The Kia Forte (), known as the K3 in Asia, the Forte K3 or Shuma in China, and the Cerato in South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia, is a compact car manufactured by South Korean automaker Kia, produced from 2008 to 2024, replacing the Kia Spectra.
Throughout its production, the Forte was available in two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback body styles. It was not sold in Europe, where the similarly sized Kia Ceed was offered instead, except in Russia and Ukraine, where both the Ceed and Forte were sold concurrently.
In some markets, such as Korea, Australia and Brazil, the Forte is marketed as Kia Cerato, replacing its predecessor of the same name. In Colombia and Singapore, the name Cerato Forte was used for the second generation, while Naza Automotive Manufacturing of Malaysia has assembled the vehicle since 2009, selling it there under the name Naza Forte.
Production of the Forte ended in 2024, and it was replaced by the K4, as Kia realigned their passenger car nomenclature, with the K3 name being transferred to a subcompact car replacing the Kia Rio.
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First generation (TD; 2008)
The first generation Forte was introduced in 2008. In North America, the Forte replaced the Kia Spectra, while the Forte retained the Cerato name in numerous markets. It shares the same platform as the Hyundai Avante/Elantra (HD), though employing a torsion-beam rear suspension in place of the Elantra's multilink design. Kia has stated that the Forte was specifically designed to target younger buyers attracted to sharper auto designs.
Succeeding the first generation Cerato or second generation Spectra, several elements of the interior and suspension were changed. The car received a wider (4 cm) and longer (3 cm) body, a longer (4 cm) wheelbase and a wider (7 cm) gauge. However, ground clearance was reduced by a centimeter, thereby reducing the height by a centimeter. At the same time, the design of the rear suspension was simplified, which instead of independent multilink thrust became semi-dependent double-lever, with an elastic beam, which made it more reliable and easy to repair and maintain.
Three body styles were introduced; the compact 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, and 2-door coupe body style.
Sedan The Forte sedan was designed in Kia's California design studio by Tom Kearns and his team.Kia Design Tempting youthful buyers with cheap chic 28 August 2009. Globe and MailKia Forte Design Concept, Peter Schreyer YouTube Video The Forte two-door ("Koup") was previewed as the "Kia Koup" Concept, and was also designed in Kia's California design studio.Forte (All-new Cerato) & Forte (All-new Cerato) Koup Design Essay :Kurt Kahl (Senior Designer. Kia America Design Center). 31 July 2009. Kia BUZZKOUP Q&A By Colin Jang. 10 July 2009. Kia BUZZ The Korean model went on sale on 22 August 2008. The US model was unveiled at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.
Hatchback The Forte five-door hatchback debuted at the 2010 New York International Auto Show.
Coupe (Koup) The two-door coupe "Forte Koup" was originally unveiled as a concept car in the form of the "Kia Koup" on 20 March 2008 at the New York International Auto Show. The concept sported a twin scroll turbocharged version of the 2.0-litre Theta II inline-four engine. The production Forte Koup is badged as the "Kia Cerato Koup" in Australia, Costa Rica, Russia and South Africa. It is called the "Kia Shuma" in China, and "Kia Koup" in Chile.
LPI Hybrid In 2009, Kia unveiled the mild hybrid Forte at the Seoul Motor Show for the South Korean market. Taking its underpinnings from the Hyundai Elantra LPI Hybrid, the car is powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It is powered with an 1.6-litre LPG engine coupled with a electric motor and a lithium-polymer battery pack, making it the first production car to use lithium-polymer batteries.
Powertrains Engine type Displacement Power Torque Transmission 1.6 L Gamma I4 (petrol) 1591 cc 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic (6-speed automatic + paddle-shift as of 2011 model) 1.6 L Gamma I4 (LPG hybrid) 1591 cc Continuously variable automatic 1.6 L CRDi VGT I4 (turbocharged diesel) 1582 cc 4-speed automatic 2.0 L Theta II I4 (petrol) 1998 cc 5 and 6- speed manual, 4-, 5-, and 6-speed automatic 2.4 L Theta II I4 (petrol) 2359 cc 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
1.6 GDi Gamma II 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp) at 6,300 rpm and 17 kg⋅m (167 N⋅m; 123 lbf⋅ft) at 4,850 rpm
Safety The 2010 Forte received a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
TestRatingOverall:Moderate overlap front:GoodSide:GoodRoof strength:GoodHead restraints & seats:Good
Markets North America In the United States, the 2010 LX and EX included a 2.0-litre CVVT engine and a standard five-speed manual transmission, with an optional four-speed automatic or a five-speed automatic with the Fuel Economy Package. For the 2011 model year, the Forte is standard with a six-speed manual (replacing the 5 speed unit) and is available with an optional six-speed automatic, with the four- and five-speed automatics being discontinued.
The LX is the base model. It comes standard with electronic stability control (ESC), and seat- and side-mounted airbags. The standard stereo includes four speakers, AM/FM radio, CD/MP3 player, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. An iPod-compatible USB input jack and an auxiliary port for an external music device and steering wheel mounted audio controls are also integrated with the sound system. Bluetooth handsfree technology is also standard. The second-tier EX adds air conditioning, power windows and door locks, cruise control, a six-speaker radio, a key fob with keyless entry, and turn signal indicators on the side mirrors. The SX has the 2.4-litre engine with a six-speed manual or optional five-speed automatic transmission for the 2010 model year and a six-speed from the 2011 model year. The SX also adds alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, a tilting and telescoping steering column, sport-cloth seats, and a metallic finish to the interior. Later production models have soft-touch panels on the armrest and door, as well as on the dashboard. For 2011, the EX and SX sedans are automatic-only, while the base sedan and all models of the Koup and Forte5 continue to offer the choice of manual or automatic.
An optional Fuel Economy Package adds low resistance silica tires, a more efficient alternator, a five-speed automatic transmission, and aerodynamic enhancements to increase fuel efficiency. With the Fuel Economy Package, the Forte EX has a fuel consumption in city driving and in highway according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).2010 Kia Forte SX First Drive 6 November 2009, edmunds.com Automatic transmission models include an "Eco" display on the instrument panel that tells the driver when better than expected fuel efficiency is reached, hoping to influence driving habits toward more efficient operation.
For the Forte Koup, an optional leather package is available on both EX and SX trims. When combined with the EX trim, leather is utilized for the upholstery, steering wheel and shift lever; heated front seats and a sunroof are also included with the package. When paired with the SX trim, it includes only heated leather seats and the sunroof, as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever are already fitted as standard.
The Forte sold in Canada has similar specifications and equipment as the US-market model. Some differences include the addition of power windows, door locks and power heated exterior mirrors on the base LX trim, a telescopic steering wheel on the EX trim, and a standard sunroof and automatic climate control system on the SX trim. The EX and SX also have a chrome-trimmed rear garnish and door handles. In contrast to the transmissions offered in the United States, the automatic transmission on offer in Canada is a 6-speed.
Asia
China For the Chinese market, Kia has offered the "Forte Furuidi" (福瑞迪) or Forte (later Forte R for the facelifted model) produced by the Dongfeng Yueda Kia since 2009. The Furuidi was unveiled at the Nanjing International Expo Centre, and is available with the 1.6- Gamma and 2.0-litre Theta engines. "Furuidi" means luck and auspiciousness in the Chinese language—and has a pronunciation similar to its English name "Forte". It was sold alongside the Cerato R (First generation Cerato facelift), and later the K3 (Second generation Forte).
Malaysia In Malaysia, the first generation Forte is assembled by the joint-venture company Naza-Kia and is called the "Naza Forte" and in Singapore, the first generation Forte was called the "Kia Cerato Forte". Both regions were offered with the 1.6-litre Gamma and 2.0-litre Theta II engine variants featuring a four-speed automatic transmission at launch, and then received a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters after the 2011 facelift.
Europe In Russia and Ukraine, the Cerato (Forte) is available as the Cee'd's notchback counterpart, with the coupe and sedan available together. The Forte is not available in other European countries, due to the relatively low popularity of small family sedans there. Despite the LPI Hybrid being launched at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Forte is still not offered in European countries outside Russia and Ukraine.
Kia Forte Furuidi (China) (2017–2023)
Derived from the Kia Forte Furuidi (福瑞迪) or Kia Forte R variant of the first generation Kia Forte facelift, Dongfeng Yueda Kia developed a succeeding Kia Forte Furuidi model with the "ND" factory code featuring a completely restyled body.
The Kia Forte Furuidi is powered by a lone 1.6 L G4FG straight-four petrol engine option developing 123 hp (90.2 kW) and 150.7Nm. Transmission is either a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual gearbox.
Second generation (YD; 2012)
Kia released images of the second generation Forte for the 2014 model year in late July 2012, when the company revealed its Korean-market counterpart, Kia K3. The car is completely redesigned with a lower, wider, and longer stance.
The second generation Kia Forte includes LED headlights and tail lights as a standard feature, and will further Kia's driver-oriented cockpit design inside. To make it more fuel efficient, the Forte is offered with the new Nu engine, in a 1.8 litre DOHC MPi 4-cylinder producing with of torque, and a 2.0 litre DOHC GDI 4-cylinder rated at with of torque.
The car was presented to the public for the first time outside of South Korea on Santiago Motorshow (Chile) as Kia Cerato, on 3 October 2012.
Forte Koup Introduced in mid-2014 for the 2015 model year, the Koup was sold as the Cerato Koup in many markets and as the K3 Koup in the Korean home market. The base, EX model comes standard with a 2.0-litre GDI four-cylinder inline-four engine, and the SX comes with a more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that produces and of torque in North American trim.
The base Forte Koup EX comes with standard 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated audio and cruise control buttons, tilt and telescoping steering column, FlexSteer, power windows and LED positioning headlights with fog lights.
The Koup SX comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, UVO eServices with Rear Camera Display, dual chrome exhaust tips, and LED tail lights. The sportier SX also features performance enhancements including larger bumper and grille openings, larger front brakes, alloy sport pedals, black gloss grille inserts, and the front fascia and rear valance also include carbon fibre-look trim.
Both trims come with optional HID headlights, navigation system with HD Radio, heated steering wheel, power lumbar, sunroof, heated front seats and ventilated driver's seat, leather-trimmed seating, SmartKey with push-button start, and dual-zone automatic climate control.