A few days before its official debut on April 20, 2021, Kia has released several images of the facelifted Forte. The debut will take place in the Forte’s home country of South Korea, where it is known as the K3.
Of note, this is the Forte’s first facelift since the debut of the third-generation model back in 2018. So, what’s new with this Kia sedan?
The all-new 2022 Kia Forte Facelift
The facelifted Kia Forte gets a new set of daytime running lamps, which now appear as two parallel broken lines running across the length of each headlight cluster. Between the sharper headlight clusters is the new Kia logo, and slightly below that is that “tiger nose” grille, which is now slimmer. The said part was also stretched that it now connects the car’s headlight clusters together. You can get a specific comparison on specs and reviews on the new Kia Forte model here.
The upcoming 2022 Kia Forte
Below the redesigned grille is the lower intake. On the facelift, this part appears more angular than the one on the previous design. On both ends of this lower intake are a pair of sharp-looking LED fog lamps, as well as a pair of angular side intakes that are surrounded by a gloss black finish.
Towards the sides, the preview of the facelifted Forte appears identical to the previous version. It even features the same wheels, though reports are indicating that upon release, the facelifted model might be riding on a new set.
The rear also gets notable design changes. There’s the new taillight design, which mirrors the look of the new headlight clusters. On the lower rear bumper, there’s also a faux vent, which also follows the shape and design of the front end’s tiger nose grille.
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The Forte's rear end
Moving to the interior of the car, it appears that not much has changed in terms of arrangement. There are however, some new features like the new larger touchscreen, and the electronic parking brake. Also, the steering wheel now bears the new Kia logo as well.
As for what’s under the facelifted Forte’s hood, the Korean-spec K3/Forte will be using the same 1.6-liter inline-4 gasoline engine. This mill can produce up to 120 horsepower and 154 Nm of torque, and is mated to an intelligent variable transmission.
Once released in other countries, the facelifted Forte might also use the same drivetrain that’s currently available in a specific market.
Inside the facelifted Kia Forte
What do you think of the new design, and would you want to see the new Kia Forte in the Philippines?
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