The Forte is an elegant, comfortable and serene compact car that is an afterthought in the minds of buyers focussed on the Civic, Corolla and to a lesser extent, the Elantra. Two engines, a 2L normally-aspirated four and a 1.6L turbo, are available. Driven briefly by the APA, the Forte’s 147 horsepower 2L is ably matched to Kia’s CVT to deliver smooth, brisk acceleration. The Forte’s steering lacks much road feel but is nicely weighted and precise. The Forte has a well-honed ride-handling balance and the car has a well-sorted, mature feel. Forte drivers face precisely marked gauges, an easily manipulated infotainment screen and brilliantly simple climate controls. Seating is comfortable front and rear and rear seat legroom is at the upper end of this class. Excellent headroom. Good trunk space on the sedan with a substantial and flexible cargo bay on the hatchback. Cabin materials are very attractive with lots of soft-touch surfaces.

Sedan: The LX, with air-conditioning, heated front seats, the iOS-Android cellphone interface and cruise control, is very good value. The EX adds blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, a forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, a driver awareness monitor, wireless cellphone charging, rear climate vents, alloy wheels and a heated steering wheel, making it an excellent value. The EX+ trim grade includes a sunroof and L.E.D. headlamps, at a reasonable price. The EX Premium adds an adaptive cruise control, a more sophisticated forward collision warning system and a dual-zone climate control system at a reasonable price. The GT-Line, which combines a sporty look with the base 2L engine, includes heated and ventilated front sports seats, a power driver’s seat, heated rear seats, alloy pedals, navigation and a number of other minor features, and is exceptional  The GT Limited, which includes a Harman-Kardon audio system as well as the 1.6L turbo and the dual-clutch automated transmission, is priced $3300 higher than the 2L GT Line, a reasonable price especially considering the additional performance. Hatchback: The supplement to migrate from the sedan to hatchback body style costs $1000 on the GT Limited and $1100 on the EX. On the hatch, moving up from the EX to the GT is good value considering it includes the 1.6L turbo four. Upgrading to the GT Limited is reasonable value.

Not rated. Unproven CVT transmission and 2L four. The Forte should be reliable during the warranty period. Five year/100,000 km basic warranty, an extended powertrain warranty is recommended.