Kia recently unveiled some additions to the 2020 Kia Forte lineup.
While the Forte recently debuted with four trim levels, two new trims will soon join the range. The Kia Forte GT Line adds cosmetic touches to the standard car, while the full-fledged Kia Forte GT model goes further by adding performance. Here is everything you need to know about what’s coming to the 2020 Kia Forte.
GT Line adds cosmetic touches
First up for the 2020 Kia Forte is the GT Line. This trim level is mainly an appearance package, making a number of cosmetic changes both inside and out to give it a sportier look. On the outside, Kia fitted a gloss black grille with red accents, black mirror caps with LED turn signals, black side sills and a black deckled spoiler around back.
Look on the interior and you’ll find alloy sport pedals, a flat bottom steering wheel with white stitching, plus black sport cloth seats, also stitched in white, that feature more bolstering than the standard seat.
While there are cosmetic changes, the GT Line does not get any performance upgrades. Under the hood is the same 2.0L naturally aspirated four-cylinder that is found in the rest of the Forte lineup. It makes 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque and sends power to the front wheels through a Continuously Variable Transmission.
Here comes the power: 2020 Kia Forte GT
The big change comes with the Kia Forte GT, which does get performance upgrades as well as the aesthetic pieces from the GT Line. You still get the black trim pieces around the exterior, plus 18-inch two tone alloy wheels an dual exhaust tips. On the interior, the white contrast stitching is upgraded to an even sportier red contrast stitching. This time, there’s an illuminated GT dash inlay.
Under the hood, however, there’s a different engine. This is the 1.6L turbocharged four cylinder also found in the Kia Soul. This little turbo makes 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. You also have a choice of two transmissions, neither of which is a CVT. Kia is giving the Forte GT a 7-speed dual clutch or, manual lovers rejoice, a 6-speed manual transmission.
Kia has upgraded the suspension to a fully independent setup front and rear, while the standard model just gets a torsion beam in the rear. There are beefier sway bars and bigger brakes for better stopping power. Finally, Kia gives you the option of grippier Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
There are two levels of the Forte GT, the GT1 and GT2 trims. GT1 gives you blind spot monitoring with lane changing assistant, and rear-cross traffic alert, while the GT2 trim completes the tech suite with adaptive cruise control, on top of standard Forward Collision Avoidance braking, lane departure warning, Lane Keep Assist and Driver Attention Warning.
Pricing
Kia has not officially announced pricing yet. More information will be available closer to the Forte GT’s on-sale date in 2019. We do expect this trim to cost more than the current range topping EX trim which starts at $21,990.
Head over to TFLcar.com for more on the new Forte including current news, views and real-world reviews.
