The Kia K3 might not be a familiar car to Filipinos, but it was once sold here as the Forte a few years back. If you barely remember it, then we understand. We once drove the Civic-sized sedan several years ago and thought it was a solid car. Unfortunately, the car’s capabilities didn’t translate to sales, and was subsequently discontinued in the country.
Now, there’s an all-new K3, and it has a new purpose in life as well. Instead of making the car larger, Kia shrunk the sedan. That means it now competes in the B-segment or subcompact sedan class. So instead of going up against cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis, it now faces off the City and Vios. With that, the all-new K3 effectively replaces the Rio.
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The K3 is nothing like the car it replaces. For starters, the subcompact sedan is much larger, growing by 170mm between the bumpers. Size-wise, it measures 4,545mm in length, 1,765mm in width, 1,475mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,670mm. As for design, it follows Kia’s current philosophy with those dynamic-looking headlights, bold lines, and exaggerated angles. It’s most evident at the rear and that fastback gives it a sportier, coupe-like profile.
Inside, it gets some design cues from company’s latest EV offerings. It has a wide panel that houses both the infotainment system and instrument cluster. The dash then takes on a minimalist design with not much in the way of buttons. Lastly, the two-spoke steering wheel is inspired by the EV6, Kia says. Depending on the variant, the K3 can be specified with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ambient lighting, and dual-zone climate control.
Advanced driver assist technologies are also available in the K3. It includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and rear-cross traffic alert, just to name a few. As for standard safety equipment, the K3 gets six airbags and stability control.
Three engine options will be available for the K3. Select regions get a 1.4-liter engine, while North American versions come with a 1.6-liter with 121hp. Interestingly, there is also a sporty version thrown in the mix. Dubbed the GT Line, Kia managed to squeeze a 2.0-liter, non-turbocharged engine under the hood of this subcompact sedan, giving it 150hp.
