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2010 Kia Forte

With aggressive design cues, the new Kia Forte firmly establishes itself as a strong contender in its segment. Sporting a bold look set apart by crisp lines, swept-back headlamps and a sleek profile, Forte exudes a wide, stable stance that conveys motion both while cruising the highway and parked in the driveway. Available in three trim levels (LX, EX and SX), Forte offers a sleek, sophisticated design. The SX trim offers a more athletic profile with 17-inch alloy wheels paired with P215/45R17-sized premium tires.

Forte’s front-wheel-drive unibody structure employs an independent front suspension with MacPherson struts and a stabilizer bar and a torsion beam rear suspension with struts and coil springs. This combination helps provide the optimal balance of handling and comfort. An engine-speed-sensitive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system adds the finishing touch for precise handling by providing the most advantageous amount of assist for varying road conditions.

With one of the roomiest interiors in the segment, Forte boasts a spacious 96.8 cubic feet of passenger volume, while driver and passengers have an impressive 40.0 inches of headroom and 43.3 inches of legroom in the front seats and 37.8 inches of headroom and 35.0 inches of legroom in the rear seats. Forte’s trunk also offers a best-in-class 14.7 cubic feet of cargo space, perfect for luggage and weekend getaways or around-town grocery shopping.

Capitalizing on its spacious interior, Forte makes every effort to incorporate style and function, starting with a crisp, high-visibility center stack and a driver-oriented three-gauge instrument cluster exuding a stylish red glow. Forte continues to pamper its riders with a host of interior features, starting with comfortable, nicely appointed full cloth seats. A six-way adjustable driver’s seat, tilt steering column, rear defroster and dual 12-volt power outlets in the center console are driver- and passenger-conscious luxuries standard on every vehicle.

Forte LX and EX are powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, producing a class-leading 156 horsepower² and 144 pound-feet of torque, that features Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) and multi-port electronic fuel injection, both of which provide for greater performance and fuel economy. The SX features an upgraded 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, also with CVVT, which delivers 173³ horsepower – more powerful and with better fuel economy than the Mazda3s and Corolla XRS.

Forte offers a class-leading level of standard safety equipment, with features such as front active headrests, dual advanced front airbags, front seat-mounted and side curtain airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, side impact door beams, front and rear crumple zones, four-wheel disc brakes with an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BAS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a Traction Control System (TCS), and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).  

2010 Kia Soul

The 2010 Kia Soul stands out from the crowd with modern, unique styling aimed toward the young and young-at-heart. Designed by Kia Motors’ Southern California-based design team, Soul is the newest product offering to join the company’s ever-expanding line-up and is currently on sale at dealerships across the United States.

Soul’s tagline, “A new way to roll,” positions the car as the first of a line of next-generation Kia vehicles set to launch during the next two years. The new ad campaign for Soul also is different from what KMA has done in the past, celebrating how Soul playfully stands out in a sea of sameness.

Designed to reach target audiences of social, easy-going and hard-working consumers even before Soul hit showroom floors, KMA launched its new in-cinema campaign by playing the new Soul ad spots in movie theaters nationwide starting in late February. The fully integrated advertising campaign, consisting of national television, print, outdoor and digital advertisements, will launch in late March.

Soul’s low, wide stance is paired with an angled window line, rounded nose and large flared back headlamps, giving it a playful and youthful appearance. With a friendly face and exuberant personality, Soul is perfect for coasting along the beach or cruising downtown city streets, embodying the vehicle’s tagline “A new way to roll.”

The beltline rises from the front wheel arch to create a gentle wedge shape and continues under and around the rear side window. The rear is dominated by the vertical rear combination lamps set into the body color panel with clear outer lenses. The body and wheel arch crease line extends around the bumper for a tough, not rough, style matching the look of the front.

Offering plenty of standard features, the Soul trim offers a chrome-accented grille, clear lens auto-off headlamps, solar glass, black door handles and side mirrors, body-colored front and rear fascias with black inserts, black bodyside molding, rear wiper/washer, variable intermittent windshield wipers and 15-inch steel wheels fitted with P195/65R15 tires.

Upgrading to the Soul+ offers keyless remote entry, privacy glass on the rear and rear side windows, body-color door handles and dual body-color power side mirrors along with 16-inch alloy wheels with P205/55R16 tires. Soul+ also comes with optional front fog lamps and a power sunroof.

The Soul! adds as standard equipment a power sunroof, fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped with P225/45R18 tires. The dynamic Soul sport builds off of the Soul+ features and adds side sills, rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps and unique front and rear fascias, wholly personifying the sporty, urban look Soul embodies.

Also adding to the distinctiveness of Soul, buyers can choose from unique exotic exterior paint colors, including: shades of white such as Dune and Clear White; metallic tones of Shadow, Titanium and Bright Silver; coffee-inspired Java; red-hot Molten; and Alien green. Additional colors available later in the model year will include flame-emulating Ignition, Denim blue and bright white Ghost.