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Kia Forte 5 VS Popular Compact Hatchbacks

Blog Jan 22nd, 2020
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Kia Forte5 vs Toyota Corolla Hatchback vs Mazda 3 Sport vs Honda Civic Hatchback

It’s not hard to see why so many people are loyal to hatchbacks. They’re well priced, efficient, easy to drive, and offer the flexibility of a multi-use cargo/seating area. Perfect for the commute to work, running errands on weekends, or for zipping away for a holiday, compact hatchbacks have always been best-sellers even when trends change. In a world dominated by much larger SUVs and trucks, the compact car has bucked the larger-vehicle trend, remaining a steadfast best-seller.

There are several awarded, always popular, import brands that have dominated this segment in Canada. The Toyota Corolla Hatchback, the Honda Civic Hatchback, and the Mazda 3 Sport. But there’s a fourth automotive brand that has been quietly dominating the category, garnering accolades and winning awards. It’s Kia, and their multi-award-winning Forte5.

Here’s a brief history of compact cars in Canada.

1966 – Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in the world since then. The current twelfth generation Corolla was launched June 2018.
1972 – The first generation Civic was introduced in 1972. The current 10th generation Civic was unveiled in 2016. The Honda Civic is Canada’s best-selling passenger-car. Only the Ford F-150 and Ram move more units. The Civic Hatchback won 2019 Best Buy Compact Car from Kelly Blue Book, and was named on the Car and Driver 2019 10 Best Cars list.
2004 – In 2004, Mazda introduced the Mazda 3, which took over for the long-running Protegé compact. The Mazda 3 was proof of Mazda’s philosophy that every car it produces should contain Miata DNA, which helped it transcend its econobox roots. For 2019, the current 3rd generation Mazda 3 was released. It won the AJAC 2020 Best Small Car in Canada award.
2010 – The Forte was released in 2010, with the five-door hatchback making its debut in 2010. The current 3rd generation Forte was unveiled in 2018, and clearly borrows its style from the Kia Stinger. The Forte won the AJAC 2019 Best Small Car in Canada award, and the 2019 JD Power Highest Quality Compact Car, and is a 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick+.
The Forte5 keeps with Kia tradition by offering more – much more – for less. For around the same base model price, this compact hatchback dominates when it comes to features, reliability, and quality. It’s not even a fair fight. The Forte5 boasts an unrivaled suite of standard features – heated sideview mirrors, heated steering wheel, and wireless phone charger all come standard even on the base model. With a leather-wrapped shift knob, leather-wrapped steering wheel, sideview signal repeaters, and stainless-steel sports pedals, none of which the rivals have, you’d never know you were in an economical compact car.

2017/2018 Kia Forte5

2019/2020 Kia Forte5

Kia also dominates when it comes to warranty, boasting a best-in-class warranty that is lightyears – and calendar years – ahead of the competition. It features a Basic 5-Year or 100,000 km, a Drivetrain 5-Year or 100,000 km, a Corrosion 5-Year/Unlimited km, and a Roadside Assistance 5-Year/Unlimited km.

Check out the chart below to see how the Kia Forte5 hatchback measures up against the competitors in the compact car segment.

Book your test drive today! Check out our new Forte5 inventory here, and check out our used compact car inventory here.

 

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