After only two years on the market, the Kia Forte is being fully redesigned, set to debut in 2013.
The new sedan was designed in Irvine and will retain the same 178.3-inch *length* as the current car, but will ride on a wheelbase some 2-inches longer at 106.3 inches. If that number sounds familiar, and it should, it's because that is exactly the same as the current Elantra. Kia has confirmed that this Forte shares a platform with the new Elantra while the old Forte rides on last-gen Elantra.
The new Forte gets a lower cD and a hood "with four pronounced contours -- they're sort of like pleats and kind of weird looking. No fake hood vents despite camo's suggestion of that." says our man on the scene. The lights, too, are apparently slightly odd, featuring a "little panhandle" where the light meets the grille. We've provided a highly detailed sketch after the jump to illustrate that. HID headlights (low beams) will be standard with LED head / tail lights optional.
Kia has also taken steps here to differentiate the models. The Koup's front fascia gets a much smaller slit for a grille that apparently works very well. While the Five-door "looks pretty awesome" with taillights "shaped like those on Audi A4 wagon/ Q5 and the same character line running between them -- thank you, Peter Schreyer." The Five-door and the Koup have dual exhaust as well and the Five-door gets a roof-mounted rear spoiler.
Two styles of 18-inch wheels will be offered.
And in case this spy photo doesn't give you a clear-enough look at the new Forte's new tail lights, we had someone who's seen it draw you a picture.
greenpony says:
02:01 PM, 08/17/11
It's no Takahashi.
clarence6 says:
02:16 PM, 08/17/11
Sounds great to me . . . but I hope they consider offering the SX trim with a high quality 6-speed manual. Unlikely, I suppose, given what we've seen so far from the Elantra, Sonata, Optima, etc.
alex38 says:
04:32 PM, 08/17/11
a full redesign after 2 years on the market...that's insane. Impressive stuff and if it looks anything like the Optima (I might even bet that it looks better than the Elantra), look for sales to be hot
bc1960 says:
06:52 PM, 08/17/11
If it debuts in 2013, then it will be after 4-5 model years (current car debuted in fall 2008), which is not unusual.
The Koup and the 5-door have a 6 speed manual on all trims, as does the LX sedan--I guess you want it on the upper trim sedans, or is it that you don't consider the transmission "high-quality"?
What can be seen of the 5-door looks cool, but shared platform with Elantra implies still no IRS :-(. One hopes the cheesy chrome hockey stick remains an option as on the current Forte SX, and not a requirement as with the Sportage EX and SX. 18" wheels are OK as long as they're an option and not standard.
lexuslvr says:
06:54 PM, 08/17/11
@alex38 it has been on the market since 2009 so it will be on a shortened 4-year product cycle.
threemopars says:
06:56 PM, 08/17/11
"SX trim with a high quality 6-speed manual."
The Forte SX 5 door and Koupe already come with a 6 speed manual or optional 6 speed automatic.
ag4 says:
07:17 PM, 08/17/11
This is Kia showing Honda how the new Civic should have looked like.
dg0472 says:
07:57 PM, 08/17/11
"old Forte rides on last-gen Elantra"
Well they share the same wheelbase and transmission, but not much else. The rear suspension, front and rear track, even engines are different.
Anyway, glad to hear this as the current Forte has aged quickly.
For the record, the Forte went on sale Q2 '09 as a '10 model (the Spectra DID have an abbreviated '09 MY), so if this debuts as a '13 model, the current Forte will have lasted only 3 model years, although one of those was a very long one.
rollk says:
09:08 PM, 08/17/11
I'd hate to be someone who has a current Forte... only 2 years later - sucks for them!
igeekone says:
09:35 PM, 08/17/11
I never thought my next car may be a KIA. This looks great! Standard HID and optional LEDS? HIDs aren't even standard on luxury cars.
carlos20 says:
05:46 AM, 08/18/11
It look like a Civic with Focus nose.
ed124c says:
06:34 AM, 08/18/11
In a way, though, it is a shame that Hyundai and Kia are getting closer and closer to two peas in a pod.
The Forte has its charms and is a stand alone product, unlike any Hyundai. I see a lot of them around.
Do you think this car will be built in a Kia facility? GM regularly runs different brands down the same production line.
So, it will be Elantra vs. Forte-- just like Cobalt vs. G5. Each with a different front grille, of course.
yellowperil says:
10:35 AM, 08/18/11
"After only two years on the market, the Kia Forte is being fully redesigned, set to debut in 2013."
--Uh . . . So when it debuts, it will have been on the market for approx 4 years. Furthermore, isn't the current Forte based on a old platform, so it's due for a full redo anyway?
I'm not criticizing H/K. In fact, I'm looking forward to the redesign (if I haven't already bought a Veloster by then!). I'm just saying the IL article was strangely worded.
andy999 says:
11:27 AM, 08/18/11
Those are some fancy little "scribblings" . . .
Regarding the Forte, this absolutely "had" to happen, as the compact market has changed and advanced so quickly. It's hard to believe, that the 2010 Forte which debuted in '09 already looks dated, but apparently the "timing" just wasn't on its side. This update looks very substantial, and should help in a dramatic way. Now, we just have to wait for all of the camo to slowly dissipate during this next year.
NICE ! ! ! ! ! !
aviboy97 says:
12:25 PM, 08/18/11
This is probably one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. The head lights look like bug eyes, the lines are clearly that of an Elantra and the rear looks very generic as well. I think this is the closest thing to a rebadge we have seen from Hyundai/Kia.
mk40 says:
02:10 PM, 08/18/11
Will probably be cleaner and more tasteful than the Elantra's busy bodywork. Maybe they will improve steering weighting too.. likely. 18inch wheels sounds like a sportier tune as well.
lexuslvr says:
08:38 PM, 08/18/11
I love how all these people have developed x-ray vision all of a sudden. You sound retarded.
zackd44 says:
03:01 PM, 10/16/11
The forte SX will probably get the same 1.6T engine that the veloster turbo will be getting
macsaan says:
03:38 PM, 11/30/11
sounds great...as a fan of kia's design