Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Kia Forte Koup
With its attention to styling and interior quality, the 2010 Kia Forte Koup will try to make a pass at the compact-car-buying crowd, but it faces some tough competitors like the Honda Civic. Will Kia be able to make a dent in the average consumer’s consciousness? Cars.com reviewer David Thomas slipped into a Forte Koup to render a verdict on this question.
2010|Kia|Forte Koup
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
t may look like a Civic but it wuz designed by a former Audi designer..go figure!
Is the stalling problem something with the clutch setup on this car, or is it common to the sedan as well? How about other manual transmission cars in Kia's lineup?
Belly,
I tested the auto in the sedan but I'd guess this is an SX, six-speed manual issue only since it was tuned more for performance. hopefully they can get it ironed out. But two biggest complaints from everyone were cramped cabin feel and clutch.
Otherwise really nice.
Seems odd. If the clutch release point is so high up in the travel of the pedal, wouldn't this make it harder to shift fast? Do hope they fix it, I really like the Forte.
Belly--
in short, No, the higher up the release point the less you have to push in the clutch to shift, and hence a quicker shift. Although unlike the ultra predictable (but more wear prone) mechanical linkage clutches, a hydraulic clutch is simply more vague and has a slightly less predictable feel/engagement.
So is this better for heel-toe shifting then?
I had the same problem in a Forte SX sedan I tested. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.
The problem isn't just the clutch -- it's the clutch combined with an especially touchy throttle.
Brady,
Good to hear it wasn't isolated to us. I'm sure it's something that can be addressed in a 2011 model and I'm sure after owning it a while you would get used to it, but in my experience most cars shouldn't make you get used to them. They should just work well out of the gate.
All Koup models include all the expected safety gear plus standard Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel-mounted controls, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with Sirius, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote key-less entry.