2020 Kia Forte vs. Its Competition

2020 Kia Forte GT
Brian León Brian León Contributing Writer

The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are synonymous with the compact car segment, and both offer multiple body styles, standard active safety features, and in the case of the Civic, two enthusiast-friendly sporty models.

The Hyundai Elantra shares a lot of bones with the Forte and features similar value in a more polarizing package.

The excellent Mazda 3 is great to look at and to drive and should be on any short list, while the Volkswagen Jetta offers German quality with a hotter GLI model that’s a blast to drive.

2020 Kia Forte GT2020 Kia Forte
2020 Honda Civic2020 Honda Civic
2020 Hyundai Elantra2020 Hyundai Elantra
2020 Mazda MAZDA32020 Mazda MAZDA3
2020 Toyota Corolla Nightshade Edition2020 Toyota Corolla
2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI2020 Volkswagen Jetta
Quick Specs
6.0
The 2020 Kia Forte has the style and now the GT power to slot into any compact-car shopping list.
6.7
The 2020 Honda Civic sets the pace among affordable compact cars.
5.8
The 2020 Hyundai Elantra is a well-equipped value.
6.7
The Mazda 3 punches above its weight class with an upmarket interior, good handling, and optional all-wheel drive.
6.7
It’s still among the more mildly flavored mass-market sedans, but the 2020 Toyota Corolla has dropped the bland from its diet.
5.8
The docile 2020 Volkswagen Jetta is a solid compact sedan choice; for zesty performance, opt into the Jetta GLI.
MSRP From     
$17,890$20,000$19,300$21,500$19,600$18,895
Gas Mileage     
25 MPG City / 41 MPG Hwy22 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy23 MPG City / 41 MPG Hwy24 MPG City / 36 MPG Hwy28 MPG City / 52 MPG Hwy25 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy
Engine     
Regular Unleaded I-4Regular Unleaded I-4Regular Unleaded I-4Regular Unleaded I-4Regular Unleaded I-4Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4
EPA Class     
Midsize CarsMidsize CarsMidsize CarsCompact CarsCompact CarsCompact Cars
Style Name     
FE ManualLX ManualSE IVTFWDL CVT (GS)S Manual w/SULEV
Drivetrain     
Front Wheel DriveFront Wheel DriveFront Wheel DriveFront Wheel DriveFront Wheel DriveFront Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity     
555555
Passenger Doors     
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Body Style     
SedanSedanSedanSedanSedanSedan
Transmission     
Manual w/ODManual w/ODCVT w/ODAutomatic w/ODCVT w/ODManual w/OD
Detailed Spec Comparison
 2020 Kia Forte vs. 2020 Honda Civic2020 Kia Forte vs. 2020 Hyundai Elantra2020 Kia Forte vs. 2020 Mazda MAZDA32020 Kia Forte vs. 2020 Toyota Corolla2020 Kia Forte vs. 2020 Volkswagen Jetta