2017 Kia Forte Awarded Top Safety Pick
2017 Kia Forte Awarded Top Safety Pick
Posted on July 26, 2017
The 2017 Kia Forte doesn’t get a whole lot of press coverage. Like any middle child, it doesn’t get the plaudits of the achievements of its bigger brothers. Neither does this modest Kia have the cute factor of the youngest child. Instead, it has to content itself with achieving what it needs to achieve for its own benefit. That has borne fruit in the award of Top Safety Pick+.
The U.S. IIHS recently put the 2017 Kia Forte through its paces and the recent improvements in the chassis and structure enabled it to come out on top.
To get a Good rating necessary for Top Safety Pick+, a car must perform well in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. The ‘+’ element of the rating required good or acceptable headlight systems, a new part of testing.
The optional front crash prevention system helped the 2017 Kia Forte get this rating. It doesn’t come as standard yet, but will likely be just that in a couple of years’ time. For now, it is an optional extra but one we would definitely suggest having.
2017 Kia Forte
The 2017 Kia Forte is a compact car that brings adaptive xenon headlights and new LED taillights to the segment. In a market that seems to be skewed towards crossovers, the 2017 Kia Forte is performing credibly well if sales are anything to go by. A nice design, lots of technology and a series of good engines all help there.
The Forte uses a 2.0-litre engine that produces 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. It uses a six speed manual or automatic transmission to send power to the front wheels. The EX trim gets an uprated 2.0-litre engine that generates 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. It is available only as an automatic.
The Forte SX uses a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that delivers 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque with either a six speed manual or a seven speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
As the Top Safety Pick+ awards attests, the 2017 Kia Forte is quite safe. It comes with antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags as standard. It also has the option for a rearview camera, Uvo eServices, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and prevention and blind-spot monitoring.
With a comfortable drive, a nice cabin and lots of technology, there is a lot to recommend the 2017 Kia Forte. Add the new Top Safety Pick+ rating and you have even more reason to consider it.
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