I drove two Kia rental cars over the summer, a Forte from Virginia to the Florida Panhandle and a K5 around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Here are some basic, superficial observations.
For perspective, consider that our family car was a 2010 Vibe for about 10 years, and it was recently replaced by a 2018 Corolla.
Good things: Both cars handled well. They had alloy wheels, so I assume that was part of a handling package. The Forte had a much more sporty feel than the Corolla. It reminded me of the Vibe, where the Corolla feels more like a 1990s Buick.
The seats were firmer, in a good way, than those in the Corolla.
I didn't track fuel mileage by hand but MPG according to the digital average was mid to high 30s for both.
Negatives:
Terrible dash design. There is a strip of shiny plastic trim above the touch screen and a large speaker grille right in the middle of the dash. Both create a really bad reflection on the windshield, especially in the K5. Even with polarized sunglasses, it was dangerous to drive for much of the day.
Unresponsive off-idle throttle programming in both. By the time I gave it enough throttle to get going, I had given it too much and had to back off. Sport mode helped, but then it stayed in lower gears than needed.
Because of the dash reflection and the weird throttle programming, I would not consider buying either one.
For perspective, consider that our family car was a 2010 Vibe for about 10 years, and it was recently replaced by a 2018 Corolla.
Good things: Both cars handled well. They had alloy wheels, so I assume that was part of a handling package. The Forte had a much more sporty feel than the Corolla. It reminded me of the Vibe, where the Corolla feels more like a 1990s Buick.
The seats were firmer, in a good way, than those in the Corolla.
I didn't track fuel mileage by hand but MPG according to the digital average was mid to high 30s for both.
Negatives:
Terrible dash design. There is a strip of shiny plastic trim above the touch screen and a large speaker grille right in the middle of the dash. Both create a really bad reflection on the windshield, especially in the K5. Even with polarized sunglasses, it was dangerous to drive for much of the day.
Unresponsive off-idle throttle programming in both. By the time I gave it enough throttle to get going, I had given it too much and had to back off. Sport mode helped, but then it stayed in lower gears than needed.
Because of the dash reflection and the weird throttle programming, I would not consider buying either one.
