2020 Kia Forte GT Gets 201 Turbocharged Horsepower for under $24,000
The 2020 Kia Forte GT is a new high-performance version of Kia's compact sedan.
It comes with a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four with 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque.
The Forte GT starts at $23,215 and will go on sale in late summer 2019.
UPDATE 8/6/19: The 2020 Kia Forte GT starts at $23,215 with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and $23,815 with a six-speed manual transmission. That's $1515 less than the related Hyundai Elantra Sport sedan, and it strikes us as a decent performance bargain. We have updated our story accordingly.
Since the debut of its new Forte sedan, Kia has attempted to make a tenuous styling link between it and the sporty, rear-wheel-drive Stinger. That connection becomes more legitimate with the arrival of the 2020 Kia Forte GT, a higher-performance version of the compact four-door that contains all the ingredients for a true sport compact: a turbocharged engine with 201 horsepower, an available manual transmission, a tweaked suspension, and aggressive visual additions.
Under the Forte GT's hood is a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making the same 201 horsepower that it did in the last Forte 5 SX hatchback. It pairs with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the latter coming with paddle shifters for the flat-bottom steering wheel. Several handling upgrades are available, too, starting with a rear suspension setup that trades the standard Forte's torsion beam for a fully independent arrangement—we assume it's the same multilink rear as the related Hyundai Elantra Sport. A set of 18-inch wheels wrapped in optional Michelin Sport summer rubber should provide more grip than the base car offers.
Adding to the Forte GT's presence on the road are a number of visual tweaks including a body kit, a rear spoiler, a black grille, and two-tone wheels. Inside, you'll find different pedals, the aforementioned flat-bottom steering wheel, and sport seats with contrasting piping and additional bolstering. Kia will offer the automatic-transmission car with a $2200 GT2 package that adds features such as a power driver's seat, blind-spot monitoring, a sunroof, adaptive cruise control, and cooled front seats. Summer tires are also available for $200.
For now, the Forte GT is available only as a sedan, but a Forte hatchback could arrive sometime this year with its own, similar GT trim. Already on sale in Canada, the Forte hatch will likely carry the Forte 5 name in the U.S. market.
In the meantime, the 2020 Forte GT sedan will go on sale on our shores next summer with a base price of $23,215 with the automatic and $23,815 with the manual.
This story was originally published in October 2018.
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