Forte a Civic look-alike huh?, I don't think so... Options

[mtlelantra]

Looks to me like the headlight on the KIA kinks in the middle, the Civic on the very inside. The lower lip does the same thing with kinks in different areas. The grille is completely different, the fog lights have cooling vents beside them where the Civic does not, the hood is on top of the crease on the Civic, on the bottom on the Forte, the Forte has a beak in the middle of the bumper, the Civic does not. I have a feeling I could take many different cars and do the same type of comparison.

A= similar crease, but Forte is much sharper and then has the nice sculpted hood... love the sculpted hood.
C= not even remotely similar
D= aren't all signal lights on the outside of the headlamp?
E= not the same at all...
F= my XD2 has the same lower lip. I guess it's the same as the Civic now?

*sigh* some poor Civic owner is just sad he didn't get the nicer vehicle...

[elantragt]

^^ Yep.

Sorry you don't like the Forte design Roy but it REALLY doesn't look like a Civic.

[silet]

Not the SX or the two door sport model, what ever it is, but the Forte did steal the basics from the Civic!!! KIA just did a better job with it.

[elantragt]

This is the argument we always hear about the Koreans... they "steal designs". But come on... aren't ALL cars derivative to an extent?

Did Audi "steal" the Civics taillights or vice-versa?

[silet]

I think it's a smart move!!! Japanese did it first and look at the results! Hyundai managed to be successful because they copied Honda and Toyota. Nothing wrong with it and a good lesson to the Japanese

[roydjt]

I never said that it was a bad design, I think it's a good looking car. I just see the similarity. There's nothing wrong with that. The XD series borrowed heavily from BMW and Saab designs. That didn't keep me from thinking that it's a handsome design. I'm just pointing out what I see, not being critical.

-Roy

[elantragt]

There are a few similar elements but you can also say they copied the Lexus IS rear.

I love this profile shot of the Forte SX sedan:



The stock wheels on this car are hot.

[scott9050]

I could even say it has 99-04 Mustang styling elements to it.

[02elantragt]

No matter what current car you look at you could look at past cars and point out similarities. That's kind of what the car industry has been since it started. A race to see who can do it better. There has been many cars that look the same/ have similarites. A car should stand out for it's differences not its similarities because it's what someone said earlier in this post i can take just about any 2 cars and pick out similarites. It's all about moving forward as long as there is new technology and new ideas there is always going to be a little something new.

[elantragt]

Here's a couple pics I just took of my car. It's simply has a much more "square jawed", macho stance than a Civic.

[abrahan]

funny, i was behind a Forte yesterday and said,

"man that looks like a civic that kept looking better over time."

[Doohickie]

First result for "Forte Civic" on Google Images:



-Roy

This.

Yeah, there are clear differences, but it is obvious to me that Kia was trying to make the Forte resemble the Civic. When I see one my first thought is that it is a Civic.

Here's a couple pics I just took of my car. It's simply has a much more "square jawed", macho stance than a Civic.

But... it still resembles the Civic. The differences that you mention are, I think, intentional. They are trying to appeal to people who like the Civic styling yet trying to look a little better than the Civic.