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It's a bit sad not one comment has surfaced the entire day for this car. Was hoping it would come up, because I wanted to point out what clean, modern styling is all about. Very nice job by Kia. The greenhouse, trim, headlights, grille, bumpers, trunk, and wheels are all nicely and tastefully designed. Excellent proportions and the Audi influence is raging in back. The only flaw I can find are the bizarre triangles at the corners of the rear bumper. Totally unnecessary. And the rounded out part of the lower console is dated and cheesy. But Kia ought to do very good with this proper-looking sedan. I'm happy to support a company who avoids the metro-sexual hatchback look of a four-door commuter car.
It's a bit sad not one comment has surfaced the entire day for this car. Was hoping it would come up, because I wanted to point out what clean, modern styling is all about. Very nice job by Kia. The greenhouse, trim, headlights, grille, bumpers, trunk, and wheels are all nicely and tastefully designed. Excellent proportions and the Audi influence is raging in back. The only flaw I can find are the bizarre triangles at the corners of the rear bumper. Totally unnecessary. And the rounded out part of the lower console is dated and cheesy. But Kia ought to do very good with this proper-looking sedan. I'm happy to support a company who avoids the metro-sexual hatchback look of a four-door commuter car.
You are right. It looks nice. But not one comment all day is saying something IMO. Compared to the Avalon thread where you need a flame suit if you say you like it.
A nice enough small car.....but is somewhat overshadowed by the recent Ioniq/Niro and Stinger. Also, though I admit I may (?) be a little behind the times on this, I'm not totally convinced of the long-term durability of CVT transmissions. The units themselves are fairly simple and lightweight compared to conventional automatics, but the drive-belts, no matter how well they are designed, take a LOT of stress.
A nice enough small car.....but is somewhat overshadowed by the recent Ioniq/Niro and Stinger. Also, though I admit I may (?) be a little behind the times on this, I'm not totally convinced of the long-term durability of CVT transmissions. The units themselves are fairly simple and lightweight compared to conventional automatics, but the drive-belts, no matter how well they are designed, take a LOT of stress.
Unless you are an engineer, you can’t possibly predict what the drive belts of a CVT are going to do. I think they will be just fine. Toyota has been using CVTs for more that 15 years. Just thought I would remind you, were you terrified of the 8 speed in the 17 LaCrosse? So you opted for a brand new unproven transmission installed in a second year model. I would be more worried about a new tranny than a CVT that has been used for years. What difference does it make anyway? KIA has a long powertrain warranty.
Unless you are an engineer, you can’t possibly predict what the drive belts of a CVT are going to do. I think they will be just fine. Toyota has been using CVTs for more that 15 years. Just thought I would remind you, were you terrified of the 8 speed in the 17 LaCrosse? So you opted for a brand new unproven transmission installed in a new model. I would be more worried about a new tranny than a CVT that has been used for years.
Respectfully, you're wrong on two counts. First, engineering-degree or not, you can't get around the laws of physics. Drive belts in a CVT, no matter how well they are designed or how durable the materials, take a lot of stress, enduring not only the engine's torque but the whole weight of the vehicle as well, upon acceleration. Obviously, the less-aggressive one drives, the less stress the belts will take, but driving habits vary considerably among different people. Second, the 9-speed GM 9T65 transmission was not totally new and unproved when it went into some of its 2018 vehicles. The less-robust 9T50 version of that transmission (which was not designed to take as much stress as the stronger 9T65) had already been used in some Chevy products for 2017 (most notably, the 2.0T Premiere version of the Malibu, which I test-drove). There was not necessarily anything wrong with the 8-speed Aisin-designed unit that the Lacrosse used for 2017 (which I also test-drove), but according to Consumer Reports, it did have some owner-complaints about erratic shifting....and CR, fairly or not, downgraded its reliability for that. I felt, under the circumstances, and still do, that it made more sense to have a GM/Ford designed transmission in the car if there ever was a breakdown and/or spare parts were needed.
Compared to the Avalon thread where you need a flame suit if you say you like it.
It's not just us here on Car Chat, Jill. You're seeing much the same reaction from other non-CL Toyota and Lexus forums as well. It may be a good car underneath the skin, but that grille is indeed going to be controversial.
i saw somewhere this forte is a good bit bigger than the prior one (4.5" or something) so hard to see the differentiation between this and optima?
We'll have to wait and see how the new Forte drives (obviously can't comment on that right now). But one thing the Optima made its nice reputation on was the way it drives. You expect something in the Optima's mid-size class to be a little nicer than something in the Forte's class.
One thing, mistake, though that I think Kia made with the Optima's marketing. Up till a few years ago, one could get not only the sport-oriented SX Turbo, but also the EX Turbo version with the stronger engine and the standard, softer-riding tires and suspension....something you don't see much of in the auto industry. I liked the EX Turbo because it gave you both the power and ride-comfort (and briefly considered buying one). Kia, though, decided to ax the Ex Turbo, so, now, to get the turbo, you have to take the stiffer and noisier SX suspension/tires with it.
Also, though I admit I may (?) be a little behind the times on this, I'm not totally convinced of the long-term durability of CVT transmissions.
yes, completely outdated point of view. the honda cr-v for example has a cvt and they've sold ZILLIONS of them with no issues. nissan has too, although the honda one is praised more.
yes, completely outdated point of view. the honda cr-v for example has a cvt and they've sold ZILLIONS of them with no issues. nissan has too, although the honda one is praised more.
I agree...but many thousands (perhaps millions) more have also been sold with issues.
yes, completely outdated point of view. the honda cr-v for example has a cvt and they've sold ZILLIONS of them with no issues. nissan has too, although the honda one is praised more.
Agreed. There are so many used now. They are fine.
Not a bad looking car, except why do auto makers insist on making the combo lamps so large? Is it just me that thinks they look ridiculous? The redesign will look like this, probably.
01-17-18, 09:34 PM
