Fireball Tim Test Drives the 2014 KIA FORTE EX - Review

2014 Kia Forte EX

By Fireball Tim Lawrence

Fireball Tim Lawrence

HOLLYWOOD USA - November 18, 2013: When I was a kid, I didn't have too many choices in cars. Not because there weren't that many, but simply because I had only one weekend to find wheels. It was high school and it was 1981!

I settled on the first car I found, which was a four-door 1977 VW Dasher in lemon yellow. It even looked like a lemon. It was a beater, but it hauled ass. Today, kids have a world of choices and those cars are very serious machines. It's totally common to have heated seats, cruise control, smartphone links and a partridge in a pear tree. It blows my mind.

2014 Kia Forte EX

After a week in the 2014 KIA FORTE EX, it was clear to me that Kia knows how to build cars. Solid a a rock, stable, safe and with a design language that's subtle yet consistent across all their models. It's not a track car, race car, rocket or anything close to a speed demon. But what it is, is a car you'd want to put your kids in and know that they're secure when they go off the college, or to pick up your dry cleaning - as they should..

Everything is well placed and thought out. It's masculine, yet in a soft and strong blend. But,… it’s also a happy car, so here's my point…

2014 Kia Forte EX

The Kia Forte exudes a positive nature. It helps for it to be in Abyss Blue, but the design just makes you feel positive about things. How it does this, I haven’t fully worked out yet, but every time I got into the car I felt like I was about to do something really fun. And you know, it made doing the most humdrum things actually fun. Maybe it was the state of mind it put me in by my not being able to nit-pick design flaws or maybe it had a secret wellness compartment that I missed.

Who cares.

I always look forward to when a Kia shows up at my door because it means I'll be able to concentrate on good things. And this, for me, says a lot about a company. I think that if I went to the top for a meeting, I'd find Mr. Kia playing video games or marbles, waiting for me.

2014 Kia Forte EX

The Forte boasts 28mpg average with the highway mileage up to 36. That saves you about $2K over five years in fuel costs. Pretty good for a car I can plunk into for around $16K. And the EX pumps about 173hp, so that’s enough get-up-and-go to help your kids get back to school, but not enough to get them into trouble.

Secure. That seems to be the motif for Kia. And that is certainly what everyone wants… Unless they want it in red…

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