2009 Kia Forte first details
2 Jul, 2008
37 Comments 
Kia has released the first official images of its 2009 Forte sedan, based on the striking Kia Koup concept revealed earlier this year.
The new Forte will act as a replacement for the aging Cerato, and certainly looks the part of an executive sedan.
Currently a brand new 1.6-litre petrol engine along with a more powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine have been confirmed for the range, although a flagship performance model has not yet been ruled out.
The Koup concept from which it is derived featured a 216kW turbocharged 2.0-litre engine which could potentially find its way into a production model - especially with a two-door coupe model confirmed for some overseas markets.
The new Forte is the work of acclaimed designer Peter Schreyer, the same mind behind the first-generation Audi TT and new Volkswagen Beetle.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Pity they can’t get the interior plastics to smell, feel, and look right - that’s all that separates the latest Korean vehicles from 1st class ones.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It does look good guys!
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
very classy.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I wouldn’t be ashamed in this. That’s what I try to avoid in life, mostly - shame.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I can see european styling cue’s. But it still comes off as fairly appliance looking.
It’s no civic style wise.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
well hot dog! The Koreans have well and truly come to the party now! Any doubts left over Hyundai/KIA’s ability to make properly good cars must surely be over (kia is owned by hyundai incase you where wondering why i was combining the two)
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
It actually looks quite nice. I can see traces of Honda and Volvo there. But of course the thing that lets it down is that big KIA badge on the grill, to constantly remind you and everyone around you that you’re a massive tightarse.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Lexus IS300 anyone?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Very good looking sedan, the overall appearance reminds me of the Lancer, for some reason. The back IMO looks a lot like the new Citroen C5.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
It does make me question, how Kia can make a nice looking vehicle, yet their parent company Hyundai, make the Elantra one pig of a car in terms of appearance. Really awful.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Looks at bit like a Lancer at first glace.
Will Ford block the Forte name if it comes here?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Lexus IS300, D10N?
Nope. Nowhere. Where do you see it?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Bloddy! quite a looker init!? We’ll see what the overall quality is like when it lands….
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July 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm
looks bit like the old honda euro just a bit
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July 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I like it. Much better looking than a Civic.
The back looks like a Lancer and Liberty mated.
Good call on the shame thing Golfschwein.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
looks pretty good!
somewhat accord euro front with lancer sides and erm.. i swear i’ve seen the back somewhere!
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July 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 am
yeah agree with top dog, specially midsection is spot on Accord Euro 03. in any case, if price is right and equipment matches, i’ve got no problems buying it.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 am
An amalgam of cues from other cars executed in a fabulously neat manner.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 am
Golfschwein, the rear light assembly is very similar to IS, and Citroen C5(just released model) too for that matter.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 2:23 am
Im not sure but I think D1ON might have ment the current Lexus IS which is actually the IS250. The IS300 was the previous generation and if you ment that D1ON, then go and compare pictures of them. I do think the rear has a taste of the current IS. Over all I think its a good looking car. I wouldn’t buy one, but thats just badge snobbery!
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July 3rd, 2008 at 7:55 am
It has a lot of Honda in the front end, and a lot of Lexus from the rear quarter. Overall, very nicely done. Take not Subaru! Either way, i would not go anywhere near the thing with my own money.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Tom Says:
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I can see european styling cue’s. But it still comes off as fairly appliance looking.
It’s no civic style wise.
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If the Civic is the bar by which you judge style buy, you obviously have very low expectations.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
Okay, the tail lights, then. As for similarities to the previous generation Lexus IS, as much as I try, I can’t remember what it looks like.
How can that be?
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:59 am
Nice actually, hopefully the interior (and overall) quality is as good as the car looks. If its priced right, im sure it will sell pretty well. Now if only it had a different badge on it…
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July 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
CLASSY AND SPOT ON STYLE AS LOOKS THE GOODS EASY…..Kia and Hyundai alliance is nailing some great lookers and turning over updates much more readily the others!
Beware of Kia / Hyundai and Ford in particular as they will hit hard withing minimum 15months Iam tipping!
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July 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I don’t understand why people are saying “it looks like this” or “it looks like that” In its own right, it doesn’t look a thing like any of the other cars mentioned.
It looks like agreat car, hopefully Kia will give it the ride and handling to match the looks, and they will be on to a real winner.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 pm
nice! i like it. I like it a lot more than the Toyota Corolla and I bet it will be cheaper than the corolla.
Its got nice proportions.
I think it looks a lot better than the Nissan Tiida Sedan too.
Wonder what pricing is expected for this here?
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Si1982, my Grandfathers right testicle poking out his shorts and sitting on the lounge looks better than the Tiida Sedan.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Ahh yeah I meant the current generation IS250, sorry, I thought the IS300 was the new one cos it had the higher number
But yeah, the rear is very similar, as are the overall impression of the grille and headlights
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July 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Wow this is actually a very good looking medium sedan. Hopefully the quality and reliability will be on par with Hyundai since KIA is owned by them.
I see big things from Hyundai and KIA in the future.
Front end is definitely Accord Euro/Civic and rear Civic/Lexus IS250.
All those are very good looking cars. Hopefully they can keep the prices at a reasonable level at ~ $20.000 and they will have a winner.
KIA also needs to being the CEED and PRO CEED over from Europe. I have no idea why they haven’t since its rated very highly in Europe and is a fantastic car. And more and more people are downsizing their cars and this would be perfect.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
They haven’t brought over the Ceed as at this stage it is only built in Europe and therefore you’d have to pay an extra premium over the i30, which is pretty much the same car underneath.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Given that this’ll replace the Cerato down under, it’s logical competitor is the Toyota Corolla.
And it’ll be a couple of grand cheaper (Cerato begins at $16,990) and better equipped (ESP, anyone?) to boot. If Kia can pinch a couple of sales from Toyota and show us Aussies that Korean cars aren’t all tacky plastics and poor drivability; well more power to them.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Looks good. Definitely some Honda influence there, but all in all it looks good. Much better than any of their current offerings.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
“Martin Says:
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I don’t understand why people are saying “it looks like this” or “it looks like that” In its own right, it doesn’t look a thing like any of the other cars mentioned.”
You are joking right? Use google, you’ll soon find the exact opposite.
There is nothing worse than a car brand trying to make their way by stealing designs and selling them as their own.
This is clearly a Honda Euro/Civic Type R front and Lexus back and I sure as heck would be buying either of those cars before touching this rip-off piece of junk.
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July 4th, 2008 at 10:46 am
The significant advance of the i30 personifies Hyundai’s development as a mainstream quality builder (the manual diesel is fabulous value for money). Should this new Kia be the equivalent leap ahead in terms of engineering and build quality (interior ‘feel’ being a major selling point personally) then Kia are on to a good thing. Critics dismissing this model on the basis of three photos are not the market Kia is aiming for. Judge whether this is rip-off junk ‘after’ you have driven it, sensed it and seen it in the flesh. We are most fortunate in having healthy competition in this market segment. Bring it on!
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July 29th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Hi guys, because I was interested too, I asked Kia Australia’s PR guy about this car about this and this was the reply I got (July 29):
“We hope to launch a replacement for the current Cerato in Australia by the end of the year. When launched next month in Korea, the Forte will be the local market replacement for the current model Cerato. We have already indicated that the Cerato currently on sale in Australia will be replaced towards the end of this year, although I expect there will be styling changes for export versions.”
So it isn’t too far off by the looks of things. I wonder what will change though styling-wise.
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August 30th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Is there some reason why this latest pile of Korean crap is impressing all you morons?
Buy one….. then regret the crappy plastic that cracks under aussie conditions…..then try and get spares for the damn thing….. then watch the paint fade and craze…… then take it in for a service and get it back with a head bolt GLUED in place because it snapped……
Yep…hope you all enjoy it……. suckers.
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