Used Kia Forte Buying Guide

• While the LX may seem like an easy skip, if you’re a car guy, it may be exactly what you’re looking for.
• The 2.0L I4 in recent years is one of the most efficient engines for its time, able to go 30 MPG.
• Being that the Forte was discontinued recently, you can find some of the most modern features, without a high price tag.

Hitting the roads in 2019, this generation would ultimately become the last generations on the road. The trims that you can find from this generation are the FE, LXS, S, and EX. Unlike generations from before, this one only came in the sedan configuration, but for most drivers, this won’t be a dealbreaker.

At the time, the Forte offered some pretty groundbreaking features as standard, while on the competitors, they were optional. These are the automatic front headlights, a tilt and telescopic steering column, a rear trunk light, rear seat heat ducts, an eight-inch, touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering wheel-mounted audio system controls, cruise control, forward collision avoidance, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist.

While they aren’t standard, if you’re lucky, you’ll find models that are equipped with heated and ventilated dual front bucket seats, soft-touch interior surfaces, wireless device charging, drive mode selection, and a smart cruise control.

In 2020, Kia did a minor lineup change, dropping the S trim from the lineup, and adding the GT-Line, as well as the GT to the lineup. This brought some unique looks to the lineup. With the S being dropped, Kia also took aim at the manual transmission, also discontinuing it from this lineup.

Over the course of this generation, the model featured two engines, these being the 2.0L I4, and the 1.6L turbocharged I4. While it may seem like the 1.6L is the way to go, due to its turbocharged nature it comes with more power at 201 horsepower at the expense of MPG. The 2.0L I4 is “weaker” outputting 164 horsepower, but comes with an EPA rated 35 MPG combined.

Moving onto the second generation, you’ll be less likely to find the earlier models, but we’ll still cover them just in case. Over the course of this generation, you could find the LX, S, EX, EX premium, and SX trims.

While the LX trim was a product of its time, it comes with some pretty barebones features such as the manual transmission, and CD player, but to the right person, this is a gem. This trim came powered by a 2.0L I4, and it was able to get 28 MPG combined when paired with the manual transmission.

If this was too barebones for you, then you can look for the S that was introduced in 2017. This was built on the LX, and added a six-speed automatic transmission, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a leather wrapped steering wheel. These features were also available on the other trims before the S was added to the lineup, making them solid options in their own right.

If you find yourself looking at a SX trim from after 2016, then you can expect leather-trimmed seating surfaces with dual heated front bucket seats. This helps bring the vehicle into the modern era in ways that the other trims can’t quite match.