Forte 2023

The 2023 Kia Forte hits a sweet spot for me. Refined enough for the motorway, economical enough for commuting, and practical enough for family duties. I'd have rated it five stars but the infotainment system has a frustrating habit of not connecting to my phone immediately on start-up. Software upda…

There's nothing wrong with the 2023 Kia Forte per se — it's competent, reliable, and comfortable. But 'competent' isn't what you want when you've spent this much. The interior has a couple of hard plastic panels that feel out of place for the price, and the engine note isn't particularly pleasant. R…

The 2023 Kia Forte has been perfectly functional but underwhelming. The ride is fine, fuel economy is acceptable, and it's reliable enough. But every time I get in I feel like I settled. The infotainment lag is annoying, the interior feels plasticky in places, and I've seen better driving dynamics a…

I've owned my 2023 Kia Forte for fourteen months and it has spent more time at the dealer than on my driveway. The turbo failed at 8,000 miles, the infotainment screen went blank at 11,000 miles, and there's a persistent vibration the dealer cannot locate. This is my first experience with this brand…

My 2023 Kia Forte came with several fit-and-finish issues straight from the factory — a door seal that whistles at speed, a dashboard rattle that took three dealer visits to fix, and a paint imperfection on the boot lid. The underlying car may be good but mine had a bad build day. Disappointing for …