The safety aspect of this vehicle is beyond great. I owned the car for not even a year before I was in a pretty bad accident. Everyone who seen the car, was surprised I wasn't in the hospital. I didn't have a scratch on me. I was wearing a seat belt and the car is equipped with multiple air bags throughout the front and back seats. The car sits comfortably in the driver seat. My husband always complains of how the car turns. Says it turns hard and jerky. I don't see it but I guess it's possible. I love the look of the interior. The only thing I don't like about the interior is the plastic around the radio and dials. It gets dirty fast and is easy to scratch. The same plastic is also around the shifter. The ac and heat work wonderfully; however, the fan noise is very loud when it's turned all the way up. My favorite part of the whole car is the iPod hook up. Absolutely love it. Plays great through the radio and have had no problems with it. I also love how I can talk on the phone through the car. So easy and understands me very well. I don't have to keep repeating myself. However, if the windows are down, it won't pick up what your saying when your trying to call someone. Take off and stopping is smooth. The gas pedal and the brake pedal are touchy. You don't have to push very far for it to work. My other favorite part is the sun roof. Even though I have had issues with this. Sometimes I have to push the button twice for it to engage. I've tried to baby this car from day one even though it was in 2 accidents and you can't even tell but there is about 29,000 miles on it. You know how if you pull up too far to a parking block, it can scrape the front of the bottom of the car? Well, I've done this multiple times with this car and you can't even tell. The front under is black plastic and it holds up very well.

When I was looking to buy a new car I wanted something that had good performance, good styling, and good mpg, The Kia Forte seemed to meet all those expectations. First of all the Forte had an aggressive front grill with a good looking profile and 17 inch alloy wheels. The interior was also better than I had expected from a Kia. The seats had custom stitching and soft touch material instead of hard plastic. A lot of things also came standard that a lot of other models you had to pay a premium. For example the Forte came with standard moon roof, Bluetooth, fog lights, satellite radio, auxiliary inputs, leather steering wheel and premium speakers. The Forte also at the time had the most horsepower in its class with around 175 for a four cylinder engine. What finally won me over was the price. I was able to get a good deal because it was relatively an unknown car at the time and people still weren't comfortable buying a kea. I paid about $100 under dealer invoice.

After my last car was totaled by a reckless driver, I needed to find an economic choice in reliable transportation to and from the university (a 100-mile round trip for me). Although it is an older car, it has maintained good performance and handling. I have had no major repair problems in the two years that I have owned it, and it runs well with regular maintenance. It is a lightweight car, and it took some getting used to, since I was afraid to drive for awhile after the accident that brought me to obtaining this car. I am now comfortable with the handling. It is a nimble vehicle that takes turns and curves in the road well. Cosmetically, I would have preferred a different color, but that is not what is most important to me. It looks alright. I do have some concern about safety in this lightweight vehicle. The gas mileage is average. The room in the trunk is spacious enough for shopping. The cabin space is roomy and comfortable enough. The sunroof is a nice feature. Acceleration is great, but breaking could be safety concern if you have to stop suddenly. I can see well enough out of all the windows. As for listening to music while driving, the CD player skips when I hit a bump in the road because the car is so lightweight.