2022 Kia Forte

The 2022 refresh (third generation, US arrival October 2021) kept the 147 hp 2.0L Atkinson-cycle MPI four on the FE, LXS and GT-Line volume trims; only the GT gets the 201 hp 1.6L turbo. Low for a sedan band that runs to 520 hp performance sedans.

132 lb-ft arriving high in the rev range is typical of a naturally aspirated economy four and sits near the bottom of the sedan band. The GT's turbo adds far more low-end pull but is not the volume configuration.

Instrumented tests of the unchanged 2.0L/IVT powertrain fall between 8.2 s (Car and Driver) and 8.7 s (Edmunds), so ~8.5 s is a fair representative figure: average for a compact economy sedan and well behind the turbo and hybrid rivals.

The 2.0L Atkinson four is smooth enough at light throttle for commuting but goes coarse and loud when you push it, and reviewers call its power adequate rather than eager. There's no lag, but there's no reserve either, which puts it mid-pack against the quieter Corolla and Civic base engines.

Kia's IVT uses simulated stepped ratios to hide the usual CVT drone, but reviewers note surging when it drops revs too eagerly on partial lift-off. The GT's 7-speed DCT draws some 'fiddly' criticism; its 6-speed manual is a satisfying option but a low-volume one.

Every 2022 Forte trim is front-wheel drive. No AWD option was ever offered, which is normal for the class but puts this item at the floor.

There are two gas engines (the 147 hp 2.0L and the 201 hp 1.6T) and three transmissions, including a manual, so there's more choice than a single-powertrain economy car offers. There's no hybrid or electrified variant, though, while the Elantra and Corolla both offered hybrids in 2022.

The volume 2.0L/IVT returns 33 mpg combined, one mpg better than the 2023–2024 cars. That's competitive for an unelectrified compact, but well short of the 50+ mpg hybrid Elantra and Corolla.

29 mpg in town is the Forte's weakest efficiency figure. Compact hybrids roughly double it in stop-start driving.

The Atkinson-cycle engine and tall IVT ratios return 39 mpg at a cruise, competitive with any non-hybrid compact sedan.

A 14.0-gallon tank at 33 mpg combined gives about 462 miles between fills. That covers a full day of driving but falls well short of the 550–650 miles the segment's hybrids manage.

EPA's current fuel-price assumptions put the 2022 Forte's yearly fuel bill at $2,050. That's cheap next to SUVs, but several hundred dollars more than a compact hybrid.

Every 2022 Forte, the turbo GT included, runs on 87-octane regular. There's no premium penalty and nothing to plug in. It's kept below the top of the band only because a home-charged EV costs less per mile.

NHTSA rated the 2022 Forte 4 stars overall; the frontal result is 4 stars with only 3 stars for the front passenger, while side barrier and side pole are clean 5-star results.

Under the protocols in force for 2022 the Forte posts Good in small overlap (driver and passenger), original moderate overlap, original side, roof strength and head restraints, but it earned no Top Safety Pick because every headlight variant rated Poor. The tougher updated tests later applied to this same structure expose real weaknesses — Poor in both the updated moderate overlap (rear passenger) and updated side test.

The 2022 refresh made Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist and Driver Attention Warning standard on every trim, but blind-spot and rear cross-traffic are unavailable on the FE and optional on the volume LXS, and adaptive cruise cannot be had on FE or LXS at all.

The standard system earns IIHS's top Superior rating vehicle-to-vehicle and Advanced for daytime pedestrians, but nighttime pedestrian performance is only Basic.

When fitted the hardware is good — blind-spot collision avoidance with active intervention, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and Safe Exit Assist — but it is unavailable on the FE and an option on the volume LXS, standard only from GT-Line up.

Lane Following Assist (true lane centering) became standard on every trim with the 2022 refresh, unusual for an economy compact; reviewers find it competent on clearly marked highways but prone to wander on faded lines.

The volume FE and LXS trims get conventional cruise only — adaptive cruise is not offered at any price. Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Highway Driving Assist is only an option on GT-Line and GT, where it works well.

No hands-free highway system is offered on any 2022 Forte; Highway Driving Assist, where optioned, is hands-on.

IIHS rated every headlight variant on the 2022 Forte Poor, which is what kept the car off the Top Safety Pick list.

Forward and side sightlines are fine for a compact sedan, but the fastback roofline and thick C-pillars restrict the rear-quarter view, and camera help stops at the standard rearview camera — no surround-view is offered.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable, with two complete lower-anchor sets outboard and a tether-only center position; the anchors sit somewhat deep, and modest rear knee room makes rear-facing seats a squeeze behind tall occupants.

The 2022 Forte, the first year of the BD generation's mid-cycle refresh in the US, is a conventional five-passenger compact sedan on every trim, with a 2+3 layout.

Good front headroom for a car with a low fastback roofline, above the compact-sedan midpoint; the optional sunroof (GT-Line/GT packages, not on the volume LXS) takes a bite out of it.

Class-average front legroom: about level with the Civic and Elantra (42.3 in), slightly ahead of the Corolla (42.0 in).

Rear headroom is better than the sloping roofline suggests and edges the Civic and Elantra. The back seat's weak point is legroom, not head clearance.

The Forte's clearest space deficit. At 35.7 in it trails the 2022 Civic (37.4 in) and Elantra (38.0 in) by well over an inch, because the packaging favors trunk space and styling over the back seat.

A 15.3 cu ft trunk is above the compact-sedan average and among the largest in the mainstream class, a practical upside of the Forte's deep trunk well.

Conventional storage: a console bin, door pockets, front cupholders and a front tray. On the volume LXS there is only one front USB multimedia port, no dedicated charge port and no wireless charging pad, so the tray is just a tray. Nothing here is clever, and the low cabin limits how deep the bins can be. That puts it a notch below the 2024 car, which added charge points on the lower trims.

Reviewers praise the Forte's seat shaping and soft headrests on long drives. Adjustability is what holds it back: the FE and LXS get a 6-way manual driver's seat with no lumbar adjustment, and the power seat with lumbar is optional on GT-Line/GT only. Consumer Reports found the mid-trim seats less comfortable.

The Forte's weakest comfort trait. The torsion-beam rear axle and firm tune handle small imperfections acceptably, but larger bumps unsettle the rear end, leaving it behind the multilink Civic and Elantra on compliance.

Road roar is reasonably well suppressed for an economy compact, but the 2.0L/IVT drones under load and the car has thin sound deadening, no acoustic glass and no active noise cancellation. Reviewers disagree here: Edmunds calls road noise ably quelled, while Consumer Reports calls the cabin loud even for the class.

Sparse where most buyers shop. The FE and LXS get single-zone manual A/C with no heated seats on offer. Dual-zone automatic climate starts at GT-Line, heated and ventilated front seats are GT-Line/GT package items, and rear cooling ducts are optional on GT-Line and standard on GT. Factory remote start is not listed for the 2022 car.

The 2022 Forte FE is among the cheapest new compact sedans of its year, well under the sedan band floor.

The LXS is the volume trim; even with its $500 Technology Package it sits well below the sedan band floor.

Edmunds' True Cost to Own projects typical economy-car maintenance plus modest repairs, softened in practice by the 5-yr/60k basic warranty; CarEdge puts annual maintenance near $470.

Estimates diverge: Edmunds' original projection was about 47% retained, but the 2022 cohort benefited from post-pandemic used-car pricing, and CarEdge shows it still holding ~71% around four years in. A blended ~58% reflects that.

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.

Kia included no scheduled maintenance on the 2022 Forte; perks stop at 5-yr/unlimited-mile roadside assistance and a trial of the UVO connected services on equipped trims, which puts it in the basic-roadside band.

$20,685 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (58% retained, or about $11,997) leaves about $8,688 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,856 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $15,544 in total.

2022 is the facelift year of the third-generation (BD) Forte, a mid-cycle refresh of styling and equipment over a carried-over 2.0L/IVT drivetrain, so it inherits three years of in-service proof rather than resetting the clock. J.D. Power rates the 2022 car 87/100 predicted reliability (its "Great" band) while Consumer Reports reads this generation as roughly average, so the two sources agree on direction but not degree — upper half of the mixed-signal band, below the Corolla/Civic top tier.

A 2022 buyer bought into Kia at the peak of its dependability run: Kia was the top-ranked mass-market brand in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and among the top brands in the 2022 Initial Quality Study. Consumer Reports' brand rankings are less enthusiastic (upper-mid pack), so this is a consistently above-average record that falls short of the Toyota/Lexus top-five tier.

The 2022 model year carries a single NHTSA safety recall, and it is tiny in scope — 30 2021-2022 Rio/Forte units with an improperly secured steering-column u-joint bolt — so the recall record is near-clean. What keeps it out of the 80+ band is the generation-level TSB theme: the 2019-2024 Forte's IVT shudder/hesitation complaints, addressed by Kia software updates, plus the Kia-wide steel-key theft fallout that touched parts of this era's lineup.

The volume LXS uses the port-injected 2.0L Nu/Smartstream MPi four (147 hp) with Kia's IVT — a low-stress engine with a long high-mileage record across Forte, Elantra, Soul and Seltos that avoids both direct-injection carbon buildup and the Theta II family behind Kia's engine campaigns. The chain-belt IVT is the weaker half: CVTs carry a lesser long-haul reputation than planetary automatics, and this one drew an early shudder complaint theme, though 2022 cars run the revised calibration.

The 2022 facelift freshened the styling and added an available 10.25-inch screen, but the cabin materials carried over: reviewers praise the design and layout while noting hard plastics are common, especially on the volume LX/LXS trims, with soft-touch and metallic trim reserved for upper grades. Competitive for an economy compact rather than class-leading.

Initial quality is the 2022 Forte's standout: it ranked first in the Compact Car segment of J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Initial Quality Study — its fourth consecutive segment win — which directly measures owner-reported problems in the first 90 days, including fit, rattles and build defects. Reviewers likewise describe a solidly assembled, quiet cabin with no rattle or panel-gap complaint theme.

Kia's roughly 775-800 US dealers give adequate metro and suburban coverage but a thinner rural footprint than Toyota, Honda, Ford or Chevrolet, and Kia sits below the mass-market leaders in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index. The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty offsets some of that, but Kia offers no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US.

Running costs are low and well documented: RepairPal puts the Forte's average annual repair and maintenance at $451 against a $526 compact-car average, with fewer unscheduled shop visits than the segment. Heavy Hyundai-Kia sharing of the 2.0L MPi and IVT means cheap, abundant OEM and aftermarket mechanical parts and independent shops familiar with the car.

The volume LXS carries the 8-inch touchscreen audio unit it shares with the base FE. The 10.25-inch navigation unit that arrived with the 2022 refresh is reserved for GT-Line and GT. Eight inches sits at the small end of the compact-sedan range.

This is the Forte's clearest tech strength. Kia's software of this era is fast and logically laid out, and the car keeps physical knobs and hard buttons for audio and climate. The 8-inch unit on the volume trim has the same uncluttered menus with crisp graphics and no noticeable lag. The small screen keeps it out of the 80+ band.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto became standard on the 8-inch system with the 2022 refresh, so the volume FE and LXS trims get cable-free phone projection. The larger 10.25-inch unit on GT-Line and GT is wired-only, which rules out the 80+ band reserved for wireless on every trim.

The volume LXS has no built-in navigation, because its 8-inch unit is an audio display. Native maps and the server-based voice recognition come only with the 10.25-inch UVO-link unit on GT-Line and GT. On the LXS, voice control means a steering-wheel button that hands off to the phone's assistant over Bluetooth or projection.

The 2022 volume LXS gets only four speakers, the same as the base FE. Six speakers with tweeters start at GT-Line. The 320-watt, eight-speaker Harman Kardon system with subwoofer is a GT-Line/GT package option the volume buyer cannot reach. Basic sound and a trim-gated upgrade score lower than the 2024 car, whose LXS gained six speakers.

Every 2022 Forte, FE through GT, uses the same 4.2-inch TFT screen between analog dials. No trim offers a fully digital cluster or a larger display.

The volume LXS has no embedded modem, so it has no data connection at all and cannot receive updates over the air. Even the GT-Line/GT 10.25-inch unit gets its map and software updates through Kia's MapCare/USB download process rather than whole-vehicle OTA, which arrived only with later Kia platforms.

UVO link (later Kia Connect) offers remote start with climate, lock/unlock, find-my-car and vehicle status, but on this car it needs hardware. Only GT-Line and GT have the embedded modem, so the volume LXS has no telematics and no factory remote start; owners buy a dealer-installed kit. For a 2022 model the service ran as a trial and then a paid subscription.

Thin on the volume LXS: one front USB-A multimedia port and a 12V outlet. The dedicated front charge port starts at GT-Line, the rear charge port is optional on GT-Line and standard on GT, and wireless charging is GT-Line/GT only. There is no USB-C and no AC outlet anywhere in the range.

The volume LXS starts with a turn key and a remote keyless-entry fob. Proximity entry, push-button start and Smart Trunk are GT-Line-and-above. No trim offers phone-as-key or factory remote start below the modem-equipped trims.

A rear camera with dynamic guidelines is standard. Rear parking sensors are a GT-trim option (standard on the GT manual) rather than a volume-trim feature. No trim offers a surround-view camera or automated parking.

No head-up display was offered on any 2022 Forte trim or package, which is typical for a $20,000 compact sedan.

The trunk is the Forte's family strength: 15.3 cu ft takes a full-size stroller plus groceries, and the LXS adds the 60/40 split-folding rear seat the base FE lacks. Against that, 35.7 in of rear legroom crowds the front passenger behind a rear-facing seat, and IIHS rates LATCH only Acceptable.

Every trim gets forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keeping and lane following as standard. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic are a paid LXS option and missing on the FE, and Smart Cruise with Stop & Go is optional on GT-Line/GT only. Crash results are the bigger problem: Good in the original IIHS tests but Poor in the updated moderate-overlap and side tests, Poor headlights on the volume trims, no IIHS award, and a 4-star NHTSA overall rating with a 3-star front-passenger result.

Four adults and their luggage fit thanks to the large trunk and well-shaped seats. The back seat is where it thins out: 35.7 in of legroom under a sloping roof, single-zone manual A/C with no rear vents on the LXS (rear ducts are optional on GT-Line and standard on GT), no rear USB below GT-Line, and only four speakers. The torsion-beam rear axle also gets unsettled by bigger bumps.

Commuting is what the Forte does best mechanically: light steering, a compact 182.7 in body, a tight 34.8 ft turning circle, an IVT that is smooth in stop-and-go, and physical climate and audio controls. Equipment caps it. Adaptive cruise cannot be ordered on the volume LXS, there are no heated seats below GT-Line, and the start is a turn key rather than a button.

Cheap to buy and cheap to run: 33 MPG combined and 29 city on regular fuel, about $2,050 a year in fuel at 15,000 miles, and one of the lowest entry prices in the class (volume LXS $20,685 including destination). Without a hybrid version it cannot match the Corolla Hybrid or Elantra Hybrid on per-mile cost.

Easy to place: shorter than the Elantra, with a 34.8 ft turning circle that is tighter than the Corolla's or Sentra's. A rear camera with dynamic guidelines is standard. Thick C-pillars and shallow rear glass limit the view out, and rear parking sensors are a GT-only option, with no surround view on any trim.

Not a work vehicle. Kia publishes no US tow rating for the Forte, there is no bed or payload figure, and hauling is limited to the trunk plus the folded rear seat. A 147 hp front-drive four with an IVT has no load-carrying headroom.

The engine is the good part: the Nu 2.0L MPI is a simple, high-volume port-injected four with cheap parts, backed by Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and the Forte is a rental and rideshare staple. The IVT is the question mark under sustained heavy use, and nothing about the car is engineered for hard duty cycles.

Almost nothing work-oriented: no 120V outlet, no tow package, no washable load floor and no upfit ecosystem. Power stops at a 12V socket and USB. The accessory crossbars and the 60/40 folding seat for long items are the only credit.

Range is strong: about 462 miles combined and roughly 546 on the highway rating from the 14.0-gallon tank. Long days are more work than they need to be, though. The LXS has a manual seat with no lumbar adjustment, cannot be ordered with adaptive cruise, and pairs a firm torsion-beam rear with a droning IVT.

Pavement-bound. The Forte is front-wheel drive only, with 5.3 in of ground clearance, no tow rating, no skid plates and no off-road modes. The accessory roof crossbars at least make bikes or a kayak a factory-supported option.

One of the best trunks among mainstream compact sedans: 15.3 cu ft beats the Civic's 14.8 and the Elantra's 14.2. The 60/40 folding seat from LXS up takes long items, and crossbars can extend capacity to the roof. A sedan can't change shape, though: the short decklid narrows the opening, and there is no hatch and no hitch.

Secure and willing but not a class leader. The volume FE/LXS/GT-Line trims use a strut front and torsion-beam rear, and only the GT gets the multi-link rear and 18-inch wheels. Critics split: Consumer Reports found it agile, while Edmunds and U.S. News rate the Mazda3 and Elantra better to drive.

The electric rack is quick and precise enough to place the car accurately, but reviewers consistently call it numb and vague on-center at highway speed.

Adequate hardware for a light compact: ventilated front and solid rear discs on the volume trims. Reviewers report no fade or pedal complaints, but there is no standout instrumented stopping distance for the 2.0L car. The GT's larger brakes are not the volume configuration.

The 147 hp 2.0L Atkinson-cycle four and IVT are fine at light throttle, but the transmission drops revs too eagerly on partial lift-off, which makes power delivery surge. Response is adequate rather than crisp, with no reserve when the engine is asked to work.

The weakest part of the drive. The naturally aspirated four turns coarse and buzzy when worked, the IVT holds revs and makes it worse, and thin sound deadening lets the noise into the cabin.

A 34.8 ft curb-to-curb turning circle is at the tight end of the compact-sedan band and makes the Forte easy to park and U-turn.

The control layout is a strength: logically grouped physical buttons and knobs, an easy-to-reach touchscreen, and a standard tilt/telescoping column. The volume LXS is held back by its 6-way manual seat with no lumbar support, which Consumer Reports singles out as uncomfortable.

Pleasant but forgettable in the volume configuration: about 8.2–8.7 seconds to 60 mph, numb steering and a droning IVT. The enthusiast case lives in the 201 hp GT with its available six-speed manual, a low-volume trim this scorecard does not describe.

For around $20k, the 2022 refresh made an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, LED headlights, forward collision avoidance and lane keeping standard. Rivals like the Civic and Corolla cost more for similar content.

It undercuts the Civic, Corolla and Mazda3 by thousands at comparable trims, and the 201-hp GT costs about $24.6k. Reviewers consistently call it one of the best values in the class, held back mainly by a mediocre base powertrain.

There are four trims plus a GT manual and a few packages (LXS Tech, GT-Line Premium/Sport, GT2). That spans budget to sporty, but there is only one body style here, no AWD, no hybrid, and the EX was dropped for 2022.

The Forte stayed a steady, well-accepted mid-pack compact seller at roughly 100k+ US units, well behind the Civic and Corolla. Supply constraints in 2022 limited volume.

Kia's 2021 rebrand and its EV/Telluride halo were lifting the brand's image, but in the compact class it is still seen as the value alternative to Honda, Toyota and Mazda.

The 2022 model year sold into the chip-shortage market: incentives largely disappeared and dealer markups were common, so buyers had little room to negotiate even on an economy car.

This generation (BD) arrived in 2019 and the facelift reached the US for the 2022 model year, with K3-based styling and updated tech, so the 2022 car was freshly refreshed mid-cycle.

Reviews are positive, praising value, the warranty and the GT's verve, but the Forte rarely wins comparison tests against the Civic, Mazda3 or Elantra. Its IIHS results were good.