KIA Cerato Forte 5 Door Overview

When something works, capitalise on it and make it even more successful. That’s exactly what Kia did with the Cerato Forte range in Singapore. The Cerato Forte sedan gained immense popularity when it launched and its coupe sibling – the Kia Koup – received overwhelming response too. Hence, it is no surprise that the Korean carmaker decided to bring in an extension of the range – the five-door Forte hatchback.

Aiming to boost total Forte sales to an even higher level, Kia hopes to achieve that by capturing a bigger market share with the hatchback. If you have already seen the sedan and the coupe, then this hatchback should not come across as anything too new. It, after all, holds similar looks and technical innards. Only available in one engine capacity (1.6-litre), the Forte hatch has the same engine as that in the sedan as well as the new six-speed automatic gearbox in the recently updated sedan and coupe models.

Hence, the Forte hatch shares similar performance figures such as maximum power of 124bhp at 6,300rpm and maximum torque of 156Nm at 4,200rpm, along with a zero to 10Okm/h time of 11.5 seconds. I felt that the drive of the Forte hatch was too eager and the steering a tad too light though.

There are paddle shifts mounted behind the steering wheel but I had problems reaching them comfortably. I have small hands so that might be a factor, but I gave up having to over-stretch my fingers just to shift. The red background lighting of the speedometer was a little too glaring at night too, but matched the red colour of the test drive unit we had.

The Forte hatch is really just an extended version of the sedan, with the same overall width, height and wheelbase. The only difference is its increased length and reduced rear overhang. In the front though, there is a new radiator grille, new lower air-intake grille and new fog lamp shapes. Side mirrors have LED signals and the stock rims are restyled too. You may plug in your iPod or iPhone to listen to your own songs on the go and with 385 litres of cargo volume, the Forte hatch can take on your loads easily while at the same time providing comfort to the driver and all passengers.

Essentially, the Forte hatch is evolved from a best-selling recipe with a different presentation to attract other segments of the market. While the older generation might prefer a sedan to a hatchback, the trend of hatchbacks has become more popular in recent years, therefore the move to bring the Forte hatch is a validated one.

At a glance

engine: 1596cc, in line 4, 16 v

performance: 180 bhp/ 5700 rpm, 240 Nm/ 1600 rpm to 5000 rpm, 0-100 9,2 secs.

Top speed : 220 kmh

Transmission; 6 speed automatic

Price with COE : S$188.000

In a Nutshell

Plus: Punchy Performance despite engine size

Minus: Ageing looks

Verdict: Volvo Exploits the system and gives us a winner in the S80 T4

 

 Wheel Asia