2014 Kia Forte Wins Compact Sedan Challenge

CHICAGO--Nov. 11, 2013: Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used cars, has named the 2014 Kia Forte the winner of the site's Compact Sedan Challenge. The challenge put seven compacts against each other in a series of expert and car shopper testing to determine which was the best overall compact sedan. In addition to the winning 2014 Kia Forte, other competitors included the 2014 Ford Focus, 2013 Honda Civic, 2013 Hyundai Elantra, 2013 Subaru Impreza, 2013 Nissan Sentra and 2014 Toyota Corolla.

"The Forte truly stood out against the competition," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com's Editor-in-Chief. "Between its dynamic exterior styling, impressive standard features for the price and excellent ride and handling, the 2014 Forte is a well-rounded car that checks off all the boxes of the perfect, affordable compact sedan."

Experts from Cars.com, USA Today, MotorWeek and a car shopper in the market for a new compact sedan tested the seven cars over several days and compared overall features, comfort, fuel efficiency and drivability.

Tests included:

200 miles of driving on varying roads to test each car for real-world fuel economy. One day of round-robin driving where each expert tested each car on the same route back-to-back to gather overall impressions on drive, features and comfort. Testing by a car shopper in the market for a compact sedan who evaluated each car's overall comfort, features, styling and drivability.

"It's a common misconception that midsize sedans are the most purchased cars in the U.S.," said Olsen. "In reality, compact sedans are the most popular segment of cars worldwide. Compacts tend to be less-expensive entry-level cars that appeal to a wide range of buyers, and while you won't find any performance engines or extravagant features in them, shoppers will be surprised to see just how much the average compact sedan comes with at a truly affordable price point."