Why are some of the car colours in the owners' list named as Titatinium Silver (yours truly included)?

Typo leh...

Calculating FC according to the fuel gauge bar is inaccurate.
I've encountered times where the fuel gauge needle didn't drop at all for the first 100km, yet there were times it dropped down drastically even before I reached 100km.

Generally speaking, as long as you have been driving on highways for a reasonable time period the estimated-to-empty reading will definitely exceed 500km.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Oct 25 2010, 05:59 PM

The insulation for wind and road noise of our Forte is quite mediocre to be honest, although insulation from the engine bay is acceptable amongst all the other C-segment makes. In comparison, the Mazda 3 is slightly more noisy whereas the Latio, while having a better wind/road insulation, produces a horrendous whine from the underpowered engine.

In terms of acceleration smoothness, it's due to the fact that Korean gearboxes are still not as good as Japanese ones. Nissan makes awesome gearboxes where the transition between gears is seamless. For the Forte, the automatic mode is alright but the torque dip is very noticable. If you don't mind the trouble (in fact it's actually more fun than trouble), go fulltime shift-tronic. You'll have more control in power delivery as you can time your upshifts with your right foot. Just experiment around and learn the timing of the shifts.

And for spoilers... I personally think the sedan looks better without spoilers. If you really want to go for one, use subtle ones instead of bigarse GT wings. There are people who put Integra-looking wings but it won't look good without customised rims and body kits; and then you run the risk of looking ahbeng-ish.



This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Nov 4 2010, 04:17 AM

2011 Fortes all get 6 speed auto with paddle shifters in top spec models...

Use manual calculation. The computer often underestimates the FC.

49.82L/531km = 9.4L/100km... pretty good if you're using it 100% city driving.

Saw a fancypants ebony black Koup on Sat.. full of party chicks.
The more I look at it, the more I wonder why didn't I get the Koup to begin with T_T

Meh. Segments are wrong.
Focus = C-segment (compact), not midsize (D-segment).
Camry = midsize, not large.
Passat CC = midsize, not compact.

Looks like in M'sia, segment is determined by pricing and not size.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Nov 8 2010, 04:04 AM

Naza Optima 2.0 at 120K.... not only will it eat into Sonata's market share, it will kill Civic 2.0 sales. Come on Naza...

Optima's gonna launch in Australia by Jan 2011 in conjunction with the Australian Open that Kia sponsors annually.... No news of the 2.0 GDI Turbo just yet though, but it's a global thing since many other international markets also lack the turbo for now.

Forte vs Inspira thread is full of LOLs... with Jap car fanboys joining the fight

Anyway, Optima Hybrid is undeniably the best looking hybrid available in the market, especially compared to its Sonata cousin which has a large gaping mouth.
http://www.kia-world.net/index.php/2010/11...es-auto-show-2/

The grill with a thinner rim looks better, and the corner lamps at the rear end look sleeker. Rims however doesn't look as sophisticated as the 18" space rims.

Welcome to the club !!

Most important principle in fuel-saving : FC is the most dependent on your right foot.
Your FC seems slightly high but it might still in the early stages. FC usually improves after a few more thousand kms. Generally speaking for the 2.0, highway FC should be around 7-8L/100km; whereas in stop-start city driving 11-13L/100km is expected, with the latter more common if you keep getting stuck in jams.

Try using the shiftronic mode and learn the optimum rpm for gear changes. More fun, and if you shift correctly you'll utilise the power of the engine better instead of lugging around all the weight with obvious torque losses.

Different comparison ler.... The Tuscon is the same segment as the Sportage while the Sorento is a larger SUV which competes with the Santa Fe, which Hyundai has yet to incorporate its fluidic sculpture design theme. The Sportage looks much better than the Tuscon although like most Hyundai-Kia cousins they are probably more similar than they are different.

ahpek

To maintain decent acceleration and yet be relatively gentle on your FC, make full use of the 2nd gear. Upshift from 2nd to 3rd only when you hit 50-60kmh, and then once you hit your desired cruising speed in 3rd gear change to 4th to cruise leisurely. In automatic mode the box tends to upshift very early and use high gears to drag the heavy car resulting in relatively sluggish performance.

Unless of course, you step aggressively on the gas and it will shift late, but I'd rather shift it on my own. Try using 2nd gear all the way to 90-100kmh - you'll feel the engine come alive at peak torque when the tacho surges past 4000rpm. Keep it at 3-4k rpm while in 3rd gear and you'll go past 140kmh easily... anything past 140kmh is quite scary. It is after all not a performance car and it'll start to have the floaty feeling.


If the traffic is heavy, the shiftronic can be useful as well. Upshift into 4th early even at relatively low speeds such as 50-60kmh to keep the rpms down. At 60kmh the ThetaII (not sure about GammaII) only revs at 1.4k rpm and you'll barely even hear any engine noise. As a guide for slow crawling driving, upshift 1->2 at 20-30kmh, 2->3 at 40-50kmh, 3->4 at 50kmh... Even when you slow down from 60 to 50 and sometimes even to around 45kmh the autobox actually allows you to remain in 4th gear and you'll still be able to accelerate in 4th back to a higher cruising speed of 60-70kmh albeit slowly. If you need to accelerate quicker you'll need to manually drop it to 3rd.

Again, I would advise everyone to play around with the shiftronic and learn the ideal rpms for manual shifting. It's great fun and if our Fortes come with this function, why not use it?

I actually pumped 47L before but my empty-tank light has yet to light up.
Then again I don't really dare to wait till the very last minute to top up the tank since I use the highway quite a lot... if suey suey empty tank then jialat liao.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Dec 6 2010, 05:44 PM

Can't really see much from the concept sketches, but the front view looks very identical to the Europe-only B-segment Venga. Speaking of which, the Venga would have been a serious competitor to the likes such as Jazz/Fiesta/Yaris/i20, in fact it might actually cannibalise its more conservative looking cousin, the i20.

Not so much of a confirmation to be honest. The Forte already has a facelift in Korea where it gains a new grill with very subtle changes, LED strip on the wing mirror signals, new 17" rim design, paddle shifters on the SX, and of course the 6 speed tranny which has the Optima's gearknob. I've posted it before and for those who are interested you can actually visit the Korean Kia website and navigate around.

What I would like to see on future Kias is actually a redesign of the steering wheel - please include thumb grips and a slightly thicker wheel... something like the M3's would be sweet.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Dec 7 2010, 08:22 PM

Theoretically yes, but in real life it'll only be known until someone drives it and calculates the FC manually. Read the following:
http://kia-buzz.com/?p=6300

Again, FC is depedent on your right foot.
And of course generally speaking diesel engines nowadays are much more fuel efficient than petrol versions but that doesn't apply to Forte since there's no diesel variant.

Cera's left door kena huge dent by some inconsiderate bugger... T_T
F*CK.

Anyway... my next car... Hopefully Kia Australia brings the 2.0T instead of just the 2.4.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/2011-ki...view-road-test/

GT wing on Forte's boot will give you some troubles when opening it for loading stuff, since the boot lid of the Forte is quite thin and light. And it'll slam loudly when shut.

Car registration will be 2011, but car model would still be 2010 since the 2011 Forte hasn't been launched yet.

Not convincing.

Those spyshots are the same ones when they spied the prototype Forte hatchback in testing.

There is already a turbocharged engine in the concept Koup but yes, it remains a concept.

This, however, looks interesting. It has the basic lines of its cousin i10, but shares a similar fascia to its elder brother Venga.
http://kia-buzz.com/?p=6421

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jan 5 2011, 04:32 AM

Engine = same as the sedan

Suspension = tuned slightly stiffer to allow better handling

Exterior = the only same part it shares with the sedan is the hood. Everything else is different, even the headlamps which have silver dividers between the light compartments whereas the sedan has a darker grey tone.

Interior = Different door panels and buttons, frameless windows, mood lighting for speakers, larger piano black piece for central console; otherwise it's similar. Smaller boot capacity of course.

Kia Australia is testing the waters. Only 1000 units are available so far and despite Kia being a comparatively low-volume seller it will still lead to a pretty long wait should one choose to buy it now.

It's reported that Kia will eventually bring in lower spec models (Si and SLi) which is more or less equivalent to the LX and EX of other regions. That would prove to be more interesting since the Platinum (basically a SX with sport kit but no GPS) already undercuts rivals by around $3000, the lower spec models should be around the low $30K mark.

The 2.0 turbo would be the flagship should they choose to bring it in, but that would put in within the realm of Accord V6s or Aurions (V6 Camrys) which isn't as huge a seller as the typical D-segment cars (2.4L).

Whatever model they choose to bring into Australia, it only further proves that Korean carmakers are already on par with Japanese ones. The Germans are undoubtedly the benchmark for technology - Japs and Koreans still lag behind the top German marques for engine performance and refinement; although design wise VW's new styling direction as shown in the new Jetta and Passat is more boring than watching paint dry.

Which comes to the southeast Asian market especially in M'sia where Naza has the option to bring it in as a pseudo-CKD to bring the price down. Put the lower EX spec at RM120K and it would be much more attractive, although there's always the concern that badge-snobs who are able to afford that amount would still prefer to fork out slightly more for a Japanese make. Price it too high then people might scoff at it, although the local market's warming towards the Japanese-priced Sonata may prove optimistic for Kia/Naza.

The 407 should be left out since it's a D-segment car.

The 308 on the other hand, isn't really a comfortable drive especially the 308T version. If you are comparing the old 4 speed-box 308 to the old 4 speed Forte, I would say that the Forte's box is comparatively smoother and more relaxing.

The Pug's box has an annoying habit to downshift early and it also refuses to upshift from 3rd to 4th unless your speed is 70kmh, which means that most of the time during your typical urban driving you'll be revving beyond 2k rpm at speeds of 60kmh.

For the Forte, it is cruising leisurely at 1.4K rpm at 60kmh. Sure, the lower rpm means that the torque would be less, but we're talking about gentle cruising in busy urban areas where refinement and ride comfort is more important than brute power.

In manual shifting mode, the Pug's box can shift quite roughly compared to the Forte's; but it has to be said both of them are pretty slow in terms of manual shifts as they are old-tech 4 speed boxes. Can't say the same for the 6 speed versions of both the facelifted Forte and 308.

The 308's suspension setting especially for the 308T is as stiff as rock. Going over bumps will be a butt-jarring ride, although some people actually like it for a more spirited drive.

The areas where the Pug triumphs over the Forte would be of course the low-end torque of the turbocharger (308T of course, usual 308 only has a lethargic 1.6L), more busty seats, more brand prestige over Kia, and moonroof. I do enjoy driving my family's 308T, but I find that my Forte is the easier car to live with and manoeuvre around town.

Your friend is missing out all the fun.

I enjoyed every moment of using the paddle shifters in one of my friend's old 7-speed Jazz. Very smooth and quick changes indeed, and you can keep both hands on the wheel instead of needing to use the left on the stick. Use paddle shifters on winding mountain roads which involves lots of up/downshifting and you'll have lots of fun.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Feb 11 2011, 02:05 PM