A Nice Koup; Kia Forte Koup

THE Forte deserves credit for being the car that changed our perception towards Kia. Kia vehicles today have gone through drastic improvements, mainly in terms of design.

Credit goes mainly to popular designer Peter Schreyer, who changed the way Kia vehicles look, with his signature tiger grille. After the design revamp, the model that became the new "face" of Kia in the Malaysian market was the Forte. Introduced here in 2009, it became a segment leader not only due to its good looks, but also because of how affordable it is.
In fact, the Forte is the most affordable non-national C-segment car today. While many of us were wondering what else Kia had hiding up its sleeves, it came out with the Forte Koup, arguably the most stylish Kia in its stable at the moment.
In terms of exterior design, the Koup has all the characteristics of a sports car.

The frameless door, 17-inch alloy wheels, powered sunroof and twin pipes give the Koup an appearance so bold that those who don't know cars will immediately assume that it is a powerful sports car.
In fact, the most common questions passers-by and our friends asked us when they saw the Koup was "how fast can it go?"
Inside, the cabin looks just as stylish as the exterior. The dashboard, speedometer and centre console feature red accents, giving a sporty appearance. Front bucket seats and rear passenger seats are leather clad and provide good support at all time.

Despite being a two-door coupe, the amount of legroom available in the Koup’s rear exceeded our expectations. Two adults can sit comfortably in the rear. With so much space in the rear, luggage space is not compromised at all. Boot space stands at 440 litres.
Our favourite in the Koup is the speaker control function, where a touch of a button turns on the LED lights around the speakers. The “mood” and brightness can be changed as well, making it feel like you are sitting in a discotheque on wheels.
This feature might not serve any solid purpose, but in our opinion, it is functions like these that make driving the Koup a bit more exciting.
Under the hood, power is supplied by Kia's 2-litre CVVT engine that produces 154hp and 194Nm of maximum torque, and mated with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
As much as it looks like a sports car, the Koup does not really behave like one. With maximum torque kicking in only after 4,300 rpm, it is a car that is more suitable for highway cruising.
It is not a sluggish car, but we could feel the engine stressing itself to a certain extent when we slammed the accelerator to overtake.

In terms of handling, the Koup fared well around corners and urban roads, thanks to its agility, level of grip that the 17-inch tyres provided, and the lower body.
However, it is not advisable to push the car too hard because its steering was not as responsive as we expected it to be. The steering felt exactly the same as the 1.6 Forte which we drove some time ago.
Besides these minor hiccups, it is a fun car to drive, especially with the sunroof providing some extra breeze, and the impressive audio system with iPod connectivity playing your favourite songs.
Overall, the Forte Koup wins big in terms of styling, both inside and outside. It is not the most powerful or best handling coupe out there, but it packs enough punch to make a journey enjoyable.
At RM115,800, what it has to offer is worth every sen.

Specifications of the Kia Forte Koup
Engine: 2.0 DOHC MPI CVVT Theta II
Displacement: 1,998cc
Transmission: Six-speed automatic with paddle-shifter
Max power: 154hp at 6,200 rpm
Max torque: 194Nm at 4,300 rpm
Features: Six airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, rear parking assist, power sunroof, sound mood lamp
Price: RM115,800 (on the road with insurance)