so u r the one who going to make me wait longer for the white sx?? 

haha....

neway just paid deposit yesterday, long way to go.....

so what free gift u got?

im not so confident with what the SA promised me for a free gift as it could be his 'kata manis' just to get me sign up with him

but this is what he told

- free bodykit (most likely 3rd party, siap pasang & paint)
- free 'k' logo
- free Smart Tag (not touch & go only)
- free GPS or voucher tint
GPS brand is GPS with bigger screen (dunno how big) that can play movie or I can choose Garmin with smaller screen and gps function only
Well, im sure u guys gonna ask me for his number....im not giving yet as I dont want to give FALSE REFERRAL...

wait till I get the free gift...than if he true to his words, I'll give him the details

With the free gift, im not sure how much commision he will earn at the end 

Can a few people who just recently took delivery of the updated Forte with the new 6-speed tranny and other enhancements share your opinions of the car, especially on the driving experience and ride comfort (NVH)? More so if you can make a comparison with the older model with the 4-speed.

Thanks

to be honest,

my satria 1.3 manual 15" sports rim has better pickup than the 6-speed 1.6sx

was a bit let down when test drive, was expecting more...

I was only impressed on the 2.0sx.... wow..the pickup 0-60 in like 2-3sec

but too bad its way too xpensive for me

err..manual pickup usually better 1 leh..whats more satria..for an auto car i'd say forte is pretty good liao

Hi, I have not booked my Forte yet but want to share my test drive experience. Last Sunday went to Sunway dealer to test the FL 1.6SX. When I stepped on the accelerator while pulling out of the parking spot, I was smiling from ear to ear! 

The FL improvement is a big step up from the 4-speeder in terms of throttle pedal responsiveness. It had a bit more urgency compared to 4-speed which took some time to get going. Great job by Kia on this! 

As for NVH, the engine seemed quieter so the noise you will hear is from the 17" Kumhos but the noise level is not as bad as Honda Civic 2.0 wearing 17" Michelins.    To get around this, either change to better tyres, add soundproofing or downgrade to 15".

you're right that we are paying a premium for the extra "toys" but the most important aspect is the stability programmes (EBD,CBC, BAS, etc). I would say that other than the paddle shifters and bluetooth, the rest doesnt affect driving at all. However, 7k extra may seem a lot to you but if you factor in a loan, the additional amount a month isnt that significant (including insurance). Not to mention that if you try to add these stuff in later on (i'm referring to the toys, not the stability programmes, dont think you can retrofit those), it'll void your warranty. If you can afford the premium 7k, why not? Take the reverse camera as an example, that one is really very useful because forte's boot is quite tall and this car is a C segment car, might be tricky to park it, so with the reverse camera, it can help you a lot. Dont get me wrong, you can still park the car without that, but i think every bit helps.

Another thing you might want to consider is possibly resale value. I believe the SX version fetches better resale value and possibly better chances of selling the car despite the fact that it is more expensive (left to be seen). Sounds like you're planning to buy the SX anyway, dont worry, its worth the price. More worth that some empty car like the toyota "dugong" vios. Even the EX is more worth than the vios J

@izudeen, try hong leong. I am waiting for my loan to approve at 2.6%. Once approve, I will let you know. Should know in a day or 2. I am taking about RM61k for 4 years...

oh, u mean the forum? yeah, joined already. what I mean is join u guys as forte owner, hehehe.. anyway, booked white 1.6sx fl.

Test drove the 1.6 & 2.0 SX back to back at City Ruby Sunway showroom. Managed to drive all the way to Fed Highway n back.
Conclusion? Like: 2.0 power is better, leather seats
Dislike: MDPS steering. Although it did get heavier as speed progresses...when tackling a bend at 70 km/h, I felt the steering was not as precise as the 1.6 SX. I don't know if the steering is lighter than the 1.6 at 70 km/h. The 1.6 SX gave me the confidence when tackling corners...

In the end, booked the 1.6 SX Silver. Only managed to get Garmin GPS, full tank, K emblems + wheel caps & some RM 400-500 discounts for Ray Tech tints (dunno the real value though)...

yup already made up my mind, looking for best offer now, and also a good price to trade in my current car. I'm joining the fortezens family soon!!

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Added on March 9, 2011, 12:25 am
used to work in hong leong, colleague still there, dont think so can get 2.6, if u got it, pllsss let me know..thx

Asked this primarily to have an idea if they put more soundproofing in with FL upgrade. Just know that they changed to a six-speed transmission, added some equipment inside and... yeah, the new honeycomb grille.

Hi friends,

I plan to get a forte koup week after next, any chinese kia dealer who can recommend to me ? and they can give free gifts even better

thanks

Actually, they (NazaKia) did put more soundproofing material on the new Forte FL. In term of NVH especially the N (Noise), the 1st batch Forte already good at it, & with more soundproofing material now, the Forte FL should get a better noise insulation than the 1st batch Forte