2017 Kia Forte

For 2017 (the facelift year), Kia replaced the old 1.8L base engine with a new 147-hp 2.0L Nu MPI four, which powers the volume LX and S trims. Only the EX gets the 164-hp 2.0L GDI, and the 1.6T stayed exclusive to the Forte5 hatchback.

132 lb-ft sits at the bottom of the sedan band, typical of naturally aspirated compacts of the era.

Verified tests of the 147-hp 2017 automatic cluster around 8.3–8.7 s, a leisurely pace near the slow end of the sedan band.

The new 2.0L MPI is smooth and adequate around town and an improvement over the old 1.8L, but it gets buzzy and strained during hard highway merges.

The updated conventional six-speed automatic shifts smoothly without CVT drone, though it is slow to kick down. A six-speed manual is standard on the base LX.

Every 2017 Forte sedan is front-wheel drive; no trim offers AWD.

The sedan offers two 2.0L gas fours (147-hp MPI, 164-hp GDI) with a manual or an automatic. It has no turbo, hybrid or electrified option.

The volume LX/S automatic returns 32 mpg combined, competitive for a non-hybrid 2017 compact. The EX's GDI engine and the manual drop to 28.

29 mpg city is respectable for a gas compact without hybrid assistance.

38 mpg highway is a strong figure for a 2017 gas compact, one mpg better than the 2018 rating.

The small 13.2-gallon tank limits range to about 420 miles at the combined rating, below the sedan band's midpoint.

About $2,100 a year at EPA's current fuel-price basis: cheap next to larger vehicles, but well above any compact hybrid.

Every 2017 Forte sedan configuration runs on 87-octane regular, so there is no premium-fuel penalty.

The 2017 Forte sedan earned a 5-star overall NHTSA rating, but its frontal crash score was 4 stars for both driver and passenger.

The 2017 Forte won Top Safety Pick+, but the award applies only to cars built after March 2017 that also have optional AEB and specific headlights. Passenger-side small overlap was Acceptable, so the volume LX/S car does not itself qualify, and early-build cars fall outside the driver-side small-overlap rating that applies to the award.

No driver-assistance features are standard on the LX or S. AEB, lane departure warning/prevention and blind-spot detection come only in optional Technology/Premium packages, and adaptive cruise is not offered.

The optional AEB earned IIHS's top Superior rating in vehicle-to-vehicle tests. It is package-only and predates IIHS pedestrian and nighttime testing, so pedestrian performance was never rated.

Blind Spot Detection with rear cross-traffic alert is offered only on upper trims and packages and is unavailable on the volume LX. Both systems alert only and never intervene.

Lane departure warning and a basic lane-departure-prevention nudge are optional on upper packages. There is no lane centering, and the volume trims have no lane assistance.

Only conventional cruise control is offered. Adaptive Smart Cruise Control did not reach the Forte sedan until the 2019 redesign.

No 2017 Forte offers hands-free driving or even hands-on lane-centering highway assist.

IIHS rated four headlight variants. Only the later-build HID curve-adaptive lamps on upper trims earn Good. The halogen projectors on the volume LX/S, and even HID cars built before August 2016, rate Poor, and auto high beams are not available.

This is a conventional compact sedan with typical forward sightlines and moderate rear-quarter blind zones. A rearview camera is available, but there is no 360-degree view, and blind-spot monitoring is only optional.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable, with two full LATCH positions and a tether-only center seat. The rear seat fits two child seats; three across is tight.

The facelifted second-generation (YD) Forte sedan seats five on every 2017 trim, the norm for compact sedans.

Front headroom is generous for the class, and the volume LX has no sunroof to cut into it.

Front legroom is about average for the class and the same on every trim.

Rear headroom is adequate for most adults. Legroom is where the back seat falls short.

At 35.9 in, rear legroom trails the 2017 Civic and Corolla and is the Forte's clearest space shortfall.

A 14.9 cu ft trunk is mid-pack for a compact sedan.

Storage is conventional: a console bin, door pockets, cupholders and a front tray, plus a sliding front armrest and rear-seat armrest in the LX Popular Package. Nothing goes beyond the class norm.

The front seats are fine for commuting but basic on the volume LX, which has manual adjustment and cloth upholstery (upgraded for 2017). A power driver's seat with memory comes only in the EX Premium package, and the rear bench is tight for legs.

Reviewers of the facelifted Forte found the ride mature and comfortable for the class, but the torsion-beam rear handles sharp impacts poorly and lets the body bob. The S gets a firmer sport-tuned suspension.

For an economy compact the cabin was praised as quiet at a cruise, with little road or wind noise. The 2.0L turns buzzy when worked hard.

Comfort equipment is sparse where most buyers shop: the LX and S get manual A/C and no heated seats. Dual-zone automatic climate with rear vents and heated front seats are limited to the EX, cooled seats are an EX package option, and remote start is not offered.

The refreshed 2017 Forte LX manual was one of the cheapest new compact sedans of its year, well under the sedan band floor.

The LX automatic is the volume configuration, at about $18.5k delivered. That is well below the sedan band floor.

Edmunds-style TCO projections for this generation of LX run to about $6.5k, while CarEdge puts the nameplate at only about $1.95k. This is a conservative blend leaning on the TCO methodology the rest of the fleet uses, trimmed slightly for the 2017 LX's simpler port-injected base engine.

The 2017 cohort reached five years old in 2022, at the height of the used-car price spike, which propped up its resale value. Pre-pandemic projections for Kia compacts were nearer 45–50%, so this is a blended estimate.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty is among the longest in the industry.

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty is best in class, though it drops to 5 yr/60k for second owners.

The 2017 Forte came with no complimentary scheduled maintenance. Perks were limited to 5-yr/60k-mile roadside assistance plus a UVO trial on equipped trims, which puts it at the bottom of the basic-roadside band.

$18,495 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (55% retained, or about $10,172) leaves about $8,323 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,200 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $14,523 in total.

2017 was the facelift year of the second-generation (YD) Forte, which ran MY2014-2018 (Wikipedia: restyled headlights, grille and bumper for 2017, and the 2.0L Nu MPI replaced the 1.8L in LX). The sources disagree. J.D. Power's Quality & Reliability score of 71/100 is lower than the 2018 car's 78, and Consumer Reports and owner-complaint data put engine misfires, knocking and oil burning at the top of the problem list. The 2017 Forte did top the J.D. Power IQS compact segment, but that measures only the first 90 days, so the long-term outlook is average-to-below.

In 2016-2017 Kia was an above-average mass-market brand. It was the top non-premium brand in J.D. Power's IQS for consecutive years and placed in the upper half of the VDS. The Hyundai-Kia Theta/Nu engine-failure campaigns and class settlement weigh against that record.

NHTSA lists three recalls for the 2017 Forte, and two of them touch safety-critical systems. In one, an airbag control unit may fail so the airbags don't deploy (410k units across Kia models). In another, oil-pump contamination can cause engine damage on the 2.0L Nu MPI volume engine, though only a narrow build window is affected. The third is the trunk emergency-release latch. Add the KSDS knock-sensor campaign for 2.0L GDI cars and inclusion in the engine class settlement, and the engine-related service activity rates below average.

The volume LX/S trims pair the port-injected 2.0L Nu MPI four (147 hp), new to the Forte for 2017, with a conventional 6-speed automatic, a simple and generally long-lived layout. The Nu family nevertheless drew rod-bearing knock and oil-consumption complaints, an oil-pump recall and a place in the engine class settlement. The EX's 2.0L GDI (164 hp) carried the KSDS campaign. The record is mixed rather than proven.

The facelifted cabin is neatly designed and well equipped for the price. It is mostly hard plastic on the volume LX/S trims, with soft-touch surfaces and leather kept for the EX. Materials are competitive for an economy compact but don't stand out.

The 2017 Forte was the highest-ranked compact car in J.D. Power's 2017 Initial Quality Study, and reviewers note solid assembly with no recurring rattle or panel-gap complaints. That strong initial quality earns this slightly more than the 2018 car's 72.

Kia's roughly 750-800 US dealers give adequate metro and suburban coverage, but the rural footprint is thinner than Toyota's, Honda's or the Detroit brands'. Kia's service satisfaction trailed the mass-market leaders in this era. The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty for original owners partly offsets that.

This is a high-volume economy compact that shares its 2.0L Nu engine and 6-speed automatic with the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Soul, so OEM and aftermarket parts are plentiful and cheap. Routine repair costs fall below the compact-car average. An engine replacement outside the recall or settlement is the main cost risk.

The volume LX, sold mostly with the Popular Package, gets a 4.3-in touchscreen, which is below the bottom of the band. The S and EX step up to a 7-in UVO3 screen, the largest offered.

Kia's systems were simple and quick, with physical knobs and buttons, and reviewers praised the easy controls. The volume LX's 4.3-in screen is cramped, however, and only the S and EX get the better 7-in UVO3 unit.

Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto debuted for 2017 but only on the S and EX's UVO3 system. The volume LX, even with the Popular Package, has no phone projection, and wireless projection was not offered on any trim.

Native navigation is limited to an EX package. The volume LX relies on basic Bluetooth voice commands and has no phone projection to fill the gap.

The base LX has four speakers, while the Popular Package, S and EX have six. No branded premium audio is offered on any trim, which is weak even for the class.

The gauges are analog with a center display. The S and EX upgrade to a Supervision cluster with a 4.2-in color TFT screen, but no trim gets a full-digital cluster.

The 2017 Forte has no over-the-air software updates. Map and head-unit updates on EX navigation units required a dealer visit or USB download.

UVO eServices on the S/EX offered phone-tethered diagnostics and maintenance reminders, but the Forte had no embedded modem. That meant no remote start, remote lock or vehicle locate, and the volume LX lacks UVO entirely.

Device power is limited to a front USB-A port, an aux jack and a 12V outlet. There is no USB-C, no rear-seat charging and no wireless charging on the volume trims.

The volume LX uses a conventional key with remote keyless entry. A smart key with push-button start is standard only on the EX (an S option), and remote start was not offered.

A rear camera comes on the LX Popular Package, S and EX, though the volume LX shows it on a small 4.3-in screen and the base LX goes without. There are no surround-view cameras, and parking sensors are not offered.

No 2017 Forte trim offered a head-up display.

There are two LATCH positions rated Acceptable for ease of use, and the 14.9 cu ft trunk takes a folded stroller. With 35.9 in of rear legroom, rear-facing seats are a tight fit.

Crash results are good: a 5-star NHTSA overall rating, plus IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for cars built after March 2017 with the right options. The volume LX has no AEB, blind-spot or lane aids, though, and its halogen headlights rate Poor.

The ride is comfortable and the cabin quiet for the class, but rear legroom is tight and the volume trims lack rear vents, rear USB and heated seats. The trunk holds a weekend's luggage.

It is an easy commuter, with a smooth conventional 6-speed automatic, light controls and a quiet cabin, though cruise control on the LX requires the Popular Package. The 147-hp engine needs a heavy foot for merges.

At 32 mpg combined on regular fuel, with cheap tires and consumables, the Forte is inexpensive to commute in, though it trails hybrids and the best CVT compacts.

A compact footprint and a tight 34.8-ft turning circle make it easy in town. The camera on the volume LX displays on a small 4.3-in screen, and parking sensors are not offered.

With no tow rating and a modest sedan trunk, the Forte is not a work vehicle.

This lightweight economy car holds up in commuter fleet use but is not built for abuse. Its simple torsion-beam chassis and new-for-2017 2.0L Nu MPI engine have a decent record.

There is no onboard power beyond a 12V outlet, no hitch provision and no upfit ecosystem.

A quiet cabin and 38-mpg highway rating help, but the small 13.2-gal tank (about 420 miles combined), basic seats and lack of adaptive cruise or lane centering limit it on long hauls.

Front-drive only, with low ground clearance and no tow rating, it is pavement-bound. A trunk-mount bike rack is about its limit.

The 14.9 cu ft trunk and split-folding rear seat handle normal luggage, but the sedan opening and lack of roof rails or a hitch make bulky gear a squeeze.

Handling is secure with a mildly sporty edge, sharpened on the new-for-2017 S trim by its sport-tuned suspension, but the body bobs over sharp impacts. It trails the Mazda3 and Civic.

The electric steering is quick, with a 15.7:1 ratio, and well weighted, and it firms up in Sport mode on the S/EX. It still offers little road feedback.

Four-wheel discs stopped the car from 60 mph in a respectable 119 ft, but testers found the pedal hard and short and noted gradual fade.

The new 147-hp 2.0L MPI and conventional 6-speed automatic are smooth and predictable, with no stop/start or CVT oddities. Response is only adequate, and the transmission is slow to kick down.

The engine is quiet at a cruise and under moderate throttle but turns buzzy and strained near redline during merges.

A 34.8-ft turning circle is among the tightest in the compact-sedan class.

A tilt-and-telescoping wheel and height-adjustable driver's seat are standard, and the controls are logically laid out with physical knobs. A power driver's seat with lumbar is limited to an EX package.

It is competent but appliance-like. The 1.6T is offered only on the Forte5 and Koup, so no sedan trim has real verve.

The base price is low, but the base LX is sparse: smartphone integration with the 7-inch UVO touchscreen comes in the $900 LX Popular Package and up. AEB, lane-departure warning and blind-spot monitoring are optional rather than standard, and leather, dual-zone climate and smart key are EX-only. That is competitive for the price but not loaded.

It undercuts the Civic, Corolla and Mazda3 at comparable trims, and the 164-hp GDI EX costs about $22.2k delivered with leather and dual-zone climate. That makes it standout value even though it is not class-leading to drive.

The sedan comes in three trims (LX, the new S, and EX) with an LX manual and option packages. It is a narrow ladder, with no turbo sedan, no AWD and no hybrid.

With about 118k US sales in 2017, the refreshed Forte was a solid mid-pack compact, but it was far behind the Civic and Corolla at 300k+.

In 2017 Kia was still seen as the budget alternative to Honda, Toyota and Mazda. Strong J.D. Power initial-quality results were lifting its reputation, but there was no halo product yet.

In a pre-pandemic sedan market with plenty of inventory, the Forte commonly carried cash rebates and low-APR financing, even in its refreshed year.

The 2017 is the mid-cycle facelift of the second-generation Forte, launched for 2014. It got new styling, a new S trim, a new Atkinson-cycle base engine, an updated 6AT and newly available AEB, but the all-new 2019 was only two model years away.

Reviewers praised the refreshed Forte's value, features and warranty, and it earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ when properly equipped. It trailed the Civic, Mazda3 and Golf in comparisons on driving dynamics and refinement.