A sporty looking, affordable, economical coupe.
The Forte Koup is a nice-looking car, even if I'm not a fan of the electric blue on this particular test vehicle. Inside, the coupe is very hospitable, with a black leather interior that is saved from being too dour by red stitching along the edges of the seats and a nicely laid out instrument panel that has orange/red backlighting. When I first climbed into the car I was happy to see that it had a manual gearbox -- oh, wait, it's an automatic that's masquerading as a manual, with a leather sleeve around the base of the shifter. Oh well, at least it has six forward speeds rather than the five with which it was introduced a year earlier. And this SX model has the 174-hp four-cylinder rather than the 156-hp base engine, so it's got an extra dose of power.
Photo Gallery: 2011 Kia Forte Koup SX - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine