The 2023 Kia Forte Philippines is a four-door compact sedan that comes in a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. In South Korea, it is known as the K3, and the current version sold in the Philippines is the third-generation model that was initially released in 2018.
Under the hood, the Philippine-spec Forte uses a naturally-aspirated 1.6-liter inline-4 gasoline engine, as well as a turbocharged version of the same engine. For the non-turbo version, it can make up to 126 horsepower and 155 Nm of torque. It then uses a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The turbocharged variant meanwhile, can produce up to 201 horsepower and 265 Nm of torque. The said engine is then paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with paddle shifters.
Size-wise, the forte is 4,640mm long, 1,800mm wide, and 1,450mm in height. It also has a ground clearance of 150mm, and a wheelbase length of 2,700mm.
Available variants for the Forte in the Philippine market include the Forte LX priced at Php 1,095,000, the Forte EX priced at Php 1,195,000, and the Forte GT Turbo priced at Php 1,650,000.
In the Philippine market, the Kia Forte competes agaisnt the likes of the Toyota Corolla Altis, Mazda3, Honda Civic, among others.
