Kia Forte Hatchback

2011 Kia Forte Hatchback

Time to say hello to the newest addition of the Kia Forte range, from the sedan, Koup, and LPi Hybrid, which is essentially the most spacious Forte built to rival the Hyundai i30, Mazda Axela Sport, Mitsubishi Galant Fortis (Lancer) Sportback, and the Subaru Impreza hatchback.

The new Forte Hatchback is the latest addition of the Kia Forte range, possessing the qualities of being the spacious, economical, and sporty Korean hatchback that promises to please Korean buyers. With Kia's trademark Tiger Nose design courtesy of Peter Schreyer, the Forte Hatchback stays true to its roots because this grille will always be a part of the Kia family, ranging from the Soul, Sorento, and the new Sportage.

A peek on the Kia Forte Hatchback's side view is rather similar to its rival, the Hyundai i30, but the rear view wears the same look from its sedan brother. This goes the same for the interior but as a hatchback, this was built to be spacious.

The new Kia Forte Hatchback has a roster of high-tech goodies equipped to up the ante, such as the engine start/stop button, optional navigation system with Digital Media Broadcasting, and parking system. In order to show how worthy for the Forte Hatchback to be a true eco-car, the Active Eco System is added to bring the fuel efficiency of the 1.6L GDi engine (found on the Hyundai Avante MD). The GDi 1.6L engine has the power output of 140PS, the torque output of 17.0 kg-m, and the fuel economy of 16.5 km/L.

My thoughts about the Forte Hatchback:

With the sedan priced on about P1,320,000, my predicted price for the new Kia Forte Hatchback would be P1,550,000, but whatever, that is how the pricing for Kia cars in the Philippines should be. I hope that they should think twice before pricing newer Kia models in the Philippines due to most Pinoy Kia fans think they are overpriced.

Distinctively, the new Kia Forte Hatchback is built to be the most economical, most fuel-efficient, and the sportiest Korean hatchback set to take down the Hyundai i30 into pieces. Let us hope that Columbian Motors Corporation will bring this hatchback soon and price it right.

On the other hand, this car will be feature, along with the K5, Sportage, and other Kia models, on the IRIS spin-off, titled Athena: Goddess of War, coming soon this fall 2010 on Seoul Broadcasting System. If you enjoyed the action-packed Koreanovela, you are going to like this.

Photo: www.mt.co.kr