Kia chose the
New York Auto Show to unveil a new coupé: the Forte Koup - known as the Cerato Koup in some markets. The company's first coupé comes with 2.0- or 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines. At the moment this model is only being offered on the American market.
The Forte Koup is about the same size as an
Alfa Romeo GT. Unlike the curvaceous Italian the Kia is angular and very similar to the
Koup concept car seen at the
2008 New York Show. At the front the styling is clearly related to the
new Sorento while the overall appearance is further proof that Kia is establishing its own unique style.
Although shorter than the Forte saloon, the Koup is claimed to provide room for five people inside. The body has been engineered for high torsional stiffness, which is always a challenge with pillar-less construction. The strong body should benefit refinement and provides a solid base for the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension.
Kia offers two versions of the Koup: the EX comes with a 2.0-litre, 156bhp engine, while the SX features a 2.4-litre motor with 173bhp. Both engines have four cylinders and feature variable valve timing. The SX also gets larger, lower profile tyres - 215/45 R17 compared with 205/55 R16 for the EX.
For a first attempt at a coupé the Forte Koup certainly looks the part. If it can offer the same value for money as other Kia models when it goes on sale in the USA (probably in the autumn) it should be a hit. Pity it's not coming to Europe.
John Lambert - 10 Apr 2009