| 2010 Kia Forte Koup vs 2010 Honda Civic Coupe | November 2009 | AUTORIVALS.NET |
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| The all-new 2010 Kia Forte Koup has arrived to compete in the compact coupe segment and is a complete departure from its predecessor, the Spectra. One of its main challengers is the Honda Civic which has been a segment leader for quite some time. You can see that Kia has taken design cues and characteristics straight from the Civic. | ||
| 2010 Kia Forte Koup | vs | 2010 Honda Civic Coupe |
 Not sure why Kia decided to include the gloss black panels on the lower grille and over the fog lights. It probably was for engineering reasons but takes away from the visual appeal. |
 The Civic was modestly refreshed with a new front fascia that includes a revised grille and air intakes. It looks more grown up than before but retains a sporty but slightly bland look. |
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| The Forte Koup features a more aggressive design than the Civic even though the Civic was redesigned with a new front fascia recently. The Forte Koup features side mirror turn signals and fog lights (although not standard on all models). New buyers of the Forte should immediately ditch the black flower wheels on the SX trim. | ||
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| The Forte Koup was actually designed by a former Audi engineer. You can see the similarity with some Audi's by looking at the C-pillar. The Forte Koup has some more distinctive features than the Civic such as the bends in the sheet metal. The bend going into the A-pillar is especially unique along with the chiseled fenders. | ||
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| The C-pillar can look unusually wide on the Forte Koup from some angles. It makes the rear side window look slightly stubby. This is where the Forte Koup and the Civic actually start to differentiate in design. The Kia's rear bumper looks better without being too integrated like the Civic. The Forte also features a rear diffuser that's standard. The Civic has a small trunk lid spoiler but is optional only. | ||
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| The Forte Koup includes a rear air diffuser in black trim. The color is black regardless of what color the rest of the car is. The Kia's tail lights look a little slicker when going for a sporty appearance. It also features dual outlet exhaust pipes compared to the Civic's one. | ||
 Kia really pulls ahead of others with its interior features. It's loaded with features that you usually don't see in this price class such as Bluetooth, iPod/USB connectivity, satellite radio, and more. In terms of the design, it's attractive enough and places everything in easy reach. It's visually more appealing than the Civic but there's nothing too innovative. |
 Honda's new two-tiered dash layout is more ergonomic than traditional dashboard but the rest of the dashboard's layout looks odd. The digital speedometer is always in clear view making it easy to keep track on your speed but the rest of the design could have placed the vents in a better location. |
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PROS +Attractive design +Feature loaded interior +Good fuel economy +Kia's 10-year warranty CONS -Copycat front end -Gloss black cladding |
PROS +SI version gets 197 hp +Good fuel economy +Honda's reliability +Two-tiered dashboard layout is functional CONS -Dashboard design is ugly |
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| Video Source: YouTube via Inside Line |
| NOTES |
| It should be noted that the sportier Si version is available for the Civic but wasn't compared to the Forte Koup because of the price and performance difference. The Si gets a sportier spoiler and a few other features (particularly the engine). |
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