2010 Kia Forte (Cerato)

norstar2k · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:30 am Post subject: 2010 Kia Forte (Cerato)

As mentioned by agent007 (cars to look out for).

New 2009/10 KIA CERATO 1.6 DOHC CVVT ENGINE
Horsepower 124bhp@6300rpm; Torque 156nm @4200rpm; With hydraulic mounts

Saw it Saturday at Southern Sales (South). In country about a month. Really nice car, with lots of features. First sub-compact with iPod interface standard. I didn't get a chance to drive it (yet) since I was there only to test drive the '09 Sportage. Here are the features:

Standard

* Interior brush aluminum finish
* CD MP3 With Scan Assist
* 6 speakers
* Rear defogger
* Steering mounted stereo controls
* Clutchless manual / Automatic transmission
* Driver / Passenger Sun visor mirrors w/visor extensions
* Driver / passenger lamps
* Spectacles receptor
* 60/40 rear split seats
* Rear dash mounted stop lamp
* iPod receptor with USB Port
* Front doors and centre console cup holders
* Rear seat fold down cup holders
* Cell phone charger receptor
* Light sensitive rear view mirror
* Height adjustable( front seats) seat belts
* Rear seat belts with centre lap belt
* Rear seat head rest
* Child safety locks
* 205/55R 16” tyres w/ alloy rims including spare
* Wing mirrors w/ indicator lamp
* Fog lamps
* Dual airbags
* ABS
* Full powered features w/ one touch down drivers window
* Trunk mounted rear seat release
* Keyless entry with trunk release
* Leather wrapped tilt steering
* Centre console storage bin/ arm rest

Sports Version

* 215 / 45R / 17” rims and tyres including spare
* Rear sensors
* Front dash board adjustable light switch
* Telescopic and tilt steering
* Chrome muffler tip
* Chrome door handles
* Chrome trunk lid piece

Kia Cerato Sedan: $150,000
Kia Cerato Sports Version: $162,000

WARRANTY – 3 YEARS OR 100,000km WHICHEVER COMES FIRST

(The KIA CERATO is the KIA FORTE.)

(If it's a REPOST just delete!)

norstar2k · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:30 am Post subject:

JoeZwalez · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:55 am Post subject:

not bad at all.....may definitely be one to consider

norstar2k · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:16 am Post subject:

Yeah boy Joe, one amazing little car. Just to get past the whole KIA Korean phobia!

ek4ever · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 10:13 am Post subject:

That's a lot of equipment for that price....looks really good too...like the interior and the exterior looks sporty too...for the price they're gonna sell a sh1tload of these...move over Civic, Corolla, 3, Elantra.....

Is it available with a sunroof???

norstar2k · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:08 am Post subject:

No sunroof (yet). Current stock sold out.

Now, if the mighty Corolla had an interior like this one, that would make it perfect.

norstar2k · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:47 am Post subject:

Dis nice too!

New Kia Forte Koup 2010

ek4ever · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject:

Seeker · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:28 pm Post subject:

YYEEAAHH!!! She looking real good. Mr. Green

speedy3517 · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:32 pm Post subject:

yeah thats one to definitely consider

x2floor · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:45 am Post subject:

excellent post star. what about the 2.0 and 2.4 versions with side + curtain airbags + steering wheel mounted cruise control? Is that on special order? The Cerato came real good now and it rides on the same elantra platform i suppose sharing the same engine/transmission and suspension.

The Cerato could become old news as soon as the new Mazda 3 and Chevrolet Cruze arrives.

norstar2k · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:07 am Post subject:

Thanks X2.

From everything told to me by the rep so far, it seems the two models I mentioned, shall be the only ones available to our market, at least for now.

A good marketing strategy would be to dump the CERATO name and us the FORTE name instead. (Like BORO and JETTA, MAXIMA and CEFIRO).

Price wise you can't beat the price-for-package CERATO/FORTE. The Mazda3 is still a $200k car and Chevy is still one of those brands locals ain't trusting fully as yet. Smile

jaceson · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:

went today to check it out. i like it but i never deal with southsales or any kia vehicles.

if anyone on the forum have one could you please give me a quick run down on service, availability of parts, etc from SS and how has ur vehicle been running so far.

if i not mistaken someone here also bought the new cerato

norstar2k · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:18 pm Post subject:

LOL! My cousin just did a test drive and she just can't stop talking about it. I guess a 2010 Cerato shall be joining the family soon.

jaceson, my cousin has a Rio Wagon and she's going on five years now with no major issues with the car.
Evidently, she has enough faith to go back to another KIA (And it's not because it cheap eh!). I guess that says it all.

sweeks · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 3:26 pm Post subject:

I saw one on UWI campus ... looks nice but missing rear disc brakes ...

Captainzaak · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:25 pm Post subject:

norstar2k · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:21 pm Post subject:

^^^Nice! First one eh? Nobody can't take that honour from you.

Well post some pix nah Cap! BTW, any idea if there's an OEM spoiler for it?

Also, you can use this in the event you chose to change your Avatar:
http://blog.cochesalaventa....s-hit-the-web_68481_1.jpg

Captainzaak · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:39 am Post subject:

norstar2k,

Yeah bro. Very Happy

Will post pics from delivery when i get home later.

Thanks for the link to the pic!

x2floor · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 11:40 am Post subject:

PCM 4125 grey Cerato? nice...here are some reviews: magazine ratings FTW! Laughing

2010 Kia Forte SX - Short Take Road Test
Good value, respectable, handsome.
BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO
July 2009

If the compact-car segment were a baseball lineup, the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic would be the meat of the order, the third and fourth hitters. They boast home-run sales numbers, long lists of features, and nearly peerless reliability. So where’s the new Kia Forte hitting in this lineup? Any chance it will join these guys at the top of the order? Or does it go immediately to the ninth spot, where its predecessor, the Spectra, languished?

Our top-spec SX test vehicle is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder backed by a so-so five-speed automatic; a six-speed manual is also available. (The Forte LX and EX rely on a 2.0-liter four.) With 173 horses, the SX is more muscular than the larger-displacement Toyota Corolla XRS (158 horsepower) and the Mazda 3 s (167). This makes our recorded zero-to-60 time of 8.6 seconds all the more disappointing; the Kia trails 0.7 second behind the Corolla and 0.9 second behind the Mazda, although both of those cars were equipped with manual gearboxes.

The Forte’s roadholding and 70-to-0-mph braking numbers were much more respectable, at 0.85 g and 173 feet, respectively; its braking is among the best we’ve seen in the current batch of compacts. Using that 2010 Mazda 3 s for comparison, the Kia matched it on the skidpad and actually stopped three feet shorter.

All Fortes, including the $14,390 base LX, have Bluetooth phone connectivity with steering-wheel controls, Sirius radio, USB and auxiliary jacks, four-wheel disc brakes, and stability control. The SX gets larger front brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, and a telescoping function for the steering wheel. Add heated leather seats ($1000) and a sunroof ($600), and you arrive at our fully loaded tester, which rang in at $20,490.

Equipment-wise, the Kia is very strong, but for enthusiastic driving, it’s not quite there. The SX has firmer springs, retuned shocks, and a larger front anti-roll bar compared with the lower trim levels’. The sum of that equipment, however, isn’t something we’d really call sporty. Turn-in is fairly aggressive, which is nice, but the car begins to plow by midcorner like it’s the start of planting season. The steering requires correction to maintain a line in curves and stay in your lane on the freeway.

Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $20,490 (base price: $18,890)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection

Displacement: 144 cu in, 2360cc
Power (SAE net): 173 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 168 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 104.3 in Length: 178.3 in Width: 69.9 in Height: 57.5 in
Curb weight: 2960 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 8.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 23.6 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 9.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.6 sec @ 85 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 127 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 173 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.85 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 23/31 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg
*Stability-control-inhibited.

But this segment is about inexpensive, comfortable, roomy, inoffensive, and—increasingly—stylish cars, and that is exactly what the Forte is. It doesn’t invite aggressive driving, but that’s all the better to enjoy the well-appointed, airy interior and the relatively supple ride.

So the Forte won’t be displacing the Honda and Toyota sluggers from the heart of the batting lineup, but we could see it hitting second, the place for solid and trustworthy players. It’s just too bad the Forte isn’t more fun to drive; a car that can be counted on for singles could have instead been hitting base-clearing doubles.

Highs: Respectable interior materials, handsome styling, good value with lots of standard goodies.

Lows: Steering could use more feel, throttle tip-in is far too aggressive.

Captainzaak · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 1:21 pm Post subject: