The Koup is the 3rd debutante in Kia's redesigned 2014 Forte lineup, rolling on the heels of the fourdoor sedan and fivedoor hatch.

The brand new-car shares only its front fenders and hood with its siblings and is wider, longer, and taller compared to the final Forte Koup, including more interior room including, critically, 2 more inches of rear leg-room. More assisting practicality on this lesspractical body design is a bigger luggage compartment with a larger opening than on the final car. A swollen curb weight is usually meant by a larger vessel, but Kia has infused the Koup with more highstrength steel, which could mitigate this type of increase. We'll understand whether that's true once we get an instance on the scales.

The redesign brings with it a set of new directinjected engines. Within the foundation Koup EX, a naturally-aspirated 2.0liter four makes identical 173 hp as did last year's 2.4 liter. Minutiae junkies take note: This may be the initial forcefed twodoor Kia actually.

As do modern gasoline turbos, the Koup SX's Gamma four delivers its torque on a fine broad platter, churning out 195 lbft from 1750 to 4500 rpm. Choose the SX as it comes, and also you'll row a sixspeed manual; you'll must tick a box and pony up something similar to a grand to get a sixspeed automatic. The former has a soso change sense plus a numb clutch pedal; gearchanges in the automatic are easy enough or even especially hasty. The automobile offers manual control via liberally sized steeringwheel-mounted paddle-shifters or the shift lever.

Blown, but Not Squandered

Kia claims the SX has its very own unique exhaust note, but the sounds in the outlets are fairly tame by sporty coupe requirements.

Sound-effects however, the turbo spools up fast with little lag on tip - in.

The front seats are liberally bolstered (with actual French stitching to the SX version) and comfy for extended treks. In common Kia manner, the Forte could be ordered with a few section-defying equipment, including a heated steering-wheel, a ventilated driver's seat, and heated front and back seats. Taller drivers might, however, need to avoid purchasing the headroom-scarfing electricity sunroof. A camera is standard, that's good since the rising beltline and large rear deck squeeze the rear windows into simple slits.

If you're likely to go-faster, you must really cease better, so Kia suits the SX with bigger front brake rotors. Befitting the SX's fit mission, the suspension packages a fatter front antiroll bar and higherrate springs, even though the shocks are distributed to the foundation EX. We discovered body moves to be adequately damped, with an adequate balance of ride comfort and control; the jounce, choppiness, and complete harshness of the SX are exorcised.

All Koups come standard with FlexSteer, Kia's advertising description for threemode electrically-assisted steering. The machine adjusts attempt among Relaxation, Regular, and Sport modes, toggled using a button using a graphic of the steering wheel that's to the steering wheel. We really found Ordinary to be absolutely the most pleasing. Relaxation lacks oncenter "valley" sense, requiring the motorist to saw the wheel back and forth to remain within the middle of the lane. Sport mode relaxes such jitters, but-its artificially high work makes even little directional corrections tiresome. Not one of the modes provides acceptable road comments.

This twodoor is likely sporty enough for many shoppers within the section, and naturally, it provides lots of standard kit for approximately $23,000. With this newest Koup, the inexorable growth of Kia kontinues.

2013 Kia Forte Koup SX Test Drive & Car Video Review