Thank you to Crowley Kia for allowing me to take this 2021 Kia Forte GT out for a test drive!
The Kia/Hyundai group has long been overlooked, and some people haven't come to terms with the weight the badge used to carry. But they've been quietly at work, building exactly the cars enthusiasts keep asking for. That's what it looks like on paper anyway, so I had to take a closer look for myself.
Walking up, the car looks classy and a little sporty, especially in this Deep Sea Blue color. It looks like the kind of car that you can still drive to your desk job without getting too many looks, but the GT logo, dual-exhaust, and stock Michelin PS4 ultra-high performance summer tires let you know that there's something more going on here.
Hopping into the back seat, it feels comfortable, sporty, and classy. The seats are synthetic leather, with a tastefully done, simple, red-stitched pattern on them. And there's plenty of space for my legs, with the front seat set for me at 5'7".
Jumping into the front seat there's more synthetic leather, tastefully done red-stitching, and a red GT logo in it. The center dash has a simple and sleek look to it, with a lot of matte black, a few knobs and buttons for the AC and infotainment system, and the thin LCD infotainment screen protruding out of it around eye level. The gauge cluster is simple, with a large tach, large speedometer, and a digital readout for speed, weather, and odometer in the center.
The infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a backup camera. It's simple, responsive, and easy to use. And it allows you to setup your own custom menu with shortcuts to your favorite features. The sound system is the premium Harmon/Kardon system. And the safety tech includes blind spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control.
Foot on the clutch, foot on the brake, push button to start. The clutch is light, which seems to be common in these newer cars. I'd prefer a heavier clutch, but I'm just happy to be in a sporty, new, manual sedan at this point.
Shifting into first, the gearbox is smooth and light. Personally, I'd like a little bit more resistance, and the gearshift feels a little bit cheap. Nothing an aftermarket shift knob can't fix.
Getting moving, the clutch is forgiving, the exhaust sounds pretty good, and the leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel feels nice and heavy.
I get out onto the street and put my foot into it, and it responds well. The 192 lb-ft of torque and 201 hp produced by the 1.6L turbo-charged 4-cylinder are plenty to make it a fun daily. And the PS4s certainly help with the car's confidence in sticking to the road. The heavy steering wheel feels great when throwing it around a corner. And it can certainly get up to speed quickly enough merging onto the highway, and it gets off the line well when driving around town.
It opens up a little bit more if you press the "sport" button, next to the (real) handbrake. The active exhaust opens up, and steering tightens a little bit, and it certainly increases the "fun" factor. You can even get a few pops out of the exhaust if you listen for them.
If you're looking at a Civic SI or a GLI for a sporty daily, with a touch of luxury, and all the latest tech and safety features, you should definitely add this one to the list. The performance numbers are nearly identical to the SI, but fall a little short of the GLI. For me, what it really needs in order to truly contend with those, is a limited-slip differential for those twisty backroads. And I might throw in a weighted shifter if I bought one. But for the price of $21k, along with America's Best Warranty, it's still a very solid option.
