First Drive: 2010 Kia Forte

The Forte is technically the successor to the Spectra, but it is really so much more than that. This time, Kia decided to leave the help of the rocked-out Soul hamsters behind and instead concentrate on product, not marketing – though we do like the hamsters. The main competitors in the segment include the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda Mazda3 and when you add in the secondary targets of the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cobalt, it shows why anyone would need to strike hard when attempting to show up as a seriously dominant player that sells on more than just low prices.

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Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level Check the fluid level in the reservoir periodically. The fluid level should be between MAX and MIN marks on the side of the reservoir. Before removing the reservoir c ...

Under the Hood
The Forte lineup is anchored by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine rated at 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque, an 18-horse improvement over the Spectra's 2.0 liter. Only the SX gets the 2.4-liter ...

Automatic climate control system
1. Temperature control knob 2. AUTO (automatic control) button 3. Fan speed control knob 4. Mode selection button 5. OFF button 6. Front windshield defrost button 7. Rear windshield defrost bu ...