California Through the Eyes of the Kia Forte Ex

Ok so you may be wondering what the heck these car reviews I’ve been doing have to do with “living your life-like it’s the weekend 7 days a week”? To that I ask: have you ever been in a raggedy ride? Or been on the market for a new car and were stressed about which one to choose? Both scenarios can be either extremely frustrating or extremely nerve-racking. To take a bit of the pressure off of you having to do your own research, I’ve teamed up with a company called DriveShop to test drive a few vehicles and give an honest review and first hand experience.

I know I know, it’s a hard job but some bodies gotta do it 😉

If you remember, my first review was of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. To see how that turned out I urge you to head here. This months review however, will be on the Kia Forte Ex.

Being a California girl, I find myself in my car constantly. Whether it’s driving to work, the grocery store, or to an event I’m covering, I seem to always be in my car with a preset destination.  So I thought what better way to test drive the Kia Forte than to hop in and just GO, no real destination in mind. What was intended to be spur of the moment ended up being a look inside some of the hidden gems of Southern California that even this born and bred Cali girl had never seen!

Read more to see where my journey through So. Cal. in the Kia Forte took me…

My first stop was at the new and improved Great Western Forum. The concert venue has been revamped after years of neglect and folks flocking to the Staples center in its place. The Forum holds a special place in my heart particularly because as a teen I can remember sneaking into my first New Edition concert and Lakers game with my best friends. Yes you heard me right, we actually snuck in to two of the biggest events of that year and actually lived to tell the tale!

Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood California is a real landmark! Near the Los Angeles International Airport, Randy’s has a  style that dates to a period in the early 20th century that saw a proliferation of programmatic architecture throughout Southern California. This style had its heyday from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s. By the 1950s however, the trend of designing structures in the shape of the product sold there had changed to focus on signs rather than architecture itself. However, you can still come to this location and see the lines wrapped around the corner, their glazed donuts are to die for!

Completely off the beaten path Bruce’s Beach is an unknown treasure.  A small beach resort in the city of Manhattan Beach, Bruce’s Beach was owned by and operated for African-Americans. It provided the African-American community with opportunities unavailable at other beach areas because of segregation. As a result of racial friction from disgruntled white neighbors, the property was seized using eminent domain proceedings in the 1920s and closed down. In a sign of racial solidarity some of the area was eventually turned into a city park in the 1960s and renamed Bruce’s Beach in 2007 to show that the neighborhood had turned away from its hurtful past.

Speaking of beaches, there is no shortage of amazing beaches to go to in California My favorite however are in the city of Manhattan Beach. Unlike the more popular boardwalk in Venice, I find Manhattan Beach to be a lot more laid back and scenic. Littered with some of the cutest cafe’s and hotels, I find this to be the perfect place to relax and people watch. I’m also really into architecture so I also love walking through the neighborhoods and admiring the lovely beachfront homes.

If you keep driving down the coast you’ll run into Redondo Beach. The beach front is gorgeous and you can see some of the most gorgeous sunsets right from this ledge

In an effort to go with the flow, I continued down the coast and drove right into San Pedro. I had to stop at a turn out on the highway and admire the view. It made me realize that you can live somewhere  your entire life and never notice the beauty around you. On my journey in the KIA Forte I was inspired to actually step out of the car and take it all in.

My last stop of the day proved to be the most inspiring destination yet! I’d never even know about this little gem until now. The Korean Bell of Friendship is a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel’s Gate Park, in the San Pedro. It was given to America by the Republic of Korea as a sign of friendship and peace between the two nations in 1978. The massiveness of the bell and the beautiful park it sits in were the perfect ends to my perfect day.

So now on to my review of the car! I absolutely LOVED driving the Kia Forte! I’ve always been a sports car kind of girl (having owned a Mustang and a Beetle) so the fact that I felt so comfortable in the Kia Forte really surprised me. To give you a clearer review I’ve listed the pros and cons of the car.

PROS

• Good gas mileage (up to 24 city and 30 highway miles per gallon)
• Smooth ride! I didn’t feel a bump on the road.
• Unlike other navigation systems this one n actually told you the streets to turn down as opposed to just the distance before you needed to make a right or left.
• Rear camera display for the parking challenged (that would be me)
• Dual zone climate control: perfect for those passengers that just don’t seem to be on the same temp channel as you
•  I’m a sucker for blue tooth controls and this car had it. Even better I didn’t need to train it on the sound of my voice

CONS

• I like to crank up the music when I drive so I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the sound system
• This wasn’t really an issue for me, but if you have kids I’ve read that having two car seats in the car can be a bit tricky as there isn’t a lot of leg room in the back seat.
• Although the navigation was great once I figured out how to use, it still took me some time to figure it out
• I’m not a sedan girl so I would’ve loved for the exterior color to have been a little more jazzy. The blue color was so blah to me.

 

Overall I loved the car! I urge anyone looking for an affordable car with all the amenities to really check out the Kia Forte Ex. It’s a car that won’t break the bank but is still luxurious!

So guys, what do you think of the car? Have you been on any adventures around your city lately? Where did you go? I’d love to hear in the comments below!