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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FAST FACTS
1. The Optima makes 200-hp from a standard direct-injection 2.4L 4-cylinder, while achieving best-in-class 24/35-mpg (city/hwy) fuel economy. 2. Optional class exclusive features include a panoram ...

Automatic transaxle
Automatic transaxle operation The automatic transaxle has 4 forward speeds and one reverse speed. The individual speeds are selected automatically, depending on the position of the shift lever. ...

Multiple choices for wheels - all with Michelin tyres
Maintaining a policy adopted early in the original car's evolution, Kia continued to develop the new Kia cee'd chassis and running gear using Michelin tyres exclusively, so that its engineers coul ...