The new 2019 Kia Forte Koup was recently rolled out at the Detroit Auto Show. It looked less like the previous Forte and more like the highly popular Kia Stinger, which is super “hot.” To poke fun at how it might look pretty exotic on the outside but hasn’t changed much under the hood, the video Kia advertisers displayed was of the Forte outracing a Lamborghini. Offering a whole lot more storage space than the Stinger's two-seat sports car, the 2019 Forte has a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine. It also gets marks for great gas mileage: the Forte gets 35 mpg coming standard with a manual six-speed option. 

The technology of the Kia Forte has been upgraded with a touchscreen display that is easy to navigate and has all the things you need. It gives you a high-functioning system at your fingertips without going overboard with a whole lot of flash that is typically nothing more than smoke and mirrors. It’s all about the comfort; Kia understands its consumer, even going so far as to build in a little shelf for the driver to rest their weary hands while driving so that their hands don’t get too tired.

The Kia Forte comes standard with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which covers all mobile devices that consumers use. That allows you to stream your favorite music apps with ease and can help make getting where you want to go much easier - and more fun. For additional security, the Forte has added lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring features. It also contains forward collision advance, which stops the car completely if you aren’t paying attention or miss something in the way.

The dash allows you to use hands-free technology so that you don’t have to worry about taking your eyes off of the road. You can do just about everything you want using voice command, which can help prevent you from getting a distracted-driving ticket while in transit. It also allows passengers to enjoy the ride and stream music from everywhere in the car, not just from the driver and passenger seats.

Providing a highly fuel-efficient option, the Forte is the perfect alternative to the competition - the Civic and the Corolla. Although no pricing has been given to consumers just yet, it will soon be available on the market; estimates are that it will be close to the same price as competitors in the same class. 

What attracted those at the auto shows the most was the sleek design of the vehicle, including a tiger-nose grille that you can see coming. The taillights feature full-width LED accents, and its new design is not only taller by half an inch but also wider by 0.7 inches than previous models. Coming in overall at 3.2 inches longer, the car offers more legroom and a slightly larger trunk than previous years’ models.

Known for being “green-friendly,” the company touts that the new Kia improves the EPA rating by 3 mpg more than years past; since it uses a shift-logic program that simulates gear changes, consumers need not worry about the Forte’s transmission. The Atkinson cycle inline outputs 132 pounds per foot and 147 horsepower.

The Kia Forte Koup might not offer that much more power than it did in years past, but it still has the potential to attract a whole new audience. With a sleek design that looks more like a sports car than a sedan, it might just give those looking for a great-looking car the satisfaction they need at a price they can afford. The interior is durable and what you would expect from the Kia company, and the dash is simplistic, but don’t be fooled - it also has amazing functionality and thought put into its design. If you were considering the Forte last year, then you might just want to hold off and wait for the 2019 model to make its way to a dealership near you. Highly anticipated, it is sure to please an entirely new class of potential sports-car owners.