Is This The Korean Civic Si?? Yes And No - 2020 Kia Forte GT 

Too bad the rear seats don't fold flat..then it would-be a very useful car..

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the "base" Civic Si is the only Civic Si?

@@CFG-qv7hy you aren't wrong.

Forte is a very nice car for the price. Pushed hard though, the FWD architecture and lack of great engineering reveal themselves with too much torque steer.

I'm not super impressed with the way the 2020 Kia Forte GT looks, the headlights look like bug eyes to me. Perhaps more importantly, the dual clutch transmission in the GT does ride & feel rough. Even Sofyan, a huge fan of Kia/Hyundai, admitted that when driving it. That will be difficult to live with everyday. Keep in mind that performance is more than the amount of horsepower, amount of torque, and 0-60 time. Most of us drive in real roads where we have to follow speed limits, not the race track. If anything, driving a fast car slow is incredibly frustrating. For my money, I would buy a 2020 Toyota Corolla SE sedan as my performance sedan. Yes it's not the fastest car but it handles incredibly well. Professional reviewers have stated that it handles & drives even better than the 2020 Mazda 3. Best would be to pair it with the available manual transmission with auto rev matching but Toyota's new CVT with the physical first gear is awesome too. Plus the 2020 Corolla SE is cheaper & more reliable than the Forte GT and the Civic SI. Win win.

Do you have the manual transmission?

@@t.k.morris I have the manual it's a blast.

@@t.k.morris I'm normally a big fan manual transmissions in certain cars but I got the DCT auto. It holds RPMs where you want with nice defined shift points and I actually really like it. Plus you can kick it in manual mode and rifle through the gears. It feels very responsive unlike the slushy feel of a CVT, but that's another reason why I was drawn to the Forte GT 🙂

Does it pull a lotta hoes or nah

Congratulations! How do you like your Forte GT so far? Thanks

I chuckled out loud on that too! Sneeky & Cheeky :)

Putting such witty puns aside, when not referring to musical composition, "forte" is actually pronounced "fort," so we are all wrong when pronouncing it like Alex.

@Birth Chord just snatched one last week 6 speed manual.. love it just tinted the windows! The exhausts pops also 🤙

Going to hopefully pick one up Friday after test driving it earlier in the week, fell in love with it after about 15 minutes

I had one with the DCT. That car was just about perfect for me. I miss it.

I mean the reason why Si doesn't have leather seats is coz if weight, leather adds unnecessary weight and the Civic Si and Type R is all about lightness

I still have mine and it’s 60k miles. I just can’t justify getting rid of it. I love it

@@ryadhasanahmed5443 Leather is also pretty terrible in a performance car as it's easier to slide around in it while doing hard cornering. Leather also makes the interior noise levels higher as leather reflects sound rather than absorbs it like cloth.

And the triangles in the 2021 look to much...

Warranties are only good if they're honored. I've heard many horror stories where dealers refused to honor warranties because they couldn't replicate the problem at the dealership or because they found some loophole and claimed the car owner voided the warranty. Don't rely on warranties at all.

Loophole abuse with the Warranty - another thing Volkswagen is notorious for. That and terrible customer service.

In fact VW's 4yr/50K bumper to bumper warranty is not the "shortest warranty of the bunch." It's longer than most manufacturers' standard 3year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. Furthermore, it's coupled with two years of service and maintenance on every vehicle sold, a benefit that amounts to something over $600 for every buyer. Balance that certain savings against the potential but very unlikely probability that a buyer will have a warranty claim in years five and six of ownership and the average consumer is far better off with the shorter warranty and free service and maintenance.

Stephen Hendricks, nearly every other automaker offers 5 year 60k powertrain.

@@subvet3668 powertrain and bumper to bumper warranties are very different things.

Been driving a 2021 for a day now after trading in my GLI. I love it. Volkswagen can suck it.

Did you get the manual transmission?

T.K. Morris I did, it’s so much fun driving this car in my opinion. Exhaust sounds mean at a cold start

@@IDHAMAHDI gt too?

@@IDHAMAHDI what exploded?

Just got mine 3 days ago. GT with manual transmission and I couldn’t be happier. When people write you get so much for your money it really is the truth.

I can find many faults

His logic is terrible. He goes for the least sporty car, everytime he does a sporty car comparisons. He hates fun driving cars. He would much rather have an suv

@@swanblake Hes a practical guy. If you're even considering a couple different cars you're going to drive them and might have a completely different view from him.

What class are you in the market for ?

I just bought this car. I’m picking it up Friday I’ll probably post videos on RU-vid

@@nicholass281 Please provide a link if you do...

Agreed. Even as an old-ass man I can agree that the technology has changed the game.

My son telling me he did great in Math... report card says D+ Hmmm lol

Disagreed. SavageGeese is a more entertaining auto reviewer. Alex is good, but more stale.

@@TheAngryDuckman I appreciate and respect your opinion though I disagree. AoA has that professionalism the others though they MIGHT be more entertaining just can't seem to achieve but again appreciate your comment brother.

Redline Reviews and profanity? I've never heard him use profanity...

@@slowanddeliberate6893 Maybe not in every video but it's definitely noticeable.

Different strokes for different folks and different aims from different reviewers. I happen to agree that Alex provides the most comprehensive, thorough, and detailed reviews on the net and his inclusion of comparisons with rival vehicles in the same market category is especially enlightening. That's why I support this channel. Having said that, though, I find several other reviewers well worth watching, a group that includes Tom Voelk's "Driven" channel, the reviews from Savage Geese, MIcah Musio's perspectives on his own channel as well as KBB, and Sofyan Bey's perspective on Redline. As far as Sofyan's "profanity," I have to say it's pretty rare and typically "beeped." Even if it weren't I'm not especially bothered by the shift in what's considered to be acceptable language in the current world.

you were darn lucky.. i got one before the number crunchers started shaving off the extra bits

Well I also got all of those features. As I understand it, can get a very basic forte GT with the dct and none of those options mentioned. The manual is a higher msrp because it comes with some of the features that you need to pay extra on the dct. The only things missing on my manual is the full leather seats, heated and cooled seats, auto climate, ambient lighting and radar cruise. I think that's it. The manual is a great value and tons of fun.

I just bought one with the same specs as well.

Theirs 2 a GT and then a Loaded GT one.. I got one fully loaded out the door with everything for another 1500 🤷‍♂️

That’s how the manual comes.... from my understanding, you can’t get a manual version without those features.

Resale value is a frequent argument in discussions of the value of some vehicles -- Toyotas and Hondas on the high end and KIAs on the low end. But here's an example that doesn't apply directly to the vehicles reviewed here but may be instructive. In 2012 I purchased a KIA Sorento. The price I paid was over $6000 less than the best offer I received for a comparably equipped Toyota Highlander. Six years later I traded the Sorento for a new model (same top trim). The dealer gave me a price for my trade-in that was about $600 less than the KBB estimate for a comparable (trim and condition) 2012 Highlander trade-in, the resale champ in the category. Simple arithmetic indicates I saved about $5400 on the pair of transactions. The keys, of course, were (a) substantial savings on the original purchase price; (b) keeping the Sorento for six years rather than trading it within a couple of years of its original purchase; and (c) the significant improvement in KIA's resale value over the last decade. Personally, I don't buy vehicles based on my expectation that it will hold its value, especially over a period of five years or more. Vehicles are almost universally depreciating assets and the longer they're owned the less difference in resale value of comparable vehicles. P.S. This comment is aimed at contradicting your post. I suspect that you're correct that the "price difference might end up being less than it seems." But the greater the initial savings and the longer you keep a vehicle, the less it matters.

@@stephenhendricks103 Very interesting perspective, thanks for sharing. I find on my research that KIA reliability has become very stable, at least in the last 3 or 4 years. That has to account into resale value somehow.

@@chiluco2000 Yes, it has. In fact, when I sold my 2012 Sorento, the dealer re-sold it 24 hours later for $2000 more than he paid me. We both made out well and that was fine with me.

@@stephenhendricks103 In general I agree; resale value is overrated. But with enthusiast cars, buyers seem to be picky. In my area (Mass), I see a 2013 GTI for $14k, 2013 Civic Si for $16k, 2014 Focus ST for $15k, and a 2015 Forte5 SX for $13k. All ~50k miles. The Kia was $2-3k cheaper, but that savings is gone compared to the Honda/Ford hot hatches.

@@stephenhendricks103 Your (a) and (c) points neutralize each other. As Kia's resale value has gone up, the willingness of Kia dealers to give you a substantial discount off MSRP on new Kias has gone down. I assure you that new Kias/Hyundais do not receive nearly as big as a discount now as it used to in the past. On the other hand, due to the increased competition from Kia/Hyundai, Toyota dealerships are more willing to give a large discount on new Toyotas then they did in the past.

So you ended up paying around 22k out the door, including taxes and fees and that's a discount and great value to you? Orale Orale holmes, you're a pendejo. You can buy a new 2020 Corolla SE sedan for 20k out the door as long as you negotiate hard so it's 2k cheaper than Forte GT. The 2020 Corolla SE manual has auto rev matching, looks better, and will be more reliable with the naturally aspirated engine.

Linda Gonzalez I actually like the look of the forte better

@@lindagonzalez9691 A Corolla SE isn't even close when comparing the Forte GT , if u want a preppier Corolla sure get a SE.. if you want a little injection of Sport the Forte is the way to go it feels way different my friend.. plus Toyota eco engine pushed i find still sip a little oil.. but not saying they aren't reliable

@@lindagonzalez9691 the best way to put it is if you commute in a single lane area and a big rig is ahead the Forte you put ur foot down and pass.. the Corolla you better wait

@@joebrown9621 the Corolla 2.0 169hp is more then enough for passing a truck or car on the freeway . 30 hp isn't much power

Warranties are only good if they're honored. Dealers try their best to find loopholes to not honor your warranty. You would be a fool to trust Kia/Hyundai's 10 year warranty.

@@lindagonzalez9691 Nonsense. In fact, every manufacturer applies firm rules to warranty claims. KIA and Hyundai are no different from any other manufacturer. And if you have any reliable evidence to the contrary, feel free to post it. You won't because it doesn't exist. If you want to criticize KIA/Hyundai's 10 year power train warranty, though, you might want to focus on the fact that very few problems arise in ANY automotive brand in the transmission and engine over a 10 year/100K length of time. In fact, a number of dealers of various brands in my area offer LIFETIME warranties on their new vehicles' engines and transmissions. Since such warranties typically apply only to the original purchaser of a new vehicle and so few problems every arise, either a 10 year or a lifetime warranty is basically a marketing gesture. A somewhat more valuable warranty from a consumer point of view is the bumper-to-bumper warranty offered by manufacturers. But even in those cases a 3 year or 5 year warranty is a good bet for a manufacturer. Again, they're seldom transferable to a second owner and even if they are the vast majority of owners will never have the need to redeem a warranty claim over the period of their ownership. If anything, long warranties are a sign of (a) a manufacturer's confidence in their product and (b) a way to counter worries of risk averse consumers who don't realize that just about every new vehicle will run reliably and without the need for a warranty claim for the entire length of ownership. Reliability concerns are widespread among consumers primarily because a new car is such a major expenditure but a warranty, like any insurance policy, is a far better bet for those who sell them than for those who buy them. If that weren't the case, insurance wouldn't be sold.

@@stephenhendricks103 Well KIA tried to get out of fixing an opening in my passenger seat leather, implying it wasn't a defect and that it was my fault. The car was brand new no one ever sat there

Linda Gonzalez you’re talking out of your ass

@@spades512 And were they successful in their denial? I thought not.

Which are you leaning towards and why?

I’ve tested both. The Si is the better car overall and I specifically liked the nicer materials, gauges, and refinement. It’s more engaging and just much more fun to drive. However if you’re on a budget the forte is a solid choice and will get the job done for some cheap speed, especially with a manual.

@@buildmorefarms1007 I am leaning towards the Forte. With real world dealer discounts, the GT with GT2 package ends up being around $3k cheaper than an Si. I will miss the limited slip diff but it seems the Forte still handles very nicely. With the current rona situation I may end up driving a lot less than I used to so it makes sense to spend less money on driving itself. I'm just looking for the cheapest vehicle I can find with an acceptable level of fun and features which is well built and probably reliable. I'm not sure there's any vehicle priced below the GT that would satisfy all of those criteria, for me personally at least.

@@caglioso guys says "if youre on a budget the forte is a solid choice" when both cars are pretty much similar in price...my GT2 Forte had a MSRP of $26,350 got it for 25k...Even if you buy a non GT2, there really isnt a huge difference in monthly payments bc of 2-3k less...its probably like $25-$35 less / month...other factors are more important such interest rates and down payments/positive equities. Forte is underrated...its capable of generating 212-221 engine HP, and typically dyno 195-200 lb-ft torque at the wheels. 0-60: 6.31 1/8 mi: 9.45 @ 77.4 mph 1/4 mi 14.59@ 95.75 mph All timed with my dragy, no launching, streets, w/ DCT.

Lol true facts they gave the Forte Gt porche suv headlights. And I think for 26k they did it right you should get alot more for your money why pay 30k for a Honda civic si? Because it surely doesnt beat my Gt in a race

So it's worth having less fun with the dual-clutch for the *entire* time you have the car? That doesn't sound right!

Don't care.

I don't care

Honda redesigned the civic si for 2022

theyve been using the same DCT for some time now, and its been pretty flawless

Even Sofyan admits that it feels and sounds rough when driving it. He didn't seem comfortable with it at all. I remember Ford Fiesta and Focus drivers would have the same complaint. I would be worried about long-term reliability.

Well, you do get 10 yrs/ 100k warranty so at least you're protected...until you want sell the car.

Not sure if you consider a GTI a "cheap compact car" but its DCT is awesome and durable.

@@stephenhendricks103 28000 starting? Not exactly cheap.

I'm sure I'm wrong, but the trunk on the GT actually seems bigger than my base forte that I traded out.

It's my pandemic hair.

Do they offer one for a 2023 forte gt? I like it ,but ,more power is always good.

You pretty much have to order them. The downside is that most of the dealer discounts are voided when you don't buy a car that's sitting on the lot.

says the guy who drives a base mitsubishi mirage lol!

How is it holding up so far?

I did and I couldn’t be happier. Great car all around, just need to throw in some bolt on goodies and a tune

Paying attention to MANY different areas. It's called driving. Everyone does it everyday. As in driving, your peripheral vision will allow you to notice a blinking light on the bumper as you absent mindedly glance at the tail lights.

Damn, all the GT2 in your area came with summer tires? SMH, my GT2 w/ DCT came with A/S....lol...I think they're standard in the GT2 w/ the manual. Could be wrong, though.

Vw is better

yonda ila if ur a brand snob who doesn’t like value for money, then sure. 😝

Update lol - I ended up having to get a 2020 MK7 Jetta. Our daily died last week and there was no Forte GT2s in stock ANYWHERE near me. I'm still pissed but the Jetta is nice.

Noooo vw gli good car

Facts. Still prefer those handbreaks

It's piped in audio

@@stevenr1354 That's not what I am referring to. The forte GT has an optional sport exhaust which has a throaty growl and has lots of pops and bangs. Probably similar to the I30N set up but it sounds a little different

@@danielboyd7810 Its not optional, for the GT it's standard.

Because if you come to Honda dealer, you are just a layman. Laymen don't get the goods. Goods are for those who understands in goodness

Damm bro I'm sorry that happened man, the Forte gt is amazing, I have a grey one stock vs honda civic si I beat em all day. The gli has 28 more hp and consider the forte gt has stage 1 stage 2 tune 240-270 300-340 on a 2900 pound car 🤯🤯🤯

I paid 26k for mine and let's be honest I saved money and have better performance than the honda civic si and I can tune the car

And when you drive the forte gt in dual clutch mode, your driving slow while hitting the gas petal downshift the gears from the paddle and watch it kick

Vw gli perfect car

Ur right its perfect I have the grey one I kill honda civic si's and there's a stage 1 stage 2 tune

I test drove it. Love it.

Dean Martin Just got mine 3 days ago. GT With manual transmission. One owner car with 5k miles. Once I test drove it I was sold! I was so impressed with the quality!

@@stanm.6174 Congrats! 2020? Why would owner part with vehicle with only 5K on it?

@@tommymas1 probably just leased it?

We know what you mean about the KIA Forte GT! I have never really ever been a Honda fan!

ytube777 not only that, but they are more expensive while also having less features. The DCT with the GT2 package is fully loaded and still cheaper. I wish car companies offered the manuals with the goodies as well. I want to row my own gears and have heated/cooled seats and the tech stuff too. I just don’t get it. Everything else is identical, all they have to do is plug in the manual instead of the auto, why does there need to be a total package difference for that?

Manual is cheaper has almost all the options of the GT2 package and only costs 500 more than the non gt2 version.

My 2020 Kia Forte GT with manual comes with blindspot monitor, power sun roof, Karmen Stereo system. I don't why he said it doesn't come with those as a standard in manual.

There's a reason for that. KIA's business model has long been to find the sweet spot in terms of consumer preferences and manufacture vehicles that meet that demand and contain costs through the economics of volume production. Further dealers HATE having vehicles sit on lots for extended periods until they're finally sold at steep discounts. A manufacturer as two choices: (a) charge more for small volume production of MT's or (b) limit the MT to lower trim levels where the hit on a dealer's flooring charges and profits are minimized. KIA and other manufacturers don't abandon (or nearly abandon) MT's because they fail to see demand for them. It's quite the opposite.

You get a pass for medical reasons.

No they steal designers

They all copy each other

No check out KIA's engineers peter shcreyer albert m heiman

Performance wise the GLI. If you want a little better warranty and a sunroof get the kia. I have the 2020 gli s and like it. I didn't want a sunroof. It was about the same price as a kia. Still cheaper than a si.

@@Bondovw If I do go GLI do you reccomend any color to look at? I am liking that Pure Grey but thanks for the input it helps!

I just bought a 2023 Kia Forte GT2 Turbo and it's awesome 😎👍 I don't know what you are talking about but over here they are being sold like hot pancakes 🥞

@@maoinc13 You might try reading my comment again. In the first place it dates from two years ago. In the second place, it notes that even in the period of a steep decline in sales of compact sedans, the Forte's sales increased.

I traded in my GLI for it. I just wish the sport mode would stay engaged. It doesn't on the manual GT anyways. I don't miss much from the GLI. Especially don't miss the awful VW company

@@paulriccio5333 I am between buying the GT and GLI. What makes VW awful? Thanks

It’s still a bad car Kia is not better than Honda and vw is a better buy