Kia Kreates a Koup
Well, what have we here? What we have is the Kia Forte Koup, which is a two-door sibling to the Kia Forte sedan (which is actually quite interesting its ownself). I actually met this chap at an excellent party thrown during the NYC Internat'l Auto Show, like, two years ago. The car was parked in a small and very cool little art gallery, and shrouded (except for a portion of the front bumper and one headlight) in a fashionable wrap. It was a pretty clever way to tease the sportiest Kia we've ever seen, although it did take a pretty long time for it to appear in showrooms.
Anyway, it's finally on the road and very different than what I expected. First, it's very affordable. From a styling standpoint, I think it's pretty outstanding. The overall form is well proportioned; with fast, swoopy lines that are familiar yet manages to have a look all its own. Inside, there are some pleasant surprises. The seats are pleasingly supportive with great lateral bolsters and the big thing is this tight little Coup (Sorry. Koup) has more room than you would expect. Even the rear seat can handle actual humans, and it's pretty comfy which is unusual in this class. They have done a nice job with this creature in all the things that will please folks who want something that says "hey, lookit me," and yet you can take a few folks along without excessive bitching, as long as they aren't Ents. There's a decent-sized trunk, too, and 60/40 foldable seatbacks so there is some practicality in this K-Car. Where I was disappointed was the performance, for while it wasn't a slug (and I had the larger of the two Inline Fours but a 4-Speed Automatic) you just wanted more given the look and atmosphere of the cockpit. Handling is reasonably crisp, with decent suspension compliance. Brakes were a high point, with really short stopping distances and excellent feedback. But hey, the price of admission is such that it's not hard to realize why this is a front-drive inline Four instead a Rear-drive V6 or V8-powered Road Warrior in a tux. Once I got around that, I say well done. I just was completely seduced when I first saw the thing and was thinking it might be a Kia-ized Genesis coup (Hyundai owns Kia) but they decided to go their own way and keep it affordable and economical. Because of this, it sort of occupies its own niche which can be a very good thing as long as said niche appeals to enough customers. We shall see, but I think it might do well.