2010 Kia Forte SX: The Fuel Economy Review

The Kia Forte sedan is zippier than you’d expect from a car that gets 31 mpg on the highway, and it did rate a 7 out of 10 on California’s Global Warming Score (higher is better). But calling it “green” would be a stretch.

The 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed automatic transmission go a long way toward making the Kia Forte a fuel sipper rather than a gas guzzler. There’s a green “eco” light that comes on to the right of the speedometer to indicate when your driving style is saving fuel. The problem with the light is that it can blink on and off as you slow for traffic then speed up for a green light. Catching it out of the corner of my eye, I kept thinking I’d left my right blinker on. It also wasn’t enough of a reward to encourage good driving habits.

If you have family or friends who need to trade in a gas hog of an SUV or pickup truck, and they’re not ready to go hippie-dippy hybrid, the Kia Forte would be a good transition car. It’s got lots of pep in the gas pedal — which doesn’t lend itself to green driving — but the engine size and transmission keep you from burning too much fuel, no matter how you drive.

In the end, after a week of driving, I got a combined 26 mpg, with about equal highway and street driving. It sounds odd to say, since that’s a perfectly respectable number, but I expected higher. For about the same price, a person could get a Honda Insight, which gets 43 mpg on the highway but lacks the quickness of the Kia.

2010 Kia Forte SX Info

• 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine
• EPA rated at 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway
• Tons of safety equipment
• MSRP as tested: $19,795

This car was provided for review by the manufacturer at no cost to the reviewer.