Kia fortifies its Forte

SINGAPORE — Carmakers usually give their products a facelift at least once in their product cycle to keep them looking fresh, so potential buyers will stay interested. But these tend to be done so coyly that you have to squint hard to spot the changes.

Not so with the latest Kia Forte K3. This may or may not have something to do with the power of plastic surgery in Korea, but its face has been unmistakably altered.

Post-facelift, the K3 now has a more upright grille that is flanked by larger, boxier headlamps. There’s a new bumper to accompany them, with sporty air scoops and redesigned fog lamps. Things are a little more subtle at the back, where the taillamps have been given new V-shaped lighting elements, along with a different bumper.

Rounding off the facelift are new wheels inspired by jet turbines.

INSIDE JOB

Some effort has been put into the interior, too, where softer new plastics on the dashboard and doors make it more posh.

Kia says the gearstick has also been designed to “improve comfort”, but that may be stretching things a bit. It does feel more expensive though, which is improvement enough.

Indeed, the K3 has always been a relatively inexpensive car that has never felt cheap, and the redesigned cabin ensures that it continues to feel that way.

But the facelift has not brought any mechanical change with it, so the Kia continues to get along with a 1.6-litre engine that generates 130hp.

As before, the Kia has a six-speed auto gearbox so it feels fairly lively, and you can accelerate smartly without working the engine too heavily.

That’s just as well, because when you rev it hard, the motor sounds strained. At other times, it’s an admirably quiet car. It is the suspension that could have used some work. The Kia gets floaty at high speeds, and while it’s safely predictable, there’s little precision to the steering.

Luxe appeal

Yet, the Forte’s forte has always been its ability to make luxury car features available at mass market prices.

Even the base EX model is well-equipped with things like a multi-function steering wheel, and a sound system that has both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, not to mention a screen with crisp graphics.

But we recommend the SX version. It costs S$7,000 more but adds plenty of useful features like keyless entry and engine starting, a powered front seat that glides back when you switch the car off to ease entry and exit, as well as a dual-zone climate control system.

It also has electronic stability control (good to have) and ventilated front seats that cool you on hot days (nice to have).

It all makes for a comfortable car that offers great value for money, though that was always true of the Forte K3 to begin with. Still, as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, give it a facelift.

Kia K3 Forte SX

Engine: 1,591cc, 16V in-line four, 130hp, 157Nm

Performance: 183kmh, 0-100kmh: 10.5s, 6.8L/100km, 160g/km CO2

Price: $104,999 with COE

On Sale: Now