Pirate Radio (104.7 FM) review with George Gray:

The latest car that was delivered to my house for testing was the 2017 KIA Forte5 hatchback – the Forte has been around since 2008 but had extensive updates added periodically since that time.  My test car came in Phantom gray metallic paint and included black and red leather seating for five inside.

As of this writing, I do not know where KIA came up with the name for this car, but wonder if they named it after the handsome Fabian, teen idol of the 50’s and 60’s.  Many readers do not know that Fabian’s full name was Fabiano Anthony Forte, or that he was referred to his record producer by Frankie Avalon, another South Philadelphia resident.  Eleven of Fabian’s songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing, including “Hound Dog Man”, “Tiger”, and “Turn Me Loose”, and he later got into movies including the part of Pretty Boy Floyd in “A Bullet for Pretty Boy” (1970).

Perhaps KIA’s hatchback that I drove was not named after Fabian, but my research into the matter has ended.  I will say, however, that the Forte is a “pretty boy”, as are several Hyundai and KIA vehicles since the hiring of Peter Schreyer by the corporation to head their California design studio.  The latest KIA’s are lower, wider, and longer that those of the past, with a wheelbase of this Forte5 of 106.3” and an overall length of 171.3”.  The Forte5 weighs 3,058 lbs.

My test Forte carried an M.S.R.P. of $27,020.00, a figure that took me a little by surprise when I withdrew the window sticker from the glove box.  Included was $125.00 for carpeted floor mats and $895.00 for freight.  As standard items, the car was equipped with sun roof, power/ventilated front bucket seats, push button starter, proximity smart key, tilt/telescope steering wheel, navigation system, satellite radio, Bluetooth/USB connectivity, and power outside folding mirrors with light stripes.

The KIA was powered by a 1.6 liter (201 hp/195 lb. ft.) four cylinder, turbocharged, DOHC, 16 valve engine and featured a six speed manual.  Acceleration of the Forte is reportedly zero to 60 in 7.3 seconds, and fuel economy is rated 23-city and 29-highway.  My observance was of 30.1 mpg during my week with the car.

My wife and I drove the KIA to Denver for a visit as well as a trip from Greeley to DIA on Highway 85.  Ride was suitable, guidance was fine, and wind noise was not excessive.  At the airport parking lot and in Greeley I admired the Forte’s small, 34.8’ turning radius.  The car fetched a lot of onlookers with the superb styling I hinted at earlier as well as the well-designed 17” alloys, which were fitted with Nexen Classe Premiere P215/45R17 m/s radials.  Chrome door handles adorned the exterior of the car.

KIA Forte auto sales are sizzling in the U.S. – about 70,000 sold in 2017, year-to-date – and this hatchback is a key component of that success.  I can see why; it’s quite a “Tiger”.

Phantom gray metallic – Heated and ventilated leather black front buckets – 5  passenger seating – Navigation system with 7” touchscreen – LED headlights – Power sunroof – AM/FM/MP3/CD/Satellite stereo – Pushbutton start and backup camera – D – shaped steering wheel and metal pedals – 201 horsepower 4 cylinder – 1.6 liter with turbocharger – torque is 195 lb. ft. – Six-speed manual transmission – 18” ten – spoke aluminum wheels – $27,020.00 window sticker   29 mpg highway gas mileage – 23 mpg city gas mileage       25 mpg combined gas mileage – Made in Pesoueria, Mexico

    The Cadenza, introduced in the U.S. by KIA in January of this year, is a full-size, front-wheel drive luxury sedan produced in Hwasung, South Korea.  Hyundai Motors owns KIA, and produces a version of the Cadenza named the Azera.  The Cadenza is KIA’s flagship automobile and is the sedan one model larger than the venerable Optima.

I just finished testing a Cadenza provided by Tom Cooney of STI Drive in Denver.  It was painted Smokey Blue metallic and inside it featured the white leather package.  Cadenza’s with white leather interiors also have the technology package ($3,000) and luxury package ($3,000), bringing total M.S.R.P. with freight to $41,900.  Such a loaded sedan was equipped, as you might expect, with smart cruise control, lane departure warning system, blind spot monitor, hydrophobic front window glass, 19” fancy alloy wheels, dual panoramic moon roof, adaptive headlamps (the best I have tested), and four heated seats.  Also on hand was power tilt/telescope steering column, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, memory power seats, power folding outside mirrors with heat elements, Infinity 12 speaker, 550-watt stereo with satellite radio, ventilated driver bucket, rear window power sunshade, and Nappa (full-grain/dyed) leather trim.  The navigation system was voice-activated, had an 8” screen, and Bluetooth/USB connectivity was included.

     Performance of the Cadenza was good, with power supplied by an all-aluminum 3.3 liter (293hp/255lb.-ft.) V-6 coupled with an electronically-controlled six speed automatic transmission with sport mode.  Acceleration is reportedly zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds and top speed is in excess of 150 mph.  EPA fuel mileage ratings are 19 city and 28 highway, not too bad for such a fast car.  The tank holds 18.5 gallons of gasoline.

Looking at the Smokey blue Cadenza is easy on the eyes, with bold chrome- trimmed lower doors and handles, “tiger-nose” chrome grill, dual chrome exhaust finishers, and a body designed by Peter Schreyer.  Schreyer is the German individual that left Audi and now designs cars and trucks for KIA and Hyundai.  He’s pretty good at it, too.  The 19” alloys were quite attractive and were fitted with P245/40R19 94V Hankook Optimo H426 all-season radial tires.

My driving impression of the Cadenza was fine, with nice ride, minimum wind noise, good visibility, and steady guidance.  Interior space is 106.8 cubic feet, which allowed four of us to drive to Loveland in the Cadenza in complete comfort.  The weather in Northern Colorado included sub-freezing temperatures on this night, and I pointed out the seat heat switches to all in attendance.  The Cadenza trunk holds 15.9 cubic feet of cargo.

KIA is dipping a toe in the water relative to the luxury car market with this Cadenza.  Prospective shoppers for such a vehicle would do themselves a favor by including an inspection and test drive of this sedan.        

The latest car that was delivered to my house for testing was the 2014 KIA Forte sedan that was introduced late last year.  The Forte has been around since 2008 but had extensive updates added to the vehicle for the current model year.  My test car came in Abyss blue metallic paint and included black leather seating for five inside.

As of this writing, I do not know where KIA came up with the name for this car, but wonder if they named it after the handsome Fabian, teen idol of the 50’s and 60’s.  Many readers do not know that Fabian’s full name was Fabiano Anthony Forte, or that he was referred to his record producer by Frankie Avalon, another South Philadelphia resident.  Eleven of Fabian’s songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing, including “Hound Dog Man”, “Tiger”, and “Turn Me Loose”, and he later got into movies including the part of Pretty Boy Floyd in “A Bullet for Pretty Boy” (1970).

Perhaps KIA’s sedan that I drove was not named after Fabian, but my research into the matter has ended.  I will say, however, that the Forte is a “pretty boy”, as are several Hyundai and KIA vehicles since the hiring of Peter Schreyer by the corporation to head their California design studio.  This year’s model is lower, wider, and longer that those of the past, with a wheelbase of 106.3” and an overall length of 179.5”.  The Forte weighs 2,950 lbs.

My test Forte carried an M.S.R.P. of $25,515, a figure that took me a little by surprise when I withdrew the monroney from the glove box.  Included was $300 for 17” alloy wheels, $2,600 for a premium package, and $2,300 for an EX technology package.  Thus, the car was equipped with sun roof, power/ventilated driver seat, heated front buckets, push button starter, proximity smart key, heated tilt/telescope steering wheel, navigation system, satellite radio, Bluetooth/USB connectivity, and power outside folding mirrors with light stripes.

The KIA was powered by a 2.0 liter (173 hp/154 lb. ft.) four cylinder, DOHC, 16 valve engine and featured a six speed automatic transmission with manual shifting mode.  Acceleration of the Forte is reportedly zero to 60 in 7.3 seconds, and fuel economy is rated 24-city and 36-highway.  My observance was of 32 mpg during my week with the car. 

My wife and I drove the KIA to Denver for a visit as well as a trip from DIA to Greeley on Highway 85.  Ride was suitable, guidance was fine, and wind noise was not excessive.  At the airport parking lot and in Greeley I admired the Forte’s small, 34.8’ turning radius.  The car fetched a lot of onlookers with the superb styling I hinted at earlier as well as the well-designed 17” alloys, which were fitted with Nexen Classe Premiere P215/45R17 m/s radials.  Chrome door handles adorned the exterior of the car.

KIA is one of only three auto brands to increase sales in each of the last four years, and the Forte, with about 40,000 sold this year-to-date, is a key component of their success.  I can see why; it’s quite a “Tiger”.