happened to stop by yesterday at Matrade.. I was able to take a glimpse on the
updated version of Forte 2.0SX in white displaying there..

I found out some subtle changes though..

On the exterior:
1) Fog lamps which now comes with DRL (Day light bulb)

On the inside:
very first thing I had noticed..
1) Chrome finish door lock slide mechanism and door open latch.. mine previous batch is silver spray painted..
2) Door panel plastics on both front doors look and soft to the touch, texture remains the same

and then..
3) A/C now feature CleanAir system logo on dashboard like what Optima, Sorento and Sportage has..
4) Smooth leather without leather texture wrapped steering wheel like in some luxury car.. much nicer
to hold and certainly brings the interior look to upmarket car category (VW, Range Rover)..
mine the older batch Forte leather steering wheel looks and coarse to hold like Elephant skin..
5) Steering wheel grey spray paint finish is now gone.. replaced with black piano high gloss plastic..
(don't know if its a good thing.. can catch finger prints and scratches easily)

and salesman mentioned out Naza Kia would hike up the price of Forte on January 2013 after the launch
of Kia Rio.. naik harga estimates RM4-8k for 1.6 and 2.0 variant..

whoever still making decision which C-segment car to buy.. now quickly go to Matrade Exhibition and have a test drive
on Forte 2.0SX and act fast today ! today is the last day

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Added on November 11, 2012, 10:54 amRelax.. mine also the same.. movable slide up and down.. flimsy fitting plastic cover..
as long as it doesn't moves and rattles its wokay..
the plastic cover is just to hide the wire connecting to the electrochromic rear view mirror with
LCD reverse camera..

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Added on November 11, 2012, 11:01 ammine i did on 1.3k km.. once above 1.5k km the free labour charge 1st service coupon
attach on the service book will be not usable, according to 4S SC Setapak..


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 11 2012, 11:01 AM

yes i saw it.. but they tinted all windows in 95% black so hard to
see what are the features thrown inside..

The new Rio which coming to boleh-land on January next year will be equipped with only
1,400cc Gamma inline-4 N/A engine with 108hp and 140nm torque (comparable with Nissan Almera and T. Vios)
with the advantage features of 6 speed auto and all the goodies similar to the high spec SX Forte to be expected
with the Rio..

However, you should remember Rio and Forte falls on different category of subcompact and compact car..
Rio for people who prefer small car to drive around city easily.. Forte is a proper small family car with more
space and comfort than the Rio, based on the car reviews videos in YouTube

Btw, there's a glass sunroof on the Rio's roof ??

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 11 2012, 11:35 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

you should at least test drive first before making any final decision on booking.. buying a car is not like buying a pack of chicken rice..
frankly I wasn't really confident on driving Forte as a new car before.. weird all round visibility and its size are hard to judge and intimidating to drive..
after awhile, I could drive it like driving a kancil already.. previously I owned a Vios, Waja, Swift.. Waja and Forte's all round visibility is limited compare with
B-Segment..

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 11 2012, 11:51 AM

tenkiu abang izputra
all new cars I've driven before (japanese brand) I never hit more than 1k km for first service..
when I sent my Forte for 1st service 1.3k km I oredi started nervous..

Forte in SX trim only have auto headlamp and auto A/C..
I never use auto headlamp coz it switches the headlamp on even at 6pm outside.. kinda weird..

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Added on November 11, 2012, 7:06 pmI am much preferred the smooth non-textured leather wrapped steering wheel..
about the glossy black plastic housing steering wheel, it looks plasticky and toy-like pulak.. ishhh..

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Added on November 11, 2012, 7:20 pmAh Bennedict kor.. more choices is always good for consumers..
in my opinion i think best value for money car at this period of time is Inspira 2.0E.. about 82k
after major discounts and can get 2.0 engine with C-Segment body size liao.. but then.. its a Proton..
each Inspira test cars I've tested in all Proton Showrooms before got kiuk kiuk kiuk absorber noise

how's your car treating you ? apart of your FC complaints.. I think Forte's FC is just at average level..
my house has Altis 1.8E 4 speed and easily gets 70% city drive average 9liter/100km.. and my 2.0SX reads 10.5liter/100km..
but I forgive that for Forte being more spacious+comfort+better handling and stability+safety features over Altis numb
steering+unpredictable control and handling+limited legroom+kosong car spec for RM108k..



This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 11 2012, 07:20 PM

I am still prefer new stuffs like smooth leather finish with black piano steering wheel, CleanAir A/C system, Auto Rain sensor and chrome button on gear shift lever than what I am having now

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Added on November 12, 2012, 12:03 pmcan't see if the bulb is bintik bintik LED or not coz it illuminates in bright red evenly like audi A4 and Forte K3..


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 12 2012, 12:03 PM

If I were you, I will give them back the double wtf cheapo overpriced car worshipper idiot look.
City's acceleration is no better than Myvi 1.3, bumpy and handles like sampan (too much body roll) on curvy road, Vios engine is noisy like Proton Saga carburettor above 80kmph,
Myvi drives like a toy car, eye sore plasticky interior, jiggly and bounces up and down (if your friend likes that kinda ride, he would like
to have gf with big boobs)

I am a Vios (TRD Sportivo 1st batch) owner before as I mentioned, FC is kind to my wallet,
but it gave me terrible engine sore throat noise and lousy refinement for my everyday drive,.. overall space is so tight
which I am kinda embarrassed to fetch my friends (all are 6 foot tall) eventhough they are fine for short journeys
but not outstation journeys.

City, Vios, Myvi certainly shouldn't in comparison with Forte.. Forte wins over them on EVERY ASPECT even cornering stability..
except its FC reading which belongs in C-Segment region.

And I bet you even when Kia Rio launches in M'sia early next year, Kia Rio is still much more outstanding than Myvi, City, Vios in no doubt.

Sorry but don't call me a Kia or Korean fanboy, because Koreans are really stepping up their game and came quite a long way
in producing good looking, high specs level and quality product than all these 3rd world "Japanese" cars made in Malaysia and Thailand.
If someone is telling me Vios is good ? I'll say NO. Owned it for only 3 years and I am not able to live with it everyday.

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 15 2012, 03:39 PM

Outside ketuk shop they want to do more customers business.. thats why only 1/2 day.
Naza.. you know lah.. "these" people are never very efficient in doing their job..

You can easily find those honest shop owners of Car spray and body ketuk ketuk around Pandan Indah industrial area.

Exterior wise, Forte is a little bit wider than Altis, but about few cm shorter in length..
For interior, Forte is bigger, wider abit, much deep in legroom in front.. seats in Forte much more comfy and bigger and supportive than Altis..
need me to go on somemore.. ?

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 15 2012, 10:16 PM

yours is HU baru or HU lama.. ? if new one I cannot help you..
if it's old HU.. press the AUX button once again if you're in USB pendrive mode.. (make sure your phone are already playing mp3 songs and bluetooth on connected
with the HU)

AUX function will be USB, Mp3 Play (bluetooth streaming) and Ipod.. depends on either one is connected..

I'm not owning Forte of May onwards production.. I'm using old skool type HU
perhaps you should wait for others to answer your question.

Sejuk.. ??? ehehehe..
yeah.. heat rejection super terror with GPS and Smarttag friendly..

When I got my Forte since March this year.. in July 2012 Naza Kia sent a mail into my letterbox saying my Forte is now protected with unlimited KM, 5 year warranty..
from previously 150,000KM / 5 Year warranty..

aiyorrr.. 15" is too kecik miao for Forte lah.. aggresive body styling with "soft shell crab leg" wheels look.. ? you won't gonna do that.. !
the most you can downgrade is 215/55/R16 with Michelin Primacy LC tires.. then its just nice with perfect balance of ride+quiet refinement ride and stable enough on highway
with acceptable exterior overall look.. !

if you wanna "sporty" handling and higher steering precision, it defeats the purpose of installing 16" with higher profile tires..
at least choose a set of dark coloured matte finish 16" rims..

I am currently using stock 17" with Michelin PS3.. loving it although at times road feel coarse abit.. maneuverability is sensitive and predictable
enough for me to confidently corners at sharp curves and brisk overtaking.. and I had crashed on the biggest and deepest jalan berlobang when accidently speeding through speed
hump and thank God, my rims and tires didn't show any sign of damage.. *touch wood touch skin touch metal*

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Nov 16 2012, 11:30 PM

never fix before.. just drive normally and avoid potholes like you should..
17" ride can be abit unpleasant for some ppl who wish for cushy ride, hence little too firm ride isn't
suitable for middle to senior aged drivers and passengers..

16" is just nice.. car still stable enough and able to soak up bumps and road irregularities smoothly without noticing much..

My driver's door and driver's side rear door closing sound like metal hitting each other also.. "thud" with some hint of "clack" sound..
(like Proton Persona)
front passenger and rear of front passenger side door closes with solid "thud" pressured sound.. (like Toyota Camry)

which means my car has multi personality.. waiting for warranty claim on door mechanisms to replace new one since before Raya..
and until now no feedback at all from SC Setapak.. wth for 5 years unlimited km warranty... puiiii..

I'm back.. ! I'm on holiday trip in Korea now. New designed Kias and Hyundais are everywhere here as expected.. Hyundai Genesis, Equus n Kia Optima are the majority among others.. hardly see Kia Forte (our generation) on the road.. K3 here on the other hand also as much as P. Saga BLM otr in Malaysia.. great looking car indeed.. if any of you planning to buy a compact sedan, I recommend u all to wait for all-new K3 model.. the ass look sexy with oversized Audi-like frosted LED lamp.. !! certainly a budget car with premium look, really stands out above the crowds..

1.6SX using Hydraulic Power Steering which gives stiff feedback when maneuvering steering wheel,
and on the other hand 2.0SX using Motor Driven Power Steering aka Electric Power Steering which is smoother,
lighter and much easier to turn.. which is still gives quick n confident response when maneuver around potholes
and overtaking car..

Hydraulic type is stiff at town driving, very light at highway speeds.. and MDPS is vice versa..

IMO 2.0SX will be the best choice to experience smooth acceleration, good NVH and relax comfort drive type
of car..

Half tank petrol for my 30:70 highway:Jam MRR2 RM50 records 230km range..
Full tank only 450km.. RM90.. (RON95)

kesiannya.. don't nangis pls..
MDPS on 2.0SX is very very smoothly light at stationary and low speeds I know..
torque sensor is loose or not connected to EPS system I guess.. had a problem before
when I was driving at 120kmph and steering feels as light as 20kmph speed.. then terlanjak pothole
and car shaked vigorously.. then aiikk.. all of sudden my steering feels steady and heavier as per 120kmph
speed already.. and SC had confirmed connector was not in proper position when they did alignment..
perhaps you should argue with the same branch technicians again and be very firm with your complaint..