it runs like a top.

 

[CincyDavid]

I have one Kia in our "fleet" that has taken tons of teenager abuse and keeps coming back for more. I also owned 2 Kia Rio sedans that were cheap little throwaway tin-cans but ran reliably for over 150k miles each with very little maintenance beyond conventional oil changes at 10,000 MILE intervals due to laziness and inertia on my part. The first one was donated to a friend having hard times, not sure how long it ran, the 2nd died at 180,000 miles when one of the kids overheated it.

Not necessarily a fan of Kia's suspension tuning on their sedans but if I needed something cheap to run around in, a little Kia is a great option.