Used 2012 Kia Forte for sale 

The 2012 Kia Forte is available in three trim options, namely the LX, EX, and SX. The LX is available at a base price of $15,200, which makes it one of the most affordable sedans. The base trim in itself has great standard features. The EX trim is available at a price of $17,600 while the SX trim is available at a price of $19,100. The SX gets a much powerful 2.4-liter inline-4 engine and adds sport-tuned suspension along with metallic interior trim.

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We would recommend opting for the EX trim as it adds in improved interior features like keyless entry, air-conditioning, cruise control, and a better 6-speaker sound system at a price of just $17,600. All this is added at an additional cost of $2,400 than the base trim and thus provides great value for the money spent. 

The 2012 Kia Forte is available in two engine options. The first one is a 2-liter inline four-cylinder engine that generates 156 horsepower along with 144 lb-feet of torque, while the second one is a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine that generates 173 horsepower along with 168 lb-feet of torque. The 2.4-liter engine is only available for the SX trim while the first two trims get the base 2-liter engine.

The engine is mated with a six-speed manual transmission, and the drive delivers the power to the front wheel as standard. The Kia Forte is not quite quick, but when compared to its rivals, it provides a much better acceleration of 8.1 seconds for 0 to 60 MPH while the quarter-mile distance is covered in 16.2 seconds.

The Kia Forte is the most powerful vehicle in comparison while it is followed by the Chevrolet Cruze at 138 HP. The Toyota Corolla sits at the bottom of the table in the segment with a power output of 132 HP. The Toyota Corolla is the slowest of them all with a zero to 60 MPH acceleration reached in 9.9 seconds, while the Chevrolet Cruze takes around 9.5 seconds to reach the 60 miles per hour mark. The Kia Forte has the maximum top speed of 132 mph while the Toyota Corolla has the least top speed of 116 miles per hour. The Chevrolet Cruze sits in between these two with a top speed of a126 mph.

With a decent 2-liter inline-four engine, the Kia Forte manages to give us a good fuel economy. It provides us with 26 mpg in the city which improves to a staggering 36 mpg on the highway. Thus we get a combined mileage of 29 mpg from the Kia Forte. Along with that, the Kia Forte has a 13.7 gallons of fuel tank capacity, which provides a maximum range of 493 miles. 

The competitors like Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze have a similarly combined fuel economy of 29 mpg just like the Kia Forte, but the Toyota Corolla has a slightly less mileage of 34 mpg on the highway. The Chevrolet Cruze has the biggest fuel tank capacity of 15.6 gallon, which provides a much better range as compared to the other competitors.

Over the years the compact sedans have been having dull Interiors, but Kia has been taking up the charge to improve the visual appeal of the interiors. Even if they have not reached there yet, the Kia Forte gets an appealing dashboard along with colorful instruments and an LCD screen in between. The front seats are comfortable and provide enough bolstering to provide great comfort. 

The rear seats are comfortable as well but lack the spacing for each individual passenger. The Kia Forte can accommodate up to five people inside its cabin. Behind the rear seats, the Kia Forte provides a cargo capacity of 14.7 cubic feet, while with the rear seats folded, we can get a maximum cargo capacity of 96.8 cubic feet, which is the best in class.

All the vehicles in comparison can accommodate up to five passengers inside its cabin. While the Kia Forte has the best-in-class front headroom and legroom, the other vehicles like Toyota and Chevrolet also have a decent room for all the passengers. Just like the Forte, the rear seats of the Toyota and Chevrolet are a bit cramped. The Chevrolet Cruze has a maximum cargo capacity of 15.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats while the Toyota Corolla provides the least cargo capacity of 12.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats. Major interior features include-

• Six-way-adjustable driver seat
• 60/40-split-folding rear seat
• Tilt steering column
• Air-conditioning
• cloth upholstery

How is the 2012 Kia Forte’s infotainment system?

The infotainment system in 2012 Kia Forte includes standard features like Bluetooth connectivity, CD player, satellite radio, iPod interface, auxiliary audio jack, and USB port. Along with that, it gets a four-speaker sound system as standard, which is not the best in class but gets the work done.

The Technology package can be included with the Forte which integrates the navigation system, which would be of great use. The higher EX trim gets a six-speaker sound system which provides a much better experience inside the cabin. Here is a list of the infotainment system features that are available with the 2012 Kia Forte:

• Bluetooth connectivity 
• CD player
• satellite radio
• iPod interface
• Auxiliary audio jack 
• USB port
• 4/6-speaker sound system

The exterior design of the Kia Forte is not something unique, but it does get the signature Kia front grille along with the Kia-specific headlight design. The Kia weighs around 2,729 pounds, which is not the heaviest in comparison

. The Kia is also not the longest in the comparison with a length of 178 inches. It gets a ground clearance of 6 inches, which is not a lot but makes it capable enough to travel over the off roads.

The Chevrolet Cruze is the heaviest with a curb weight of 3,093 pounds, while the Toyota Corolla follows it with a curb weight of 2,800 pounds. The Chevrolet Cruze is also the longest in comparison with the length of 181 inches, while the rest of the dimensions like width and height of all the three vehicles in comparison are somewhat similar. The Chevrolet Cruze also gets a slightly higher ground clearance of 7 inches as compared to the 6 inches on Kia Forte. Major exterior highlights of the sedan are- 

• Keyless entry
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Sport side mirrors (top trim)
• Integrated turn signals (top trim)

NHTSA has given a safety rating of 4-stars out of 5 to the 2012 Kia Forte, while the IIHS has given a ‘Good’ rating in all the test segments for the 2012 Kia Forte. Along with that, the IIHS has also given a Top Safety Pick award to the Kia Forte for the year 2012 in the small car 4-door sedan segment. Thus the Kia is capable of safeguarding the passengers in case of an accident. The Forte is also equipped with multiple safety features that improve the safety factor of the vehicle. Here is a list of all the safety features that we get with the 2012 Kia Forte:

• Antilock disc brakes
• Stability control
• Traction control
• Front-seat side airbags
• Side curtain airbags 
• Active front head restraints

The 2012 Kia Forte is a medium-size sedan that is not the most powerful but proves to be a great vehicle for everyday use. The lower-powered 2.0-liter engine provides to be very economical and thus helps save a lot of money on fuel costs. The interior is decent and has a considerable amount of features. The Kia Forte is also one of the safest vehicles out there as per the safety rating from the IIHS. So if you are looking for a vehicle that would provide great performance while being economical, the 2012 Kia Forte should definitely be on your list.