CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupes</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/kia/" rel="tag">Kia</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/2134119/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/07/fortekoup2010_lead.jpg" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><em><stron g><small>2010 Kia Forte Koup - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em><br /></div>
<br />After <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/16/first-drive-2010-kia-forte-a-compelling-new-compact-sedan-optio/">strapping ourselves behind the wheel</a> of Kia's new Forte sedan for our initial drive, we came away thinking that the new Korean was a stylish, reasonable alternative to the scads of Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas populating America's roadways. Now it's time for Kia to follow the handsome sedan up with its first-ever two-door <strike>coupe</strike> Koup, which the automaker has now confirmed is slated to hit a dealership near you later this summer.<br /><br />Underneath the attractive (if derivative) sheetmetal will be seating for five thanks in part to the same 104.3-inch wheelbase that underpins the sedan. The Koup does sit lower than the four-door, though, and Kia says the ride and handling has been retuned for a sportier feel and features beefier L-shaped lower arms propping up the expected McPherson struts in front. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels and speed-sensitive power steering come standard and an uplevel SX trim stiffens things up even further.<br /><br />Powering the Koup is the same set of engine options as the sedan, meaning that the base and LX models get a 2.0-liter with 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque mated up with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, while the top-level SX gets a 2.4-liter mill with 173 horsepower and 168 lb-ft torque that can be ordered with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual. EPA fuel mileage estimates range from 25/34 with the base engine to 23/31 with the larger engine and automatic transmission.<br /><br />All Koup models include all the expected safety gear plus standard Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel-mounted controls, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with Sirius, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, a driver's seat height adjuster and tilt steering. Options include a sunroof and heated leather seats. Want to know more? Click past the break for the full press release.<br /><br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/">New York: Kia Forte Koup</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/1483126/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/kiafortekouplive_01_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/1483127/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/kiafortekouplive_02_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/1483128/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/kiafortekouplive_03_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/1483129/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/kiafortekouplive_04_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-2009-kia-forte-koup/1483130/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/kiafortekouplive_05_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/">Kia Forte Koup</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/2134119/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/07/fortekoup2010_68_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/1483340/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/fortekoup2010_01_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/2134122/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/07/fortekoup2010_75_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/1483297/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/fortekoup2010_02_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/kia-forte-koup/1483334/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/fortekoup2010_16_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><strong style="font-style: italic;"><small>Live photos copyright (C)2009 <a href="http://www.drewphillipsphotograp hy.com/">Drew Phillips</a> / Weblogs, Inc</small></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/09/confirmed-2010-kia-forte-koup-will-go-on-sale-late-summer/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/09/confirmed-2010-kia-forte-koup-will-go-on-sale-late-summer/">CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:53:00 EST. 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