If you are a mother of 2 kids or less it can be difficult to find the right vehicle for your family.
Do you get the over sized minivan for just a family of four?
Do you cram into a smaller vehicle to save on money?
You want space, but you don't want to look in your rear view mirror and feel like your kids are a million miles behind you. For our family finding the perfect car is a challenge. Although it appears that KIA has read my mind! They have the perfect vehicle for smaller families that gives you plenty of space and leg room, but it's still under $25k. That car is the 2014 KIA Forte. As soon as we put the car seats in and started to drive to the store I knew this was the perfect fit for a smaller family. Usually once we stick those car seats in we feel like there is no room for anything else, where do the groceries go? Where do the parents go?!
Well... with the Forte the groceries fit perfectly in the huge spacious trunk, and the parents (I guess that's me) will feel right at home in the super comfortable front seats. The KIA Forte is technically a compact sedan, but it doesn't feel compact. One thing you might not expect with the Forte is how sporty and tech savvy it is. The Forte blends in very well to the needs of the 2014 consumer. It's rare to have a car that's sporty, but still really comfortable. KIA has found the perfect formula of sporty, comfortable, fuel economy, Tech happy and affordable.
To be completely honest I absolutely loved the KIA Sorento, but it had eight seats which would be great if we were taking friends or extra family somewhere, unnecessary though for everyday use. And being that it was a SUV the fuel economy isn't as good as it is with the Forte. The fuel economy is rated by the EPA at 25/36 mpg city/highway.
You wouldn't know that KIA was trying to keep this car affordable with all the whistle and bells it has. The inside of the cabin including the dash feels both sporty and refined. I would highly recommend the fully loaded version that comes with heated front and back seats, heated steering wheel, Xenon headlights and more.
The week we tried it out it snowed and we were so grateful for the heated steering wheel and all the heated seats. When we had friends or family in the car you could see the surprise on their faces and hear the excitement in their voices when they realized there were heated back seats. If you live somewhere that has a pretty cold winter you will love these features. Also you can have cooling or ventilated for the driver in the summer.
No more driving with gloves so you can keep your hands warm. With one push of a button your hands will be nice and toasty no matter how cold it is outside. I remember days in other vehicles when I would attempt to point all the vents towards my freezing hands as I was shivering trying to drive. Within minutes of being in the Forte you feel comfortable.
The backing camera is a must have! We have a lot of little kids in our neighborhood and I can't be looking in every possible direction. The backing camera gives you an extra pair of eyes that definitely comes in handy; another thing that I find to be a "must" with newer cars is soundproofing. I don't want to be driving and hearing every little sound outside.
Nothing like questioning for over 5 minutes wondering if a window is open just to find out that it's just bad soundproofing. So I was very happy to see that the Forte was so quiet on the inside. Now only if my kiddos were soundproof in the car. 
Isn't it a beautiful car? I love the way it looks. Definitely a car you can be proud to drive up in.
I realized as I was driving one day that it made me feel young, but not out like I was out of place. Some cars you get in and you just know you aren't the age group they had in mind.
You almost expect to have a little questionnaire pop out asking you to fill in the bubble next to your age group and then rejecting you when you are too old.
The Forte makes you feel young again, and it feels good. You feel like you belong in this car.
