2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer
2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer
After strapping ourselves behind the wheel of Kia's new Forte sedan for our initial drive, we came away thinking that the new Korean was a stylish, reasonable alternative to the scads of Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas populating America's roadways. Now it's time for Kia to follow the handsome sedan up with its first-ever two-door coupe Koup, which the automaker has now confirmed is slated to hit a dealership near you later this summer.
Underneath the attractive (if derivative) sheetmetal will be seating for five thanks in part to the same 104.3-inch wheelbase that underpins the sedan. The Koup does sit lower than the four-door, though, and Kia says the ride and handling has been retuned for a sportier feel and features beefier L-shaped lower arms propping up the expected McPherson struts in front. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels and speed-sensitive power steering come standard and an uplevel SX trim stiffens things up even further.
Powering the Koup is the same set of engine options as the sedan, meaning that the base and LX models get a 2.0-liter with 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque mated up with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, while the top-level SX gets a 2.4-liter mill with 173 horsepower and 168 lb-ft torque that can be ordered with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual. EPA fuel mileage estimates range from 25/34 with the base engine to 23/31 with the larger engine and automatic transmission.
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 keyless entry, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, a driver's seat height adjuster and tilt steering. Options include a sunroof and heated leather seats.
Underneath the attractive (if derivative) sheetmetal will be seating for five thanks in part to the same 104.3-inch wheelbase that underpins the sedan. The Koup does sit lower than the four-door, though, and Kia says the ride and handling has been retuned for a sportier feel and features beefier L-shaped lower arms propping up the expected McPherson struts in front. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels and speed-sensitive power steering come standard and an uplevel SX trim stiffens things up even further.
Powering the Koup is the same set of engine options as the sedan, meaning that the base and LX models get a 2.0-liter with 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque mated up with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, while the top-level SX gets a 2.4-liter mill with 173 horsepower and 168 lb-ft torque that can be ordered with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual. EPA fuel mileage estimates range from 25/34 with the base engine to 23/31 with the larger engine and automatic transmission.
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 keyless entry, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, a driver's seat height adjuster and tilt steering. Options include a sunroof and heated leather seats.
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04 Neon SRT - (rebuild time)
03 B5.5 Passat Wagon 1.8T
04 Neon SRT - (rebuild time)
03 B5.5 Passat Wagon 1.8T
Originally Posted by efficientkiller
none of this really matters at the end of the day...if you really want to know, the true answer is found in research, why post a ignorant thread & call it a debate? this is exactly why TR gets the critizism it does...
none of this really matters at the end of the day...if you really want to know, the true answer is found in research, why post a ignorant thread & call it a debate? this is exactly why TR gets the critizism it does...
so did they just borrow the design plans from the Civic Si or what?
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if you can only race me in a straight line then whats the point ...91 SMF SCCA
TR "Old Skool EF" Member #017 chi town brat TR "eg6" crew #6
I see people out there spending money on the car to improve it … If you spend half that effort just working on your driving skills, making you and the car work together as a team, then you’ll go faster – period. To make the car go a second faster on the track takes a lot more energy and money than making yourself drive it one second faster.
– the late Tom Thrash SCCA Solo E Production
look like a civic and a focus got together, but then had an abortion.
I actually kinda like it.
I just hate kia/hyundai steal designs from other cars so blatently and make only minor changes.
I also hate the interior. It reeks of cheap Kia plastic crap interior.
I am loving the wheels a bit though.
I just hate kia/hyundai steal designs from other cars so blatently and make only minor changes.
I also hate the interior. It reeks of cheap Kia plastic crap interior.
I am loving the wheels a bit though.
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LOGIC? You seriously want to invoke logic in a conversation about fake hijackings, missiles hitting the pentagon, and bombs planted throughout the world trade center? I thought it was a given that logic was checked at the door when entering one of these threads.
Last edited by Homeless Artist; 07-09-2009 at 07:25 PM.
Hmm, not too shabby of styling. Looks better than most of the other junk in its class.
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"They were crying when their sons left, God is wearing black. Hes gone so far to find no hope, hes never coming back. They were crying when their sons left, all young men must go. Hes come so far to find the truth hes never going home."
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Thats like saying the one retard is slower than the retard. Neither of the cars have the power to get out of their own way, so what does it matter?
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"They were crying when their sons left, God is wearing black. Hes gone so far to find no hope, hes never coming back. They were crying when their sons left, all young men must go. Hes come so far to find the truth hes never going home."
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"They were crying when their sons left, God is wearing black. Hes gone so far to find no hope, hes never coming back. They were crying when their sons left, all young men must go. Hes come so far to find the truth hes never going home."
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However if you read the article the base 2.0 has 156 hp and 144 ft-lb tq, and the top models 2.4 has 173 hp and 168 ft-lb tq...both of which beat the DX/LX/EX Civics 1.8 w 140 hp and 128 ft-lb tq.
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