Kia Cerato Forte
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It's ok... I think it's due to the Forte that lifted KIA's sales into the Top 10 charts for its Jan'09 sales.
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certainly, i have a frenz working for kia...next month wallet going to be fat fat liao..
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Hi everyone, I'm new here. I took the plunge and ordered a Cerato Forte pre launch and got the 1.6A SX at 45K, COE inclusive, 6 months road tax and Rikekool solar films thrown in. Solar films comes with 10 yr warranty! Any time the film starts to peel, send the car back and they will have it replaced, quite cool. My friend is using this brand of solar film and he mentions that his 'transition glasses' does not darken when placed in the car, but it darkens after he winds down the windows, so it can't be that bad.
The interior is really spacious while the exterior is sporty. What I did not like is the 1.6 versions did not offer you leather seats, although you can get it done yourselves outside. Exterior design was by Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, who designed the Audi TT also.
The feel when test driving is good, however it is noticeably noisier than the Hyundai Avante. Possibly because of the 17 inch rims they use, suspension is also harder than the Avante which makes it a little bumpy when going over little pot holes. Not sure if this is to compensate the height since it is 30mm lower than the Avante.
The sales person also mentioned that the engine is the same as the Cerato Variant 2, they sup-ed up the Forte's engine so that it is performing almost at its limit, they also gave it an aluminium block, making it lighter than previously.
I checked with my collegue who owned a Cerato variant 2, he mentioned that FC is about 11-12KM? Hence I am not optimistic that the Forte will be any better, specially with those 17" sports rims offered. I won't be driving it for long distances, hence not too bothered by the FC.
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i went to the showroom to see the new kia cerato on sat. it certainly looks impressive! i feel it's a bit of civic, mazda3 and accord mixed tgt.. it also feels like it has more power than avante. quite a good buy for $45k i would saY!
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I also took the plunge and ordered a Cerato Forte pre launch and got the 1.6A SX at 45K. However, I got very disappointed and disturbed by the SE who sold me the car.
He called me last thursday to tell me I need to top up additional 1K to get my car. It is stated clearly the price I'll be paying in the order confirmation form. What is this about? Next moment say he need to talk to his management to waive off for me. He called me again today to say he had to forgo all his commissions to get it done for me!! When i asked him when can I get my car, he say End Apr to May. The next moment, he called me again in the evening to say he can delivered the car to me already!! Really cannot believe this guy!
John, at least your SE is good, he throw in Rikekool solar films for you. Mine keep telling me his commission is only 300bucks. He cannot throw in anything for me except the alarm!!
Buying a car is not a happy thing afterall. Spending so much and yet need this is what I get in return. Really cannot believe that Kia Motors is under C&C.
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Honestly, i had a KIA before and it sucks to the core but this Forte is restoring my confidence in the brand. Great outlook, great price, great interior and with glowing reviews not only for this car but for recent improvements for KIA's quality issues from frens who drive KIA, I think this could be the buy of the year without sounding too sure.
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Sorry to hear about your bad experience Jruskysg, my SE is Chris Tay, he told me upfront that his commission was $500 and the best he could offer me were the solar films from Rikekool, he offered them upfront to me even before I asked! I was quite impressed with his honesty, I asked him if he could add on the key-less engine start/stop functionality but he says that is not possible, as i think its only for other markets. He was also unable to throw in the leather seats as they cost about 1K.
I thought the SX model already comes with remote alarm? Unless you ordered the EX then it excludes the alarm. I heard from a friend that his friend had same experience regarding the 1K top up due to COE change, however this is for an OPC Kia Picanto. They refused obviously and now are planning to place charges against them because the SE refused to return them their deposit.
From the inconsistencies I read from your note, it seems this SE is trying to get this 1K for himself, and after he failed to convince you he came up with this ridiculous story about losing his commission.
I'm getting my car only in May, so I was told, I'm not in a hurry to get the car, so not too particular.
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Originally posted by Johnwongtw:
Hi everyone, I'm new here. I took the plunge and ordered a Cerato Forte pre launch and got the 1.6A SX at 45K, COE inclusive, 6 months road tax and Rikekool solar films thrown in. Solar films comes with 10 yr warranty! Any time the film starts to peel, send the car back and they will have it replaced, quite cool. My friend is using this brand of solar film and he mentions that his 'transition glasses' does not darken when placed in the car, but it darkens after he winds down the windows, so it can't be that bad.
The interior is really spacious while the exterior is sporty. What I did not like is the 1.6 versions did not offer you leather seats, although you can get it done yourselves outside. Exterior design was by Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, who designed the Audi TT also.
The feel when test driving is good, however it is noticeably noisier than the Hyundai Avante. Possibly because of the 17 inch rims they use, suspension is also harder than the Avante which makes it a little bumpy when going over little pot holes. Not sure if this is to compensate the height since it is 30mm lower than the Avante.
The sales person also mentioned that the engine is the same as the Cerato Variant 2, they sup-ed up the Forte's engine so that it is performing almost at its limit, they also gave it an aluminium block, making it lighter than previously.
I checked with my collegue who owned a Cerato variant 2, he mentioned that FC is about 11-12KM? Hence I am not optimistic that the Forte will be any better, specially with those 17" sports rims offered. I won't be driving it for long distances, hence not too bothered by the FC.
Congrats on your new car! Wishing u a smooth journey all year long!
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Originally posted by gasband:
Honestly, i had a KIA before and it sucks to the core but this Forte is restoring my confidence in the brand. Great outlook, great price, great interior and with glowing reviews not only for this car but for recent improvements for KIA's quality issues from frens who drive KIA, I think this could be the buy of the year without sounding too sure.
Well, it's still too early to say, since this is only the month of February and there are lots of other exciting cars coming up... so hold your horses!
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Originally posted by Jruskysg:
I also took the plunge and ordered a Cerato Forte pre launch and got the 1.6A SX at 45K. However, I got very disappointed and disturbed by the SE who sold me the car.
He called me last thursday to tell me I need to top up additional 1K to get my car. It is stated clearly the price I'll be paying in the order confirmation form. What is this about? Next moment say he need to talk to his management to waive off for me. He called me again today to say he had to forgo all his commissions to get it done for me!! When i asked him when can I get my car, he say End Apr to May. The next moment, he called me again in the evening to say he can delivered the car to me already!! Really cannot believe this guy!
John, at least your SE is good, he throw in Rikekool solar films for you. Mine keep telling me his commission is only 300bucks. He cannot throw in anything for me except the alarm!!
Buying a car is not a happy thing afterall. Spending so much and yet need this is what I get in return. Really cannot believe that Kia Motors is under C&C.
Wow...at least we now know that besides having a good car, we also need a good dealer around as well.....to make our purchase experience a positive one.
Really feel sorry for your case too...
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Originally posted by nightsky87:
That's a very valid point, about why manufacturers like Mitsubishi and Hyundai can install multilink independant suspension for their cars, and yet priced cheaper than their made-in-thailand counterparts. The cheapest MIJ car with multilink would probably be the Mitsubishi Lancer GLX. The Nissan Sunny comes with torsion beam setup, same as the Swift as well. I've no idea why sgcarmart lists Sunny's rear suspension as multilink, but personally I've seen jacked up Sunnys before and I'm pretty sure the N16 uses a torsion beam setup..
But you have to see.... mitubishi lancer GLX uses rear drums... tt's where they cut cost...
the only MIJ car tt have the full specs ( full specs to me being: 4 disc, 4 indept suspesnion, MIJ, 5th gear ratio a major plus) is mazda 3 and its priced rather cheaply now..
unlike altis which wun lower its price no matter what... i think BM is selling too many cars become too zhuai.... LOL
sunny uses indept rear suspension.. its on tan chong webbie.. do have a look...
and back to the korean car topic... avante is like the mz 3 offering full specs and looks quite good to boot... so inevitably.. when a forte comes along and falls short in some aspect.. u will start to question wun u....
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Originally posted by n0x:
But you have to see.... mitubishi lancer GLX uses rear drums... tt's where they cut cost...
the only MIJ car tt have the full specs ( full specs to me being: 4 disc, 4 indept suspesnion, MIJ, 5th gear ratio a major plus) is mazda 3 and its priced rather cheaply now..
unlike altis which wun lower its price no matter what... i think BM is selling too many cars become too zhuai.... LOL
sunny uses indept rear suspension.. its on tan chong webbie.. do have a look...
and back to the korean car topic... avante is like the mz 3 offering full specs and looks quite good to boot... so inevitably.. when a forte comes along and falls short in some aspect.. u will start to question wun u....
Thats true, the GLX has rear drums, but that sure does not deter the drivers of Lancerlutions! Mazda 3 only has a 4-speed auto, I think only the 6 SP is 5-speed auto. But the Mz3 does share its platform with volvo/ford, and lots of people have praised its stability. The price now is very very affordable because the new Mz3 coming out soon later this year, continuing the recent mazda trend of good looking cars.
Then again, must consider that the Forte is a new model, and at with the spec level and at that pricing is already much cheaper than when the Avante first came out.. and the price will probably fall sooner or later down the road, I don't think the torsion beam setup will really deter potential buyers..
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Originally posted by n0x:
the only MIJ car tt have the full specs ( full specs to me being: 4 disc, 4 indept suspesnion, MIJ, 5th gear ratio a major plus) is mazda 3 and its priced rather cheaply now..
i've been driving my family's mazda 3 for 32months now and it has yet to reach 5th gear leh....
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Originally posted by n0x:
But you have to see.... mitubishi lancer GLX uses rear drums... tt's where they cut cost...
the only MIJ car tt have the full specs ( full specs to me being: 4 disc, 4 indept suspesnion, MIJ, 5th gear ratio a major plus) is mazda 3 and its priced rather cheaply now..
unlike altis which wun lower its price no matter what... i think BM is selling too many cars become too zhuai.... LOL
sunny uses indept rear suspension.. its on tan chong webbie.. do have a look...
and back to the korean car topic... avante is like the mz 3 offering full specs and looks quite good to boot... so inevitably.. when a forte comes along and falls short in some aspect.. u will start to question wun u....
Another point about Nissan, according to TC website, I noticed that the site lists the Sylphy and the Latio both having torsion beam suspensions - despite being newer models? Looks like not only the koreans are adept at cost-cutting measures..
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mazda 3 is selling so cheap now is becos the new model is shipping in by next month.
If anyone still rem, mazda 3 first came out, it was selling at 80k plus. now 52k...
Watch out for Kia Coupe. equally impressive!! heard from insiders it is selling at 70k.
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Looks like KIA is making a comeback into the charts... and it means serious business here.
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[IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/citymax/kiacoupe.jpg[/IMG]
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hi, some bros over at MCF is collecting names and going down to C&C to request for the waiver of the $1K price increase as some of the SEs gave them misleading info that their early bird purchase price would stay regardless of the launch price.
those bros who were given the wrong info, pls put down your name at the following discussion:
http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2439543&st=840
we hope to be given a fair deal and be taken for a ride.
thanks for reading!
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oic....
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Hi John, did you get your Kia Cerato Forte SX from Ubi or Leng Kee?
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I got mine at Leng Kee on the last day of their prelaunch, so I captured the early bird discount. they have a catch though, you have to take min 50% loan for 5 yrs. Loan from Maybank, interest 2.8% fixed per annum. Over the weekend in the papers they were offering the fixed interest rate at 2.58%!! <---about $50 lower per year
But then again i don't think they have the early bird 2K discount at the launch. 1.6A SX model should be retailing at 47K at the launch, anyone can verify this? New Forte selling at 47K at sgcarmart.
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Originally posted by sinicker:
i've been driving my family's mazda 3 for 32months now and it has yet to reach 5th gear leh....
mz3 has no 5th gearwhat i meant was if it had a 5th gear it wld be a major plus... like the civic..
but the civic is ex
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Originally posted by nightsky87:
Thats true, the GLX has rear drums, but that sure does not deter the drivers of Lancerlutions! Mazda 3 only has a 4-speed auto, I think only the 6 SP is 5-speed auto. But the Mz3 does share its platform with volvo/ford, and lots of people have praised its stability. The price now is very very affordable because the new Mz3 coming out soon later this year, continuing the recent mazda trend of good looking cars.
Then again, must consider that the Forte is a new model, and at with the spec level and at that pricing is already much cheaper than when the Avante first came out.. and the price will probably fall sooner or later down the road, I don't think the torsion beam setup will really deter potential buyers..
the torsion beam wun deter potential buyers tt for sure...pple seldom look at the suspension specs...
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Originally posted by laoda99:
wat color?Light graphite