1. 4 speed auto - It's not the lack of a 5th gear that's a downside, it's the shift between 2nd to 3rd. The Forte tends to shift too early from 2nd to 3rd and if you continue on a lower speed the 3rd gear actually lacks sufficient torque (due to lower rpm) to pull the car forward. There's also a significant lag from 3rd to 2nd gear should you need to accelerate for overtaking. Thankfully the tip-tronic mode solves these problems and is more responsive and fun to drive.

The 1.8 Civic is rev-happy and thrives on an aggressive right foot. Let it roll and it suffers as the tacho needle dips, but the throttle is sensitive enough to induce a downshift and pulls the Civic forward.

2. The exhaust note - Due to the noise dampening for comfort, which I must say Kia has done a good job here, the exhaust note sounds absolutely wimpy. The Civic has a better sounding growl during acceleration and is similarly quiet during cruising.

3. Lightweight steering - I'm not sure whether Kia has included a speed-sensing steering in the Forte. It feels too light at low speeds but once you move faster it feels better. Again, the Civic does better by providing more feedback and weight in the steering department.

4. Torsion beam - The reviews claim that it may hamper comfort but let's just say the torsion beam, despite the theoretical downside, isn't as bad as reviewers make it to be.

The Civic skips and jumps in a similar manner to the Forte when going over bumps, but the Civic has one annoying thing: The rear wheels slide sideways over pothole covers and tram tracks (you guys won't have trouble with the latter). The Forte merely jolts up and down but never slides sideways. The 17" rims deteriorates some comfort but the wider wheels hug the road more and allows the Forte to attack corners with minimal roll, probably same as the Civic.

5. Build quality - I'm not sure whether it's a global issue or just in Australia, but the side panels and boot of the Forte is paper-light and thin. The rear doors seems as if they would crumble if slammed hard, same case with the boot lid. Civic's rear doors are more solid and very much heavier but the boot lid is the same. Civic's seats are more plushy and meatier; the Forte's front seats are fairly ok but the rear bench is too thin. Leather wrapping around the door handles are not as well done as I would expect, although this is only a minor issue.

6. Minor nitpicks which Kia could improve on in any facelifts or future models:
(i) No lower pockets on the rear side doors.
(ii) No side door handle pockets.
(iii) A sliding cover (like the Civic) for the storage compartment that houses the AUX/USB input would be nice.
(iv) Rocking/See-saw buttons for the PREV/NEXT TRACK button on the steering wheel instead of flat buttons.
(v) AUTO-UP DRIVER SIDE WINDOW - Hello Kia, we're in 2010.
(vi) Single disc player, but who cares... A USB drive can hold much more songs... and ha ! Neither the Civic nor the Mazda 3 has the USB jack as standard, in fact the Civic doesn't even offer it at all.