Owner Review: The unexpected choice - Story of my Kia Forte

** This article is the personal experience of a 2013 Kia Forte 1.6 6-Speed owner and does not necessarily reflect the views of WapCar.

Facebook: Ryan Poon

I currently drive a 2013 Kia Forte 1.6 6-Speed. Bought it in 2013 by my wife. Kia Forte firstly belong to my wife and that time I own a Proton Saga FLX SE. She then changed to another car end of last year. And I sold my Proton Saga and drive Kia Forte after that. Normally I drive the Forte on the weekend or when going outstation.

Back then, before owning the Kia Forte, we had survey a few brands and model such as Nissan Almera, Toyota Vios, Honda City and Hyundai Elantra. But non amaze us. At that time, I never even think of the Kia Forte. It is like having totally forgotten about the Kia brand. All of a sudden, my wife's sister told us about the Kia Forte. The other day, my wife and I walk-in to a Kia showroom and had a look and even test drove the Kia Forte. The comfort level and the soundproof even the design for Kia Forte is definitely amazing. Till today it still looks gorgeous and never ever felt bored looking at it.

From all other models that time, Kia Forte really amaze us. The price when bought that car is RM89,000[If not mistaken. Don’t really remember]. For that price, it comes with a lot of good stuff.

As for the fuel consumption, a full tank can go for 450km(city drive) and as for highway drive around 5++ to 6++ depends on driving style. A full tank, I drive from KL to Kampar and back to KL, it still got another 2 bar left on the fuel gauge. Driving at 120km/h to 140km/h without hard acceleration. For the power, there’s less torque and more top speed. Each time when slowing down, it may take some time to obtain the power back. But luckily Kia Forte comes with a paddle shifter where I can downshift and upshift manually.

Owning the Kia Forte for 7 years plus with the mileage clocked 157,000km, there’s no major problem with the car (touch wood). Just some wear and tear parts that needed to be replaced where other cars do need as well. For service, I normally send it back to KIA Service Centre from owning the car till now. Every weekend, I’ll check the engine oil level, coolant level, tyre pressure and clean the air filter myself. Just to make sure everything is in perfect condition.