Way, way, waaaaay back in March of ’08, pictures of the concept version of the Kia Koup appeared on GoodCarBadCar.net. Then along came the Kia Forte, a replacement for the Spectra. Outshadowed by the brand spankin’ new and wicked Kia Soul, the Forte didn’t exactly grab the automotive world’s collective eye with its official February debut. With the Forte Koup, Kia hopes to inject a little extra soul (lowercase s) into Kia’s core offering.
Think on these things: big sellers like the Chevrolet Cobalt and Ford Focus are offered in sedan and 2-door versions. One very famous best-seller, the Honda Civic, is also a sedan and coupe offerer. Are Kia’s hard numbers going to increase significantly with the advent of the Forte Koup? Probably not. But to be taken seriously in the segment, a sporty; good-looking alternative to the competition is necessary.
Sporty? Probably not so much, eh. However, 156 horsepower is what you get as standard equipment with the Forte Koup. That’s more than Honda or Chevrolet offer on their base versions. Honda and Chevrolet manage to offer upwards of 200 if you want. Regardless, the Forte Koup looks the part and will likely undercut the 2-door Civic to the extent that a few thousand recently graduated university girls named Jen will be really interested. Check out all 57 pictures of the 2010 Kia Forte Koup below.
