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BY JOAN LEBLANC

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Speak Up

Forte; an appropriate name for such a strong, stylish compact sedan.

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Once again, Kia’s left the competition in the dust with its new 2010 Forte, showing it’s a leader in innovation and creativity and is setting new standards for this popular class of cars.

Take a look at the sleek new exterior, the clean lines and bold, wide stance that gives you great roadgripping ability. It’s one great looking car and the good stuff doesn’t stop there.

The LX 5-speed manual, LX Plus 4-speed automatic and EX 5-speed manual models come with a 2.0L, DOHC, in-line 4-cylinder engine featuring a continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), 156 hp with 144 lb.- ft. torque. A bit sassy, the SX 6-speed manual boasts a 2.4L DOHC, in-line 4-speed engine with duel CVVT, 173 hp and 168 lb.-ft. torque that’ll maintain fuel efficiency while showing you who’s boss. The anti-lock (ABS) braking system and 4-wheel disc brakes give you great ultimate control and 15” steel wheels will easily handle whatever elements Mother Nature dishes out.

The classy interior comes in your choice of smooth black leather or high quality black fabric, with an Ipod®-ready AUX and USB ports, 4- speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo that will let you play tunes in all types of media. A Bluetooth® hands-free cell phone connectivity provides safer driving while you keep in touch with friends and business contacts.

Take a look inside the Forte and the first thing you’ll notice is the generous body and leg space for more comfortable travelling. Dual front and side airbags in addition to dual full-length curtain airbags provide lots of protection when you need it most. Heated power side mirrors will take the bite out of dealing with frost on cold winter mornings while power door locks and windows just make your life a whole lot easier.

The designers at Kia are just a bit ahead of their time, they’re always thinking of ways to make things just that much easier for drivers. Take the convenience of steering wheelmounted audio controls, now that’s just plain genius; no more feeling around the dashboard to turn up the volume or change audio tracks.

And all four doors open to 90 degrees so even long legs can enter and exit with relative ease. Just another example of how much thought and planning goes into Kia vehicles.

The 2010 Kia Koup is full of surprises.

Look over the EX model and you’ll be surprised how amazingly cool it looks! Kia’s first two-door coupe is packed with convenient features that you probably thought you’d have to pay extra for. Many of the Koup’s features are standard equipment, like the tinted windows and outside mirror with integrated turn signal; front and rear mud guards, air conditioning, heated front seats, electronic stability and traction control systems and there’s a whole lot more. Definitely the type of surprises you like to get.

Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan, “The Power to Surprise”, is really no surprise at all given its continuous attention to innovation that represents the company’s global commitment to exceeding its customer’s expectations.

The 2010 Kia Forte and Forte Koup; be prepared to be surprised.