Naza Kia officially launches Forte 6-Speed and Forte Koup
When we tested the Forte a year ago, our conclusion then was that at its price, there are no other alternatives of comparable size, performance and equipment. Certain aspects of its ride and handling setup could use some improvement, but the overall package remains hard to fault, except for one aspect – its 4-speed automatic transmission.
Now, that weakness has been addressed, as the entire Forte range has been refreshed to include a very important update – a 6-speed automatic transmission. Developed in-house by the Hyundai-Kia group, this transmission is already seeing action on Malaysian roads in recent Hyundai models such as the Sonata and Tucson.
Official launch of the new Forte 6-Speed took place today, although sales actually began in January. Production of the older 4-speed variants ceased in December 2010, and Naza Kia are no longer holding any stocks of the older model. As a matter of fact, some 500 units of the Forte 6-Speed have already been delivered to customers.
According to Naza Kia COO, Datuk Syed Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, the Forte 6-Speed’s quiet entry into the market was deliberate and the company held back official announcement of the car until today in order to build up healthy stock levels before embarking on its promotional blitz. As before, there will be three variants of the Forte on sale, – 1.6 EX (RM78,800), 1.6 SX (RM85,800) and 2.0 SX (RM97,800). Joining the fray is the Forte Koup, which was also launched today at a price of RM115,800. All prices quoted are on-the-road inclusive of insurance.
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No changes are made to engine specifications, so we continue to receive the 1.6-litre Gamma and 2.0-litre Theta-II engines at unchanged outputs. The 1.6 makes 122hp @ 6,200rpm and 156Nm @ 4,200rpm, while the 2.0 produces 154hp @ 6,200rpm and 194.2Nm @ 4,300rpm. The Forte Koup gets the 2.0-litre Theta-II and the 6-speed auto gearbox.
One of the Forte’s key selling points is an impressive level of equipment, and that continues with the new 6-Speed variants. The base-level 1.6 EX now gets 16″ alloys to replace the previous 15″ steel rims. Dual airbags, rear disc brakes, ABS, active head rest, front foglamps, and auto-dimming rear-view mirrors are further entries of a lengthy list of standard kit.
Moving to the 1.6 SX, kit count grows to include paddle shifters, ESP, button start, 17″ alloys, auto climate control, 6 CD changer, and leather-wrapped steering wheel with tilt & telescopic adjust. In addition, there is also Bluetooth connectivity and a reverse camera, previously unavailable on the 4-speed model. Image from the reverse camera is displayed on the rear view mirror – a very thoughtful feature. The 2.0 SX adds leather seats and 6 airbags to this list.
While the locally-assembled Forte sedan is aimed to be Naza Kia’s volume seller, the Forte Koup is brought in with the intention of being a brand-building model. Sales targets for the fully-imported Forte Koup is set at a modest 20-40 units per month.
Moving forward, Naza Kia also announced a further two launches set to take place this year – the Optima and Sportage – both set to replace their aging predecessors. The Sorento, launched at last year’s KL Motor Show has also been hitting the roads. Its official price, which was not announced during its launch, is RM158,888 with insurance.
Pictures: Official Naza Kia release.
