2019 Kia Forte

Every 2019 Forte, including the volume LXS, uses the 147-hp 2.0L Atkinson-cycle four, which sits at the bottom of the sedan band. The 201-hp 1.6T GT did not arrive until the 2020 model year.

132 lb-ft arriving high in the rev range puts the Forte near the floor of the sedan torque band, and in 2019 there was no turbo alternative.

Instrumented 2019 runs span 8.1 s (MotorWeek) to 8.7 s (Edmunds), so ~8.3 s is representative. That is typical for a non-turbo compact and slow against the sedan band.

The 2.0L MPI is smooth and quiet at a cruise but flat at low revs, and it gets coarse and loud when worked toward its high torque peak for passing or merging.

2019 debuted Kia's first CVT (IVT), whose chain belt and simulated shift points keep it more natural than most CVTs in daily driving, though it still drones under full throttle. A 6-speed manual was offered on the base FE.

Every 2019 Forte is front-wheel drive; AWD was never offered on any trim.

The 2019 Forte offers a single engine — the 147-hp 2.0L — with only a choice of IVT or (FE-only) 6-speed manual. No turbo, hybrid or electrified option existed until the 1.6T GT arrived for 2020.

The volume LXS pairs the 147-hp Atkinson-cycle 2.0L with the IVT for 34 mpg combined — a point better than later model years and strong for a non-hybrid compact, though no electrified Forte existed.

30 mpg in town is respectable for a gas compact, but stop-start driving is where rival hybrids pull well ahead.

Highway cruising is the Forte's strength: the Atkinson-cycle 2.0L and the IVT's tall top ratio deliver 40 mpg, near the front of non-hybrid compacts.

A 14.0-gallon tank at 34 mpg combined gives about 476 miles between fills — adequate for a gas compact but short of the class's hybrids.

On EPA standard assumptions the 2.0L IVT Forte costs about $1,950 a year to fuel — cheap, but several hundred dollars more than a compact hybrid.

Every 2019 Forte configuration runs on 87-octane regular, with no premium penalty or fuel complication.

NHTSA rated the redesigned 2019 Forte 4 stars overall. The frontal result is 4 stars, with only 3 stars for the front passenger, while the side barrier and side pole tests are a clean 5 stars.

The 2019 Forte was redesigned for that model year. It earned a 2019 Top Safety Pick+ with Good results in every crashworthiness test in force at the time, but the award applies only with the LED headlights from the S Premium or EX Launch Edition. The volume LXS's Poor halogen headlights disqualify it. IIHS later ran its updated side test on this generation (rating applies to 2019–24 models), and the Forte rated Poor.

Every 2019 Forte has Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (vehicle detection only), lane departure warning and prevention, and driver attention warning as standard. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings start at the S trim, so the volume LXS has neither. Adaptive cruise comes only in the EX Launch Edition package.

The standard camera-based AEB rates Superior vehicle-to-vehicle and avoided collisions at both 12 and 25 mph. Pedestrian detection is limited to the EX, where it rates Advanced, so the volume LXS has none. There is no nighttime pedestrian result.

Blind-spot collision warning and rear cross-traffic collision warning only alert the driver; they cannot brake or steer. Both are offered on the S and EX but not on the FE or the volume LXS.

Lane keeping assist and lane departure warning are standard on every trim, but the system nudges the car away from the line rather than centering it in the lane. Lane centering (Lane Following Assist) arrived only with the 2022 refresh.

The FE, LXS and S have conventional cruise control only. Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is limited to the EX Launch Edition package and is not paired with lane centering.

No 2019 Forte trim offers hands-free highway driving, and the car lacks even hands-on lane centering.

Only the optional LED projector headlights with high-beam assist rate Good. The halogen headlights on the FE, LXS, base S and base EX rate Poor, and the volume LXS has those.

Forward and side sightlines are reasonable for a compact sedan. The new fastback-style roofline and thick C-pillars restrict the over-the-shoulder view. Only a rear-view camera compensates, with no surround view.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable. Both outboard rear seats have full sets of lower anchors plus top tethers, but the anchors sit deep in the seat bight. Rear legroom is adequate, though a rear-facing seat is tight behind a tall driver.

The redesigned third-generation (BD) Forte sedan seats five on every 2019 trim, like the rest of the compact-sedan class.

Front headroom is above the compact-sedan midpoint. The volume LXS cannot be ordered with a sunroof, so it gets the full figure.

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

Rear headroom is better than the new fastback roofline suggests. The back seat's real shortfall is legroom.

The redesign made the car 3.2 in longer, but at 35.7 in rear legroom is still the Forte's clearest space deficit against the Civic and Corolla-class leaders.

A 15.3 cu ft trunk is among the largest in the mainstream compact-sedan class. On the LXS the 60/40 split-folding rear seat extends it.

Everyday storage is conventional: a console bin, door pockets, cupholders and a front tray. The LXS has no rear armrest (it starts on the S), and the dual USB chargers and optional wireless charger are EX-only. There is no clever storage feature to lift it.

Some reviewers call the seats supportive, but on the volume trims they are basic cloth with a 6-way manual driver's seat and no lumbar adjustment. The 10-way power seat with lumbar is reserved for the EX.

This is the weakest comfort trait. The firm torsion-beam rear suspension makes the ride stiff and less refined than the class leaders, and it turns busy on broken pavement.

Launch reviews rated the 2019 cabin quieter than many rivals. Road noise is well controlled, though some wind and traffic noise comes through the doors. There is no acoustic glass or active noise cancellation.

Comfort equipment is sparse where most buyers shop. Heated and ventilated front seats are standard only on the top EX. Dual-zone automatic climate is an upper-trim feature, and there is no heated steering wheel or factory remote start on the volume trim.

The redesigned 2019 Forte FE manual is among the cheapest new compact sedans of its year, well below the sedan band floor.

The LXS is the volume trim. At about $20.1k delivered, it sits below the sedan band floor.

Edmunds has no 2019 TCO record, so this uses the carry-over 2020 LXS figure (same 2.0L/IVT powertrain). It reflects typical economy-car maintenance plus modest repairs. CarEdge's lower nameplate figure counts repairs net of warranty work.

CarEdge market data shows the 2019 Forte still holding about 62.6% of its original price. That is helped by the post-2021 used-car price spike, which landed in this cohort's five-year window. The figure is in line with the nameplate's 61% five-year average.

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. It drops to 5 yr/60k for subsequent owners.

There was no included scheduled maintenance. The perks are 5-yr/unlimited-mile roadside assistance plus a UVO trial on equipped trims, which puts it in the basic-roadside band.

$20,115 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (62% retained, or about $12,471) leaves about $7,644 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $14,144 in total.

2019 is the launch year of the third-generation (BD) Forte and the debut of Kia's first CVT (IVT), and the sources split sharply: J.D. Power rates it 83/100 ("Great") while Consumer Reports scored the 2019-2022 Forte 39/100 with 1/5 predicted reliability, near the bottom of 14 compacts. Mixed signals on a first-year powertrain put it below the later carry-over years.

Kia ranked well in J.D. Power studies in this era (top mass-market brand in the 2019 Initial Quality Study, upper-mid in the 2019 VDS) and placed upper-mid pack in Consumer Reports brand rankings, but was not yet the consistent VDS mass-market leader it became from 2021.

Two small-population NHTSA recalls (1,754 units for LED low-beam aim; 834 units for a non-heat-treated left front driveshaft), neither systemic. The launch-year IVT drew a TSB (TSBTRA080) for IVT assembly replacement plus shudder/hesitation software updates, which keeps it below the cleanest compacts.

The 147-hp port-injected 2.0L Nu MPi four carried over from the prior generation has a solid record, but 2019 was the first year of Kia's chain-belt IVT and these early cars drew the most transmission complaints and some IVT replacements before calibration updates. Below the later 2021-2022 cars on that first-year risk.

The new Stinger-inspired cabin (floating touchscreen, round vents) is well designed and well assembled, but hard plastics dominate on the volume LXS, with soft-touch trim reserved for EX. Competitive for an economy compact, not class-leading.

The 2019 Forte ranked first in the Compact Car segment of J.D. Power's 2019 Initial Quality Study, the first of four consecutive segment wins, which directly measures early owner-reported build defects. No panel-gap or rattle complaint theme in reviews.

Kia's roughly 775 US dealers give adequate metro coverage but a thinner rural footprint than Toyota or Honda, and Kia sat below mass-market leaders in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index. The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which covers the IVT, offsets part of that.

Running costs are low: RepairPal puts the Forte's average annual repair cost at $451 against a $526 compact average. The 2.0L MPi and IVT are shared across Hyundai-Kia compacts, so parts are cheap and abundant; a point below later years only for the IVT-replacement exposure outside warranty.

Every 2019 Forte, LXS included, uses an 8-inch touchscreen. A 10.25-inch screen did not appear until the facelifted 2022 model.

Kia's 8-inch system is simple, responsive and logically laid out, with physical audio and climate controls. The small screen and basic graphics keep it below the best in class.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2019 trim, but only over a cable; no trim offers wireless projection. Standard wired support keeps it at the top of the low band.

The volume LXS has no built-in navigation, only the 8-inch audio unit, and its voice control is a basic button-activated command system. Native navigation is optional on the EX only, so most owners navigate through wired phone projection.

The LXS gets six speakers against the FE's four, and they sound adequate. The 320 W, 8-speaker Harman Kardon system is offered only as an EX option.

The volume LXS has analog gauges around a small 3.5-inch monochrome display. A 4.2-inch color TFT is an EX option, and no trim offers a full-digital cluster.

The 2019 Forte has no over-the-air vehicle updates. The volume LXS has no connected services at all, and head-unit and map updates go by USB download.

The volume LXS has no telematics and no factory remote start, so the app does nothing for it. UVO eServices on the S and EX is phone-tethered and offers only limited functions such as vehicle diagnostics and trip info.

The LXS has a single front USB media port and a 12V outlet. Dual USB chargers come only on the EX, and wireless charging is an EX option. There is no USB-C and no rear port on the volume trim.

The volume LXS has remote keyless entry and a conventional turn-key ignition. Smart key, push-button start and Smart Trunk are exclusive to the top EX trim, and no trim offers phone-as-key or factory remote start.

The only parking aid on the volume LXS is the rear camera. Rear parking sensors are an EX option, and no trim offers surround view or automated parking.

No 2019 Forte trim or package offers a head-up display. That is typical for an economy compact sedan.

The 15.3 cu ft trunk easily takes a full-size stroller, and the LXS adds a 60/40 split-folding rear seat. Against that, 35.7 in of rear legroom crowds a rear-facing seat, and IIHS rates LATCH only Acceptable.

The 2019 Forte earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with Good results in every crash test, but only with the optional LED headlights. The volume LXS has Poor-rated halogens. Blind-spot warning is unavailable on the LXS, and NHTSA rates the car 4 stars overall with a 3-star front-passenger result.

The large trunk handles a family's luggage and the cabin is quiet. The rest of the road-trip case is weak: rear legroom is tight, and the LXS has no rear armrest, no rear USB and no heated seats. The ride is stiff over broken roads.

As a commuter it is easy to drive: compact, with a tight 34.8 ft turning circle, a smooth IVT praised for avoiding rubber-band feel, and simple physical controls. Equipment limits it. Adaptive cruise is EX-only, the volume trim has a turn key and no heated seats, and the stiff ride shows on rough roads.

It is cheap to buy and run. The IVT car returns 34 MPG combined (35 for the FE IVT) on regular fuel, and Kia's 10-year powertrain warranty helps. Without a hybrid version it cannot match the Corolla Hybrid or Ioniq.

With a 182.7 in length and a 34.8 ft curb-to-curb turning circle, it is easy to place in town. The new fastback's thick C-pillars limit rear sightlines, and the volume trim has only the rear camera, with no sensors.

This is not a work vehicle. Kia publishes no US tow rating, there is no bed, and hauling is limited to the 15.3 cu ft trunk behind a 147 hp front-drive four.

The simple port-injected 2.0L, the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and heavy rental-fleet use count in its favor. Against that, 2019 was the debut year for Kia's first CVT (IVT), and early drivability complaints argue against hard use.

There are almost no work-oriented provisions: no AC inverter, no tow package, no upfit ecosystem, and only a single USB port plus a 12V outlet on the LXS. A folding rear seat for long items is the only credit.

Range is excellent, about 475 miles combined and around 560 at highway economy, and the cabin is quiet at speed. Comfort on the volume trim is middling: a manual seat without lumbar, no adaptive cruise and a stiff ride.

It is front-drive only, with low ground clearance, no tow rating and no off-road modes, so it stays on pavement. Accessory roof crossbars are its only adventure provision.

The 15.3 cu ft trunk is among the class's biggest, and the LXS 60/40 split-folding seat extends it. The fixed sedan shape and short decklid limit bulky items, and there is no hatch or hitch.

It is secure and willing in corners, but the strut and torsion-beam setup is unremarkable, and reviewers place the Forte behind the Mazda3 and Civic on dynamics. There is no sport model in 2019; the GT arrived for 2020.

The steering is precise enough for routine driving, but it is vague on center, and its weight builds artificially quickly with little real feedback.

Four-wheel discs (11.0 in ventilated front, 10.3 in rear) stopped the car from 60 mph in about 120 ft in testing, which reviewers rate near the best in the class. Pedal feel draws no complaints.

Kia's first CVT (IVT) is smooth and well calibrated, with simulated shift points that avoid the rubber-band feel. Response from the 147 hp 2.0L is only adequate, with 0–60 mph runs of 8.1–8.7 s.

At a cruise the engine is quiet with very little vibration, and the IVT avoids the usual CVT drone. The naturally aspirated four still turns coarse when it is wrung out for a merge.

At 34.8 ft, the same on every trim, the turning circle is at the tight end of the compact-sedan band.

Logically grouped physical controls, a tilt/telescoping wheel and good front headroom are strengths. The volume LXS's 6-way manual seat lacks lumbar adjustment, and the fastback's thick C-pillars restrict the over-the-shoulder view.

The volume car is pleasant but forgettable, with 8-second-plus 0–60 runs and numb steering. In 2019 there is no enthusiast trim; the only alternative is the FE's 6-speed manual on the same 147 hp engine.

For under $19k delivered, the 2019 Forte came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, forward collision-avoidance assist and lane-keeping assist. The S added blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts. Comparable Civic and Corolla trims cost more, but LED lights and the premium features were held back for the upper trims.

It undercut the Civic, Corolla and Mazda3 by thousands at comparable trims, with a loaded EX Launch Edition at about $26k delivered. Reviewers widely rated it a standout value, though there was no performance variant in 2019 (the GT arrived for 2020) and the 147-hp engine is ordinary.

There were four trims (FE, LXS, S, EX), a manual only on the FE, and two factory packages (S Premium, EX Launch Edition). That is a reasonable budget-to-loaded spread, but there was no turbo/GT, no AWD, no hybrid, and only one US body style.

With about 96k US sales in calendar 2019, its launch year, the Forte was a steady mid-pack compact seller, well behind the Civic and Corolla.

In 2019 Kia's image was improving on the strength of the Stinger and Telluride, but in the compact class it still read as the budget alternative to Honda, Toyota and Mazda, which weighed on resale.

The 2019 model year sold in the pre-pandemic market of high inventories. Kia commonly offered customer cash, low-APR financing and lease specials on the Forte, and dealers negotiated below MSRP.

The 2019 is the first model year of the all-new third-generation (BD) Forte, with Stinger-inspired styling, a stiffer body and Kia's first IVT. It was as fresh as the class got, with no redesign imminent.

Reviews were positive, praising value, tech, efficiency and the warranty. It earned an IIHS 2019 Top Safety Pick+ under the stricter criteria, but rarely won comparisons against the Civic and Mazda3.