I agree with you about EWP. It's quite a tricky thing, you'll need to follow manufacturer's "recommendation" throughout the period; any non-adherence and you'll have to argue kaw kaw with them for any claims. You'll have to ask yourself, are you the type who will religiously follow the service schedule and pony up every dime that is asked, or will you go and service outside after 2 yrs?

Unless they say, only engine and GB are warrantied for 5yrs and you only need to change fluids at their SCs, then it's worth it. That means, changing brake pads, spark plugs etc can be done outside without affecting engine and gearbox warranty.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kia...Redirected=true

Look under the Design Facilities tab. Kia and Hyundai carry out most of their designs there. Wind tunnel testing is part and parcel of the design process of any mass production car

And here: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/R%26D+capabi...th.-a0203981322

It says that Kia has one of the largest R&D facilities in the world

And, a wind tunnel facility is in that centre.

This post has been edited by gregy: Jan 31 2011, 09:26 PM

Bro how do you find the power of the 2.0?

Went to the Bangsar showroom and tested the 2.0 FL. What can I say, the car is really responsive from low down, but tapers off towards redline. This is unlike my current Civic FD which pulls strongly all the way to redline. Then again, my FD has already been de-cat, so not a fair comparison lol... Although my FD pulls strongly, I can definitely feel that the Forte 2.0 is more powerful (duh!). I was sceptical at first because numbers on paper may not be truthful and my recent test of the 4-speed 1.6 SX left a lot to be desired in the performance department.

One thing I must say is that the door and dash trims look too plasticky but I guess at less than RM100k one shouldn't complain haha.

Overall I'm quite happy with the performance. Now the hard part, changing my booking from a Pug 308 THP to this The Pug SA is gonna be pi$$ed but what the heck la, my money my prerogative.

This post has been edited by gregy: Feb 3 2011, 12:13 AM

Well, it's not better per se, but less problematic according to the daily reading that I've done on a few Pug and Forte forums The 308T's interior is quite a bit classier and wider than the Forte's, and the materials do seem to be of higher quality (the plastic bits). And God forbid, I was planning to remap the heck out of that Pug LOL but after considering many factors, I think the Forte 2.0 6-speed is hard to beat haha...

Stock for stock, the 2.0 Forte FL's century sprint is a notch faster than the 308T 6-speed, and should be quite a lively drive in mid speeds. FC wise, can't be bothered about it too much and anyways, the reason that the turbo on the Pug kicks in so early is because it needs to move more than 1.4 tonnes of metal; it doesn't make any difference being 1.6, when the turbo kicks in you will be guzzling gas anyway. Unless you compare both cars idling the whole time, then yes, there is a saving with the 1.6 but otherwise, I feel the Forte won't be too shabby as it has adequate torque low down, and it needs only move 1.32 tonnes

Styling wise, the more I look at it the more I appreciate the Forte, especially the rear lights. Just like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars heh heh...

I also have a set of OZ Alleggerita 17" that are the correct PCD and offset for the Forte So they won't go to waste

I tested the 2.0 FL and it could sync and play songs from my iPhone 4

The FL comes with:

1) New 6-speed gearbox that turns a sluggish beastie into a refined cruiser that also saves a bit more fuel

2) Faster century sprint times and higher top speed

3) Bluetooth connectivity so you don't have to mess with cables

4) Paddle shifters so you can control those 6 gears more precisely, especially during corners

5) New design of shift knob and boot cover

6) Reverse camera built into the anamorphic rear view mirror

7) Refined signal repeaters on the wing mirrors

8) Electric folding mirrors

9) New honeycomb grille up front

10) Slightly larger foglights, could be better light output? I don't know

11) Year 2011 car so residual value is better

I think it's worth it

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Added on February 12, 2011, 12:47 amThe 2.0 Forte is 1,326kg while the 1.6 is only 1,261kg

This post has been edited by gregy: Feb 12 2011, 12:48 AM

GEMA actually stands for Global Engine Manufacturer's Alliance which Hyundai/Kia are a part of. The 1.6 engine in our local Forte is called Gamma and it has CVVT on the intake side only. Similarly, the Theta II engine used in the local 2.0 Forte also employs single CVVT only. The correct term is Continuously Variable, not Dual timing since the ECU manages the timing and lift duration over the entire rev range and not just low cam high cam dual profile only, which you're suggesting.

Dual CVVT means dual continuously variable valve and timing control, i.e., control on both intake and exhaust.