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My Naza Kia Forte Review
Wowee! For the first time in my ownership of cars, I never thought I’d be so in love with a car. My previous vehicles included the Daihatsu Feroza, the Fiat Brava and the Proton Gen-2. But, the Kia Forte simply takes it to a whole new level.
If you’re a kiasu and want to follow the common crowd of dungus who buy the Honda City or the Toyota Vios, I pity your shallow thinking. The Kia Forte, if not for Naza’s involvement, would’ve fetched a price of over 100K! Now, the Forte 1.6SX is almost 10K cheaper than the Vios and City – just because it’s re-badged to Naza!
Naza Kia Forte 2010
I spoke to Naza’s head of sales about the process of CKD vs CBU. In this case, he tells me the car comes from South Korea all assembled, except the doors. All Naza had to do was the assemble the doors, and re-badge it, and walla, some 20K plus cheaper!
I bought myself a Titanium Silver 1.6 DOHC CVVT SX retailed at RM82,800 and it’s worth every single penny. Please do not get the 1.6EX because it’s very stripped down at RM75,800.
Airbags and electronic stability control, the car comes with a lot of cool automated features that rivals the bigger competitors. Although the price is way cheaper than the Vios or City, do not compare them to the Forte as Vios and City would be embarrassed. The Forte should be compared to the Altis and Civic instead.
Naza Kia Forte
The features?
1. Electro-chromic rear-view mirror – It senses and adjusts to lights automatically so if someone high beams, it adjusts itself as not to give you a glare.
2. Smart key system – The car can be unlocked with the smart key, or if it is simply on you, you don’t have to take it out, just press the button at the door handles and the car unlocks. This is especially important for ladies so they don’t have to go through their handbags and risk their security.
3. Push button start-stop – Although there is a key as backup, this car starts with a press of a button! I just need to put my feet on the brakes while at it and the car starts!
4. Rear-parking assist – It does not have one but FOUR rear-parking assists and its indicated on the dashboard of the car to tell you how close you are to the other objects!
5. Tilt and telescopic steering wheel – I can align the steering vertically and also pull it back and forth closer to me without need to adjust the car seat, although the car seat has more adjustment features to it as well!
6. Air-cond temperature – Fully automated feature available, else I can control it manually. The car’s air-cond is freaking cold at 23 degrees at the lowest speed, so turning this on might leave you with a frost bite. 
7. Audio – It supports USB drives, AUX and iPod as well as a built-in CD changer in the front that supports mp3. I can just slot in 6 CDs in the front through the same entry point and the system picks it up! My only gripe here is that when I remove the USB drive and plug it in again, it starts playing the first song (alphabetical order) again, unlike the Pioneer player I had, where I can plug in and out and it continues where it left off. Nevertheless, with the audio controls on the steering, it’s not bad.
8. Super mileage – How super? Well, I filled my tank to the brim, and only needed a quarter tank to drive from Cameron Highlands to KL! Full tank is 52 litres so that’s 13 litres i.e. RM23. I know it’s downhill, but this also included a 2 hour traffic crawl on the PLUS highway because of an accident!
9. Decent maintenance – Its maintenance outperforms the Proton Gen-2 by a mile. My first service cost me RM230 for 10,000km – fully synthetic. Not too tatty.
Here’s a quick comparison with the Civic and Altis.
Naza Kia Forte
Price
Civic RM114980 | Altis RM102,900 | Forte RM82,800
Engine Type
Civic 1.8 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve, SOHC i-VTEC
Altis 1.6 Inline-4, DOHC, 16V, VVTi
Forte 1.6 Inline-4, DOHC, 16V, CVVT
Max Power (kW/rpm)
Civic 140/6300 | Altis 80/6000 | Forte 91.2/6300
Max Torque (Nm/rpm)
Civic 174/4300 | Altis 145/4400 | Forte 156/4200
Fuel Tank
Civic 50 | Altis 55 | Forte 52
Overall Length (mm)
Civic 4540 | Altis 4540 | Forte 4530
Overall Width (mm)
Civic 1755 | Altis 1760 | Forte 1775
Overall Height (mm)
Civic 1435 | Altis 1465 | Forte 1460
Tyre Size
Civic 205/55 R16 | Altis 195/65 R15 | Forte 215/45 R17
If you have the money, then sure, you can opt for either the Altis, but value for money, based on the above simple comparison, Forte triumphs by a mile. Civic wins in 2 categories, Altis wins in 5, and Forte wins in 4. Forte is 20K cheaper than its closest rival, the Altis, and 35K cheaper than the Civic. The Forte is also cheaper than Honda City and Toyota Vios too, the lower segment cars!
Need I say more? A South Korean car these days is as good as a Japanese make, but with most follow-the-flock Malaysians, it’ll take a while for them to come to terms. In the meantime, the market will continue to be flooding with eyesores like Vios and City.
I love my Kia Forte. Absolutely love it! I would suggest to take one for a test drive if you’re looking at a Vios or City or Civic or Altis. While the Forte has its pros and cons based on the above comparisons, its price kicks ass!
Congrats for your new ride.
I can only afford perodua.
Re : “Smart key system … just press the button at the door handles and the car unlocks.”
My car also uses a smart key system and no need to press button. Just pull door handle and it will unlock and open at the same time. Maybe this works for your car too.
I am not a kiasu or crowd follower. I have loads of reasons why I chose my City.
Reason #1 – I service my car at nearly cost price! Muahahahahaha
p/s Don’t ever compare an international car to a local car. It’s embarrassing.
heard that it’s difficult to get kia parts in kk….
lvynana – Well, we buy what we can afford.
Carol – You mean from the outside or inside? From the outside, I still need to press the button on the handle, but from the inside, not required.
PinknPurpleLizard – Cost price, how much? The service prices won’t be a lot of different as it’s only oil, oil filter and the usual works. So I think when it comes to servicing, cars are generally priced the same. Parts is a different story but as this is “Naza”, parts are available locally, no need to import.
sweetie~ – Probably yes, but what about Naza parts, as this Kia is distributed under Naza, unlike the previous Kia makes?
From outside lah. For mine, I press the button to LOCK the doors.
In fact, the coolest thing about my smart key system is that simply by touching the person who has the key, another person can open a locked door also. Amazing technology and love this system because never need to fish around for keys – which is usually deep down inside my pocket or bag.
Carol – From the outside, nope, it’s a use of a button. For the smart key, it’s the same as this car of mine, I do not have to take out the key, just be in close proximity to the car.
every one of us has different opinion on things..
yes, u can’t compare a forte to a vios or city.. u’re right, the forte is more value to money compare to the altis and civic..
the forte’s overall size and fuel tank capacity is more or less the same as altis and civic.. as for vios and city, they are smaller in size and the fuel capacity is 10 litres difference.. PLUS the vios and city is only 1.5L..
so u should really compare the forte to civic/altis..
btw, what’s the milage can u get out of the 52 litres?
Nicole – Hence my latest post to compare it to real cars and not Vios or City.
Mileage varies, city driving is between 8.6 to 9.4 litres per 100km while outstation is between 3.5 and 4 litres per 100km.
Been reading good things about this car. It looks a stunner too. Like someone has said, I’m just wondering about parts availability.
How’s the ride (ie handling) btw?
Perry – the ride and handling, freaking superb. It’s worth every penny. As for the parts, don’t worry, because it’s been re-badged under Naza, so it’s no problem whatsoever.
Great car!! Glad you love it
“Please do not get the 1.6EX because it’s very stripped down at RM75,800.”
How bad is the 1.6EX model? Not value for money?
TQ
Forte Toronto – Yes I do!
giko – It is value for money when compared to Vios/City/Civic/Altis, but for a couple of grand more, you get a WHOLE lot more stuff which is seriously worth it.
Hi Gallivanter,
I was just looking around and i saw your blog.. just wanted to ask, since you have used it for a while already.
Whats the price for full tank now an how much does it cost?
And parts wise.. has anything broken down on you?
ohh.. and forgot to add.. although u say parts are available here.. is it abit more ex then proton parts but much cheaper then toyota or honda??
i am looking to get a car and this car really looks interesting.. thx
Ryanlum – Full tank? Well, I usually do not wait for the tank to empty, and generally, it comes up to about RM77 for full tank. Parts wise, nope, nothing’s broken down, the car’s about to do 8000km shortly, so far so good. As for parts, yes, it is a little more costlier than Proton, and it’s actually in the same range if not cheaper than Honda and Toyota, but again it depends on which part. Give it a test drive, you won’t regret it for its price – worth every penny!
Thanks for the reply!.. for the RM77.. how far can you travel? i plan to give it a test drive and have a look at it..
If its around the same range as Honda or Toyota, its still alright.. cause i am scared its much more expensive..
Thanks for the reply!.. for the RM77.. how far can you travel? i plan to give it a test drive and have a look at it..
If its around the same range as Honda or Toyota, its still alright.. cause i am scared its much more expensive..
But i think fuel consumption wise, it should be slightly more then vios or city because its kind of heavy and has bigger tyre compared to them.. but besides that its all good.. wasted that the 1.6 full specs don’t come with 6 air bags also
Ryanlum – That’s a subjective question in terms of what RM77 can give me, it’s definitely way more than my previous ride could’ve given. Just last week, I went to and fro KLIA and then to and fro Malacca, and returned home with over a quarter tank left. It varies I’m sure, city driving.
The parts is similar to that of the Honda and Toyota if not cheaper – did my research there already the last time.
I don’t think it’s a fair comparison to Vios and City, both midget cars, you should compare it to the Civic and Altis.
As for the 1.6 spec, why do I care about 6 airbags? Haha! And leather seats of course, these are the 2 differences that cause an unworthy jump in the price for the 2.0.
How about the 2nd hand value??
Incubus – Dude, your question is a silly one, but I shall answer it anyway. It will obviously depend on the demand by Malaysians for that second hand car, as most of us are dumb enough to stick to Toyota and Honda, don’t expect the second hand value to be as comparable. But if you buy a car with the second hand value as your main reason, then you should be slapped and called Suzy, because you’re thinking of getting rid of it even before you bought it!
bro…what the major differences between 1.6 ex and sx version cause i still undecide whether to go for ex or sx…which is it good to add another 6k for sx or not?
Here you go, the differences between the SX and EX – http://www.redinvasion.com.my/general_spec.jpg
why we malaysian people still thinking about 2nd hand value for forte?? forte is new car..in malaysia we dont have any 2nd hand forte..so what for mention about 2nd hand value.. if we still thinking about that,buy other cars..but must remember “APA YANG ADA PADA FORTE..TAKDE PADA KERETA LAIN” tq
mel – High five!
soon to be proud owner!!!will update once i land my baby XD
mickey7926 – High five! Welcome to the club!
Hye.. Gallivanter, nice review.. just wanna know, any idea of interest bank rate for forte? installmonth? i’m thinking of forte now.. hehe
cant wait cant wait!but when i just tell everyone!they are starting with the 2nd value and spare parts issue!!haiz….i just dunno how to explain to them that korean cars came long way to and improved everything.
exVIOSuser – Bank interest? Mine was at 4%. Installment would depend on the length of your term of course.
mickey7926 – That’s typical backward mentality. These people are afraid of change.
i cant wait!my car was just stolen 10 days ago,now they are asking 10% dp,dude how much did u pay for u dp?mind i ask?if only i can pay abit lower!u know any nice salesman?
mickey7926 – I paid a little more than 10%. Unfortunately nice and salesman are 2 opposites. Haha!
ok for info..I’m salesman for Naza/Kia model..if anybody wan buy forte..now intrest bank can get below 3.5% for 9 years..loan only 90%.. for example..
Forte 1.6 SX
Price : RM 81,800.00
D/payment : RM 8,200.00
Loan : RM 73,600.00
intrest : 3.3%
monthly : RM 884.00 X 108 months (9Yrs)
for info plz call or sms me 019-7007983 -Mel
Hi Gallivanter,
I am interested in purchasing the Naza Forte 1.6 SX within these two months. Where did you get yours? The sales service good? Thks.
Mel – Thanks, what other stuff you throw in as promotion?
Andy – I got mine from the Shah Alam branch, serviced it once so far, at NSS Shah Alam, and I have experience with them before when I owned a Fiat Brava, very good service. I’m a couple of hundred short of hitting 10K.