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2019 Kia Forte is ready for prime time

Kia's compact sedan is all new for 2019 and should give cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla a run for their money.

Manuel Carrillo III
A Porsche 911 S brought Manuel Carrillo III home from the hospital after he was born, so it's no surprise his lifelong trajectory has centered on cars, leading him to a robust career creating rich automotive media for publications prior to joining CNET.

The Southern California native briefly lived in Sydney, and is proud to have developed a barely passable Aussie accent. He also serves on the board of directors of the Motor Press Guild. When not reviewing cars or nerding out on OEM premium audio, you can find manual-labor-averse Manuel doing his best to convince his closest friends to fix the very Porsche that delivered him home.
Manuel Carrillo III
2019 Kia Forte
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The Kia Forte is all new for 2019 and is more competitive than ever.

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It's also now one of the better-looking sedans in its class.

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The Forte starts at $17,690 and totals to $23,010 as-tested, including $895 for destination.

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With every option box ticked, the Forte can surpass $26,000.

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All Fortes come with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque connected to the front wheels via a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission.

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My Forte EX tester returns an EPA-estimated 30/40 city/highway mpg. After 825 miles, I saw 35.3 mpg.

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With 15.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity, the Forte's trunk space sits near the top of the class, even beating the midsize Toyota Camry by 0.2 cubic feet.

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There's plenty of room inside the Forte for up to five occupants.

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Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on an 8-inch touchscreen. Compulsory driver-assistance features include collision-mitigation braking and one of the better lane-keep assist systems on the market.

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Click or scroll further for more photos of the 2019 Kia Forte.

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