Naza Forte Swings Into Action

The "Sporty" car describe by Peter Schreyer has been officially Naza-rized. At present the Forte comes in 3 variants which is the 1.6 EX, 1.6SX & the 2.0SX. Unfortunately the 2.0 liter variant isn't the Hot Forte Koup :(



Externally the premium & basic Forte can be differentiated by looking at the wheels & door handles. The 1.6EX comes with cheap looking 195/65R 15inch Steel Wheel while the premium version gets a 215/45R 17inch alloy wheel. Chrome treatment is given to the SX variant while the EX door handles follows the body colour.


All variants comes with a four speed shiftronic transmission.Considering the fact that we are paying alot for the car here, the Forte should have been equipped with a 5-speeder instead. The 1.6 liter engine found under the hood is from the Gamma range while the 2.0liter heart hails from the more advance Theta family. This translates into the 2.0liter version having the same fuel consumption figure as the 1.6 version that stands at 7.0 liter per 100km.0-100km/h sprint takes you 12 seconds.



In terms of safety the 1.6liter EX has dual airbags,active headrest & Anti Lock Breaking System. Upgrade to the 1.6 SX & Naza will throw in ELectronic Stability control(ESC),Electronic Brakeforce Distribution(EBD),Brake Assist System & Traction Control System. The 2.0liter SX gets an additional 4 airbags in the form of side & curtain airbags to bring the number to 6.

Moving on to the interior, the 1.6 & 2.0liter SX gets a rear parking system & a 3-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel with tilt & telescopic column adjuster. The 2.0 liter SX gets what Kia calls it Motor driven Power Steering. This is an EPS system much like in the Civic, which uses an electric motor to drive the steering instead of it being directly hydraulically driven. This allows variable steering assistance – heavy at high speeds but lighter at low speeds to assist with parking.



Lastly Naza is asking for RM 75,800 for the 1.6EX, RM 81,800 for the 1.6SX & RM 93,800 for the range topper 2.0SX. All prices quoted includes insurance for the peninsular.

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Naza Forte Launching On the 25th Of NOV '09

The Kia Forte will be arriving to Malaysian shores very soon in the form of a Naza Forte.A short conversation with one of Naza's representative reveals the estimated starting price to be around 80K - 90K region which puts it in direct competition with the popular Honda City & Toyota Vios. The representative also told me that there will be two engine options available which is the 1.6liter and the 2.0 liter.

The 1.6 liter version will be available in two trims (EX & SX) while the flagship 2.0 liter comes with full specifications which includes 6 airbags & the start/stop engine button (hopefully its the hot Koup Version). The Forte represents the new breed of Kia Cars which are design by Kia's Chief Designer Peter Schreyer. While Naza may want to leave you speechless over the new Forte, its long term success very much depends on Naza's after sales service & availability of affordable spare parts which seems to be lacking many sense. Naza needs to buck up on their part to help improve the resale value of Kia s in Malaysia.
















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