The new 2019 Kia Forte, also known as the Cerato (as in Malaysia) and K3 (in Korea), has made its world debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Korean carmaker says that besides the more sophisticated design, the third-gen offers a “class above” interior plus a higher level of comfort, fuel efficiency and advanced driver assistance tech.
Kia says that the 2019 Forte’s design incorporates styling cues inspired by the Stinger, and it has the right proportions – a long hood and short deck for a fastback-like shape. The cowl point was moved back five inches for a more athletic stance.
The face sees a fresh approach to Kia’s tiger nose grille and an aggressive black lower valance, while the front clip is flanked by a Stinger-style headlamp design and layout, with four-point LED DRLs. Separate turn signal indicators are mounted on the bumper, where air curtains improve aerodynamics. It’s mirrored at the rear, with separate reverse and turn signal indicators located on the bumper. A trim piece connects the tail lights.
Kia says that the new Forte/Cerato/K3’s “fastback shape” improved looks and also cabin space. Overall length has increased by 81 mm to 4,640 mm, allowing for more legroom and a 428 litre boot that’s among the largest in the segment. Additional headroom results from increasing the overall height nearly a half inch (12.7 mm) to 1,440 mm, while overall width has grown to 1,798 mm.
While the extra 18 mm of width may not be noticeable to the naked eye, the layout of the dashboard creates a successful impression of width. The horizontal theme creates a sense of openness and avoids clutter with clean lines and minimal buttons that are placed below an eight-inch touchscreen. Kia says that there are increased soft-touch points, easier ingress and egress, plus improved visibility.
Building upon an already solid structure that helped the outgoing car achieve an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick Plus rating, the all-new Forte contains additional hot-stamped components and 54% advanced high-strength steel content. The seat frames are stronger and lightweight; they provide a more comfortable seating position with increased lumbar support and denser seat foam.
The new Forte has available full LED headlights and is targeted to receive the highest ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and IIHS.
Because body stiffness plays a major role in NVH, Kia worked to increase rigidity for a quieter cabin and better handling, resulting in a 16% stiffer body in white. New subframe designs help to improve lateral responsiveness, while steering feel has been enhanced. Also in are reworked suspension geometry and evolutionary improvements to throttle and brake feel.
Under the hood is a second-generation 2.0 litre Nu engine that benefits from Atkinson cycle technology and a cooled EGR system. The powerplant can be paired with either a six-speed manual or Kia’s new Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT). The engine and in-house IVT are the first of a new line of efficient “Smart Stream” powertrains that will make their way into the rest of the Kia range.
Kia says that waiting before developing its own CVT allowed engineers to research issues often associated with CVTs and apply those findings in the IVT. The rubber-band-like feel is one, and in an effort to address this, engineers built the IVT with adaptive style shift logic with a chain-type belt instead of push belt, a first in the compact class.
The carmaker says that this results in smooth and linear acceleration, and a step-shift-like feel mimics a conventional automatic at full throttle or when more acceleration is needed. Noise is another issue CVTs can sometimes face and Kia says that its IVT case is wrapped in a sound-insulating cover to help quell the typical drone associated with this type of transmission. NVH levels are lower by 5dB as a result, Kia says.
Outputs are expected to remain unchanged at an estimated 147 hp and 180 Nm. Efficiency was the top priority, and the new powertrain is estimated to return up to 35 mpg (14.9 km/l) combined, about a 3 mpg (1.3 km/l) improvement over the old car. Official EPA ratings will be announced closer to the Forte’s arrival in the US later this year.
Tech wise, the 2019 Forte comes with an eight-inch colour touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. With selected smartphones, the system has the capability to read SMS texts aloud through Bluetooth. There’s an available wireless charging tray and a 320-watt Harman Kardon sound system.
Kia’s suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) offered in its more expensive vehicles makes its way down into the Forte. In addition to Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Lane Keeping Assist, the C-segment sedan is available with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist and Smart Cruise Control.
The new Kia Cerato looks good, doesn’t it?
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Nice, but dosent it seems abit too….. Audi A3?
Hyundai has been copying Audi since foreva
Kudos to Naza KIA got all best segmen & powerhouse models. Sorento, Carnival, Picanto & now, Cerato!
As the saying goes: KIA = Koreans Imitating Audi
Anyway no harm inflicted if it looks good right?
Lmao good one
They even hired an ex-Audi designer…. but true no harm in being… well I dont think its good looking and my opinion mirrors to most Audi designs, okay is a better word. Not liking how they place the rear indicators on the bumper, Kia seems to have a habit of doing this.
Also, the AutoLikebots and Disliketicons are at it again whenever john is around.
Problem is, there shud be a diff design even if its from same designer. Porting over his old design just shows his lack of creativity and innovation. A gud designer dun mimics his previous creations.
BTW, some pipu just cant handle the truth.
Infiniti q50?
I see a lot of Altis styling cues on this new model…But more like an Altis that had put on some weight. The design just doesn’t work in this new K3.
While all is good and well with the new model but damn it the length of every new car out there keeps growing longer and longer. At 4.6m long that’s when it gets hard to park in small parking lots.
This gonna sell like a hotcake if price is right , a C segment ride with honda city , toyota vios price range
The glory days of the forte is gone. Its obvious when they raised the price of the cerato. Expect the same for this unless they completely ckd it with naza badge
The pricing will be more like Honda Civic’s.
Cerato alredi more exp than Civic. Terus no sales from launch until now.
How come I see Ceratos with new no plate on the road? But since our ‘economy’ getting better, People will opt for a better Car – Civic turbo for instance due to its Technology. They don’t mind to secure higher loans as long they can pay the monthly installment. Those on budget or least priority will go for a lesser option.
Old Ceratos plenty becoz its cheaper. But not new Cerato. Never seen on any roads or hiways. Civic pulak berlambak, just throw a stone and it will hit one.
2.0L 180Nm how to sell like a hotcake? car looks good but very slow
Looks good.. Now NKM please bring this new forte to malaysia and give us apple car play ventilation seat and active safety feature. If priceit right i’m sure it will repeat forte success
I think they need to make sure we get latest powertrain and all active safety features, apple car play, ventilated seat is far less important than these.
It’s getting stale to see same powertrain carried forward gen after gen, when overseas get new, more fuel efficient ones.
1) The New IVT is better than a CVT transmission. Chain-type belt > push belt.
2) This K3 also have the highest ratings from NHTSA & IIHS means it safer than ever.
3) Watch out other C-segment cars bcos KIA is serious in making a safer car & that is BAD news for others.
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looks more handsome now~
still in love with the 1st gen Forte design..
I do agree the original (1st gen) Forte design are more appealing.
BMW 3 Series. Hehe ….
The grille of the Cerato and 1st gen Forte looks nicer than this one. The curvature of the hood and how it flows to the grille makes it look unrefined.
Any hope the’ll restyle it before coming to Malaysia?
i think it looks distinctive.. however i just dont like centre screen design.. looks like an 80’s TV stuck on top of the dashboard
Floating screen design is like a design fad amongst car makers now. Before this is floating roof line
Lol such shame.
Apasal belakang tiru brv? Kia no more idea
Not bad, but why still hand brake, should have use electronic parking brake, save space for more storage.
I don’t like electronic handbrake.
Reason – you can’t feel it with your finger if you are about to do emergency braking.
E-brake enables Brake Hold capability which is useful in traffic jams.
The NEW Kia Cerato surely looks beautiful. Interested to own one of 1.6A SX if available.
No mention about the rear suspension type. Multilink or torsion beam?
If its based on the latest elantra then it should have independent rear suspension, not torsion beam.
China kia got 1.4T
Max power [kW/PS/hp] = 103 / 140 / 138 at 6000 rpm
Max torque [Nm/ft-lb] = 242 / 178 at 1500 rpm
T&H virus detected
Should have ditch the manual handbrake and go for electronic hand brake. But overall nice design and salute to Kia for interior makeover. Yes the design has the cue of Audi but this should not be a surprise since Kia hired Peter Schreyer from Audi as their designer. He came up with the tiger nose design for front end.
Yes, it looks really nice. The specs sound nice too. Guess it will be priced around the Honda Civic, just like the Hyundai Elantra. Ready your cash Malaysian, if you wanna buy it.
1.6T in the normal Forte pls.
I’ve owned the first batch of Forte (2010), for 7 yrs. And, it has NEVER let me down. Strong build car, spacious, and just nice for family. Problem was the re-sale value, but that doesnt bother me much. KIA makes good cars. I wont think twice to get this one ! Just hope the package is good. Smart new design too.
Why I kinda feel the steering design in the current launched Picanto is more beautiful than this Forte one.
yea…the steering looks really off….same problem with the kia stinger
When will it be available here?