2022 Kia Forte Review

The Kia Forte is one of Kia's smallest and least expensive vehicles, but it's also one of Kia's best. For 2022, the Kia Forte is getting a major overhaul, with the most obvious changes made to the exterior. There you'll find a new interpretation of Kia's ubiquitous "Tiger Nose" grille up front, a new corporate badge, and revised front and rear bumpers. Upper trim levels get LED foglights that integrate with the lower part of the front bumper, but all Fortes will be adorned with slim, triple-stacked LED daytime running lights that flow into the new grille.

Inside, the 4.2-inch upgraded driver information display (previously only available on the top-spec GT model) is now standard, and the GT and GT-Line models get a new 10.25-inch touchscreen, up from the 8-inch screen you'll find on other models. There is some benefit to sticking with the lower trim levels, however, as the 8-inch screen now gains wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The larger screen requires a wired connection for these features. The manual parking brake also switches to a button — a moment of silence for anyone who dreamt of practicing J-turns in a Forte.

The changes are less radical under the hood. The Forte will continue to offer two engine choices. The first and less powerful is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft torque. This year, the six-speed manual transmission is dropped for this engine; the motor is paired exclusively to a continuously variable automatic.

For those who want a little more juice, a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque is available in the GT trim. Thankfully, the GT is still offered with a manual transmission, though a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is also available.