Coming standard on the 2010 Kia Forte are steering wheel controls, Sirius satellite radio, mp3 and USB input jacks, four-wheel disc brakes, Bluetooth connectivity, and stability control.  Notice what I said: Standard!  Any of these features on the Forte’s competitors are options that require adding to the sticker price.  The base Forte comes in at two grand less than the entry-level competition cars and fills itself up with options you find on mid-level compact sedans.

Kia, as always, differentiates this model on price.  The Forte starts right around $14,000, about $2K less than the competing Corolla and Civic.  Of course, buyers will also be blessed with the best warranty in the industry.

Kia is becoming a major player in every category in which they offer vehicles.  The Kia Soul is getting big cheers in the urban vehicle arena.  The Sportage is winning customer satisfaction awards.  And the Rondo is fast becoming a popular hatchback.  I guess you could say that offering affordable, stylish contenders that compete well with pricier brands has become Kia’s Forte.

Though I haven’t spoken to a Waukegan new car dealer that has a Forte in stock yet, I hope to get behind the wheel of one soon.  From everything I’ve read about this new compact segment contender, it is an enjoyable ride.  It certainly packs the amenities I look for in a sedan.  The real performance I would care about is its fuel-efficiency, rather than its 0-60 time.  The Forte sounds like a winner on the gas saving front.  The 2.0-liter engine with the five-speed automatic transmission in the Fuel-Economy package returns 27 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.  With the other transmissions is comes in at 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.  The big-boy 2.4-liter four gets 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway with the six-speed manual and 23/31 with the five-speed automatic.  These are all good numbers that compare evenly with cars across the segment.  And with fuel use equal, the Kia Forte definitely takes the value prize.

Here is a video from Cars.com that gives a lot of nice views of the new Forte, which becomes available at Waukegan Kia dealers soon:

The Kia Forte will be arriving at Waukegan dealers soon.  For more information on the 2010 Kia Forte, visit the Kia dealer Waukegan trusts most for its new car needs, Classic Kia.

We’re really happy to be unveiling the newest edition to the Classic Automotive Group, our Classic Kia blog! We’ll be telling you about all the great things happening at our dealership and providing you with the coolest and most up-to-date information on new Kia models, new deals and much more.

We’ll be blogging regularly so we hope you will check up on us and discover what’s new at Classic Kia. For your convenience, each blog is equipped with its own RSS feed, so if you use RSS, you’ll always know when we post something new. Also, be sure to check out the our other blog for Classic Toyota!