Forty years ago, with the addition of three little letters to the compact Golf, Volkswagen established a market segment that persists to this day. The quick and sustained success of the GTI has since inspired virtually every automaker to create their own interpretation on the “hot hatch” idea. Over the years hot hatches have waxed and waned in popularity but they have never completely gone away and in recent years they have had something of a resurgence with cars like Ford’s Focus ST, Fiesta ST and my most recent ride, the Kia Forte5 SX.
The appeal of the hot hatch is pretty easy to understand. Â For a driver that needs to get by with a single car that is a hoot to drive, relatively affordable and eminently practical, few types fit the bill better. Unlike smaller B-segment machines like the Fiesta ST, C-segment hatches offer more usable back seat room making them suitable for two couples on the town for the evening of schlepping around a family of five. Yet when the roads get contorted to fit around trees, lakes and canyon walls, a hot hatch can grab the road and propel you onward without a second thought.
Now in its second-generation badged as the Forte, Kia’s C-segment model has come a long way over the years since the debut of the oddly-named Sephia 15 years ago. Available as a four-door sedan, two-door Koup or the hatchback Forte5, only the latter two are offered with the SX trim level. Personally, I’ve always been of the opinion that compact sedans and coupes of this type are rather silly. The trunk openings are often too small to take full advantage of whatever cargo space may be there. A hatch (or better yet a slightly longer wagon) offers a big opening that works with folding rear seats to swallow surprisingly large cargo when needed.
In most cases, the hatch has better overall proportions than the bustle-backed body styles. While the Forte sedan and Koup are handsome machines, the hatchback is the most attractive of the trio to my eyes. All offer a stylish look that is the latest evolution of the 2007 Kia Kue concept design language. A slimmer version of the standard Kia grille that we’ve since for the past seven years is now flanked by projector beam headlamps with an LED signature lighting strip across the top of the cluster.
The Forte5 has athletic proportions with short overhangs and a broad shouldered stance that makes it look hunkered down. The large glass area contributes to good visibility from inside and the turbocharged SX gets dual exhaust outlets. My only real stylistic quibble with the Forte5 SX is the available exterior color pallet that consists of white, black, grey and the steel-blue on my tester. None are especially vibrant or joyful. Not terrible, just kind of drab.
Inside, the SX gets nicely bolstered front seats that are both supportive and comfortable. The trim is dark, but nicely executed with enough faux carbon to keep everything from looking too stark. The pedals, including the left dead pedal wrapped in metal for that classic sporty look while rubber strips ensure enough grip to keep your feet from sliding off.
The Forte EX and LX trims get a six-speed automatic as the standard configuration while the SX is the only version with a manual as the primary configuration with the automatic available as an option. The shift knob and steering wheel of the SX are wrapped in leather for a comfortable grip during spirited driving.
Compare the Kia Forte5 SX to its competition
However, what really sets the SX apart from its siblings is the engine. The other trims get the usual Hyundai/Kia direct injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 173-horsepower. While this is a pleasant enough engine to live with, the SX is propelled by the same turbocharged 1.6-liter found in the Hyundai Veloster. Â A more efficiency-oriented 178-hp variant of this engine can be found in the Sonata Eco and the Optima LX 1.6T but Forte5 gets 201-hp and a beefy 195 lb.-ft. of torque.
On the road, this little turbo-four will never be mistaken for something like a larger displacement V6 but it is responsive in both around town and back road driving. It’s clearly not as strong as the larger 2.0-liter in the Focus ST or the previous generation MazdaSpeed 3. On the other hand, the Kia never exhibited any of the torque steer that comes from hard acceleration in the Ford or Mazda. Overall, the combination of this smaller engine and a well tuned suspension provides refinement that’s much closer to the GTI.
The structure of the Forte feels both stiff enough to ensure that the suspension can do its job and light enough to feel more nimble than the 250-pound heavier Focus. Kia hasn’t sacrificed structure, but may have left out some of the sound deadening material found in competitors. While the Forte5 doesn’t seem especially loud and the structure is clearly minimizing noise transmission, the short sidewall tires on the 18-inch alloys due generate a notable thump-thump while traversing freeway expansion strips. The thumping is well absorbed by the suspension which has a nicely composed feel with minimal body motion. Ultimately the ride quality is surprisingly comfortable despite this one minor NVH quibble.
With the rear seats in place, the Forte5 can soak up 23.2 cubic feet of stuff, clearly demonstrating the utility advantage of forsaking a trunk. When you really need to haul, the seats fold to yield 56.4 cubic feet behind the front seats. The Forte5 doesn’t offer any fancy driver assist technology, but that’s fine for me in a car of this type. My test car had the $4,200 premium technology package with the power moonroof, leather seating, touchscreen navigation and dual-zone climate control.
The advantage of a hatchback on a compact is huge cargo space
Despite its more performance oriented tuning, the SX is still reasonably efficient. The EPA mileage estimates come in at 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and and 24 mpg combined. During my week with the Forte5, it averaged 27 mpg in mixed driving. The SX starts at just $20,990 with the manual transmission while the test car stickered at $26,035 with delivery. The Forte5 SX is an excellent alternative to the GTI and Focus ST from a dynamic, design and value perspective. Anyone considering the established players should give this one a tryout.
Click here for the full specifications of the 2015 Kia Forte5 SX
