The appeal of the hot hatch is pretty easy to understand. 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.
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
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.
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.
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