The top 5 ended up looking like this: 1st Place: Kia Forte, 2nd Place: Mazda3, 3rd Place: Dodge Dart, 4th Place: Honda Civic, 5th Place: Nissan Sentra.
Read on to find out what factors the folks at Motor Trend used to decide.
Ride & Handling Kia has always had something of a reputation for delivering vehicles that don’t always have the smoothest of rides.
The 2014 Forte completely bucked that trend by being easy to handle, having a firm ride, and almost have a sporty, responsive feel.
Performance: This was another area where the Kia Forte had a distince edge of the other cars.
Not only did it go fro 0-60 mph a half second faster, it also had the shortest stopping distance by about 2 feet. It fairly zipped around the figure-eight test track, delivering good grip in the process.
When taken to the streets, the Forte displayed a little more power than the other contenders, with the transmission working quickly and efficiently.
Efficiency: Most folks are already aware of the fuel economy issues Kia had with the EPA last year, with many of their numbers being dropped.
The Forte was not affected by that move, but the new version still aims to do better yet. The new model was able to deliver a 24.4 mpg city rating, despite the dact it has the most horsepower and second-highest torque rating.
That rating sits right in the EPA estimated city/highway ratings of 24/36 mpg.
Safety: People look at safety as one of the top factors when deciding to buy, so it’s no real surprise trhat all the cars performed well.
The Kia Forte has yet to be put through its crash test paces yet, and as it’s a complete redesign rather than a refresh, we can onlu guess as to how well it might perform.
Looking at the old Forte, though, it received good ratings and was a Top Safety Pick. The belief is that the new model will actually do even better.
Value: The compact segment is one where value for money ios a major consideration.
That was especially true with the Motor Trend test (more details), as all of the cars in the list came with a bevvy of high-priced options such as navigation systems, leather seats, keyless entry, and more.
The all new 2014 Forte was the one that really took the cake here, though, with power front seats that are both heated and cooled, heated rear seats, power-folding side mirrors, a heated steering wheel, multiple steering modes, and more, all for a mid-pack price of $25,610.
If you combine all that with the fuel economy and a warranty that is second to none, it’s easy to see why the Kia Forte delivers a great value to the buyer.
Comparison Test Conclusion
Each of the above factors, and how they would impact the average buyer, were taken into consideration to come up with the result.Motor Trend had the relatively eassy decision of making the 2014 Kia Forte the winner of the comparison test, as it’s combination of performance, fuel efficiency, reasonable pricing, and endless feature list was what truly impressed the judges.
Courtesy of kia-world.net
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