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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Audio remote control
The steering wheel audio remote control button is installed to promote safe driving. CAUTION Do not operate the audio remote control buttons simultaneously. VOLUME ( / ) (1) • Push up the le ...

Manual Transaxle
Manual transaxle operation The manual transaxle has 6 forward gears. This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized in all forward gears so shifting to e ...

Powertrains and Performance
The standard engine on the LX is a 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder engine. It generates 140 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque and is mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or a fou ...