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Style, Value, and Features Earn 2019 Kia Forte Southwest Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year Title

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2019 Kia Forte
Photo: Kia

The 2019 Kia Forte’s combination of eye-catching style, impressive value, and Kia Stinger-inspired performance has earned the compact sedan a notable distinction — the first-ever Southwest Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year award. According to the judges, it’s the value of the 2019 Forte that makes it their top choice.


Check Out: The 2019 Kia Forte


“The Kia Forte was really a standout in the Car of the Year field. It’s stylish, efficient, fun to drive, and comes with premium tech and safety features that you’d expect in a car costing thousands more,” said Becky Antioco, event director and founder of Southwest Lifestyle Media. “It really is a ‘Best Value’ in every sense and it exceeded our journalists’ expectations in almost every category.”

The 2019 Forte is available at four trim well-equipped trim levels: FE, LXS, S, and EX. The standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine can be paired to a six-speed manual or Kia-designed Intelligent Continuously Variable Transmission with Sportmatic® to generate 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. When equipped with the manual transmission, the 2019 Forte earns an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. When equipped with the IVT, the 2019 Forte earns an EPA-estimated 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

Photo Gallery: 2019 Kia Forte

“We’re honored that the Forte took the win for best value at the very first Southwest Lifestyle Vehicle Awards,” said Orth Hedrick, executive director of Car Planning and Telematics, KMA. “The previous Forte was already one of our top-sellers, and the new 2019 Forte is poised to continue being a crowd favorite thanks to its sporty design, upscale interior, available premium features, fun-to-drive attitude, and most importantly, incredible value. The Forte proves that affordable compact cars don’t have to be boring commuter cars.”


Learn More: About the 2018 Kia model lineup


The 2019 Forte also boasts advanced driver assist technologies such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, and Driver Attention Warning as standard features. To help ensure an incredibly smooth and capable driving performance, the 2019 Forte is engineered with Vehicle Stability Management, Electronic Stability Control, a Traction Control System, Brake Assist System, and Electronic Brake-Force Distribution.