The Koup is not officially available on the roads yet. And to be honest, apart from aesthetics I don't think the Koup has much improvement over the Forte. It's pretty much the same engine and has the same interior design, but I suppose it's another option for those who want something different from a family sedan.

Almost every review online or in car magazines for the Forte resulted in thumbs up. Yet it's worth mentioning that all of them pointed out the same disadvantages, i.e. 4 speed auto tranny / jerky 5 speed manual box, hard interior plastics, relatively dated dash and console design, light steering, and 4-star ANCAP. I'm not sure about the prices in other countries, but in Australia the fully-kitted SLi is the best package you can get for your money although some may argue that the new Mazda3 offers a better drive with just a slightly higher price (27-28K).

Speaking of which, the SLi is around 25-26KAUD and that is 2K cheaper than the 3, a whopping 4K cheaper than the 1.8L Civic / 2.0L Lancer; but the downside is the Forte's resale value is approximately 20% lower so it kinda balances out. The negative brand image of Korean marques is evident here in Australia as well as the general public still scoffs at Kias/Hyundais, regardless that the i30 was one of the best Aussie cars in 07 and now the Forte offers many unexpected surprises.

Hondas are horrendously overpriced here (hence the 3 reigns supreme) - the joke is that the 1.5L City is priced similarly to the 2.0L Forte!! It's quite clear which is the better choice over here. I will be needing a ride next year due to job requirements and the Forte is one of the options available for me, but I'll be keeping an eye over the Mazda3 although my eyes hurt every time I look at the design. The 1.8L Civic, at 29K, is not worth the money while the Lancer offers nothing much except good engine performance. A fully kitted auto 2.0L Civic hits an absurd 34K and with that amount of money I'll be better off with a 118TSi Golf MKIV that is more refined.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jul 7 2009, 07:36 AM

sat into one (singapore car).. quite dissapointed with the interior.. not much improvement over the current kia cars.. build quality like local cars only.. only materials are slightly better. room feels like a small sedan only, although the boot is quite big..

until now, i still dont know how to see the quality of interior, they looks all the same to me, as long as it doesn't giving out noise when get older then is ok.

if i'm not wrong, the mazda 3 is around RM100k, whereby the forte is just around RM66k-70k?

i still dont think that the sales of toyota vios or honda city is going to be affected due to their reputation in malaysia (malaysian mindset lar, not reputation )

I share your sentiments as well, it's really hard to understand what the reviewers meant by "hard interior plastics". Plastics are supposed to hard

It's crazy to expect a high level interior trim with soft leather wrappings everywhere at this segment, you get what you pay for. At the moment it's quite hard to know whether the Forte's interior will suffer from loose clanky parts but only time will tell. The dated design is a common complaint but for me it's still acceptable. The City/Jazz's interior is pretty similar, i.e. looks plain too, but I don't expect every car to have a spaceship cockpit like the Civic or the new Fiesta. Funky designs don't always work, just look at the crazy radio controls of the Gen2.

There's a long term test review here and here, so it'll be interesting to see how the Forte fares in the long run. But the caveat is that it's not a very technical review, but rather an opinion about living with the car.

If the Forte comes in at 66K it is likely to be an underpowered 1.6L. A C-segment with 1.6L is quite appalling if you ask me as the other rivals all have at least 1.8L. The brand perception is absolutely evident in M'sia. Anything slapped with a Honda badge will instantly get much love, but most people will agree that the Malaysian assembled Hondas are appalling in quality. Not forgetting overpriced too, but people don't seem to mind paying near RM100K for a 1.5L Jazz. Bloody hell, it's only 22-23K AUD !! I love the Jazz (great 7 speed semi-auto) but for RM 100K there are much better options around...

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jul 7 2009, 10:38 AM

I believe KIA Forte is a good car.

Problem are:

1. KIA/Naza always kills its customer by slashing new car price after launching 1 to 2 years. Buyers who bought Spectra Novus 3 years ago at a price of RM73K can only sell aron RM35K due to the fact KIA is offering new Spectra 5 at only RM55K. Do u think ppl will buy the 3 years old Novus at aron RM55K???? Sellin RM55K is also consider a big loss, 24% compare to 2nd hand value of Toyota and Honda. So, to stop this and to help to maintain the 2nd hand, KIA has to take the lead.

2. Why KIA/Naza have to slash new car price after launching 1 or 2 years? Y so much stock to clear? If KIA/Naza has its own assembly & production line then they could control the volume of car to produce. I suspect KIA/Naza has to bring in a certain volume which is based on a quota and somehow to make it as if CKD, they must keep it here for a period or make some simple assembly. So when the demand is less than expected and KIA/Naza has to sell all balance volume to recover the cost he car, this is what u c see "Special discount price for new KIA/Naza car" but in actual fact that car was manufactured 1 to 2 years ago. That is why some new car has engine or gear box problem bcoz they have been kept idle for quite a long time.

No matter how good is KIA/Naza car, if there is no improvement and stopage to this "Special discount prices", Malaysian will never have confident to buy any of its car. Not all M'sia mindset is dead. I will support any good car regardless of its brand if they do the business correctly and safeguard the interest of its car buyers.

So, good luck to KIA Forte. Hope to see Forte a sucess in M'sia.

Not sure why Naza-Kia did that to previous old models, maybe they really have too many leftover stock that needs to be cleared. Price it too high, and people will scoff at the Korean image and choose a Japanese model instead. Price it too low, people will still look at it as a cheap, bargain car and relate it as undesirable. It's a catch-22 I suppose.

Resale value is a funny thing. The 3 year depreciation for Korean makes is indeed much lower than the Japanese (usually around 15-20% less in Australia), but honestly not many people change their ride every 3 years. Speaking of which, if one bought a Forte at 25K here in Australia and after 3 years it's only worth half (3 year value of 50%), one loses 12500. Similarly if you get a top range Japanese make at 29K and after 3 years you lose 10150 (3 year value of 65%). You lose approx 2400 less, although you already pocketed 4000 extra originally.

So at the end of the day, it'll be easier to choose the best package available for your budget. If you only have 25K to spare, the top range SLi Forte will be the best choice as it comes with everything the Japs can offer, well, with the exception of the 4 speed auto tranny.

If the demand for the Forte goes up, maybe the resale value will eventually increase to a level nearer to the Japs and hence makes it a better choice in the long run. Otherwise, resale value doesn't really make that much of a difference. Servicing and parts costs will probably be the issue here as the Koreans were notorious in this aspect in the past. Then again, it's not like the Japs are immune from this problem. We all know how "well" the CKD Hondas fare in our M'sian market.

Caught another glimpse of the Forte again today... Peter Schryer and his team really did a good job there - the Forte looks distinctively European and upmarket. Not radical like the 3 French companies, not funky like Ford/Mazda, it's more subtle like the Germans. And it definitely looks nothing like its predecessors.

Anyway, this probably doesn't concern the M'sian market that much, but if the Australians really price the Koup at a similar price to the sedan it would be an interesting one. Nevertheless, sedans are still the main demand in the SEA region so I won't be surprised if it isn't brought in back home. What attracts me more is this:

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2009/small...below-26k-15607

Kia, 6 speed auto for the sedan please? To blow those Japs away...

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jul 9 2009, 08:38 PM

Personally i think forte interior is much.. much better than vios../altis alike.. (yes.. agreed its full hard plastic!) but i do not think its dated... but design is subjective.. for some of the down side in review..
1. light steering... due to motor driven.. not too worry.. there is hydraulic version too.. for low end model.. so its a choice..
2. jerky drive train.. not too sure too.. but.. its engine is smooth.. very smooth.. only complains its a 4 gears ver.
3. drive, here.. i must say its sound insulation still has room for improvements but that again depends on the kind of insulation they provided, for rpm > 4K.. its intrusive.. but i kind like the engine sounds... but its again much better then vios.. (very less busy)....
4. contradicts to some.. Vios actually has slightly bigger boot space.. hmm... (in litres term) see how perceptions could tell a very different story.. no offence

Overall..lets let the ride tell the story, only worry now is NAZA as the distributor..hee.. to me ESP really works.. and FC is great too >13km/L (light footer) is achievable..

certainly in design term.. i like mz3 and civic better.. but mz3 here is sg is selling > 20K over.. 50K vs 69K (base model) civic is over 80K!

so depending on country AD marketing.. lets hope for the best..

At the end of the day, reviews can only help so much and it's still up to a test drive for first-hand experience to really know the potential of the car.

It's a bit unfair to compare the Forte to the Vios as they are both from different segments despite the Forte's cheaper pricing. But if Naza/Kia really prices it below the 80K mark it might just give the 90+K City/Vios a run for its money. Too bad it's likely to start with a underwhelming 1.6L instead of the 2.0L.

Going back to the interior, it's dated when compared to other rivals but not necessarily so when viewed on its own. Having said that, I personally think it's funkier brother the Soul has a nicer dash and console. The boxy shape and radical curves allow the Soul to have a crazier design.

Speaking of which, maybe I'll look out for the Koup as well, especially if it's price range is similar to the sedan. I don't really need two more doors to carry kids Oh well, half a year more before the decision is made.... fingers crossed.

And there is some glimpses of future Kia models with the new H-shaped grill. There's the Sorento, a D-segment car (Probably Magentis/Optima) and a super mini, likely to be a Picanto.

Sigh... if the Koreans can take drastic steps to reinvent their brand, why can't Proton/Perodua do so?

yes.. agrees.. looking forward.. to the test drive... soon..! hopefully..

---

Added on July 15, 2009, 1:23 pmhi, All


http://www.kia-world.net/index.php/2009/06...lt-forte-sedan/

look at this!

This post has been edited by Burgerlim: Jul 15 2009, 01:23 PM

no more news on forte?

i am also anxious to know when is the launching date.

Call Kia dealer, they said end of the year only launch.

Kia confirmed that Forte will be on sale late this year because they still have plenty of Spectra 5 stocks which they still can't sell off.

These Spectra 5 are some with manufacturing year 2007. Unless they drop the price down below RM46k maybe they will be able to sell more. Considering its already 2 years old car, it should sell at a cheaper price.

So, Malaysian please wait. This is what they say "Poor management". Kia is killing itself.

Probably due to Naza's problem rather than Kia's.

The brand snobbery attitude by the local market doesn't help sales (along with poor reputation of older generation Korean makes), and the dealers have no choice but to drop the price to clear stock. Which in turn delays people in decision making when purchasing a particular Korean car. Hyundai has improved their image with the new i series but at Honda/Toyota prices it's probably going to be a deterrence as well.

It's sad to know that the Forte isn't going to come earlier especially when our southern neighbours are already having fun with theirs.

end of this year???..the design basi already!..naza is killing kia brand in m'sia

That is poor brand management by Naza Kia. In that case i really have doubts getting the forte from Naza Kia. What a waste.

I totally agree with you guys.

I believe Forte is a good chance to bring Kia & Naza back in the market but with current disappointment, they are going down.

Naza Kia has already brought in Kia Forte, all kept in yard. Delay of launching will make the Forte not really a new car when its launch year end.

Looks like every car brand is delaying any new launch because there is plenty of existing model in stock. They are in the same trade and working together for their own benefit. Buyers is the one suffering.

Better looks for others option.

from june until august then now end of the year. if any Naza ppl reading this forum they better think twice on this decision.

the fact is, korean makes hardly attract fans in malaysia. and that small bunch of ppl who are interested aren't gonna buy spectra 5 if they know that forte is coming with a competitive price so regardless of how much stock they still have, spectra 5's gonna sit there waiting to rot. Naza will end up losing more because a lot ppl will go for other choices rather than waiting for forte.

sad ppl, and to have waited this long i think i'm going to buy another make soon. bye bye Naza

like switching back to Vios n City??
hehe

forte is the new spectra right

This post has been edited by xshiro: Jul 27 2009, 04:35 PM