A SEDAN THAT IS INEXPENSIVE WHILE NOT CHEAP

       To understand the future of the automobile industry, you must understand the success of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail organisation.
       It is an achievement based on common sense: Wal-Mart consistently offers excellentm quality at prices lower than those charged by the competition.
       It is an attractive business model that draws consumers from all walks of life, especially in tough economic times. It matters not that Wal-Mart is a non-union company with a blue-collar persona. Nor does it matter that you are a professional or a worker holding a union card. If you want the best for less, you shop there.
       So here's lthe deal: the car company that best follows the Wal-Mart example is the one that will own the future of the automobile industry.
       Don't be surprised if that company comes from South Korea.
       Don't be surprised if that company comes from South Korea.
       Take a look at this week's subject car, the 2010 Kia Forte family sedan, sold at base prices of US$13,695 to $18,195 (Bt467,000 to Bt621,000). There prices cover compact, front-wheel-drive automobiles built as well as anything from Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan or Toyota. South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai owns Kia. So Hyundai is included.
       The kicker is the Forte is priced lower - in many cases much lower - than the competition.
       To say the least, my evaluation crew - my wife Mary Anne and my Washington Post assistant for vehicle evaluations, Ria Manglapus - and I were shocked. In our minds, we had equated "cheap" with, well, cheap. But after putting nearly 800 kilometres on the Forte EX, which sits in the middle of the Forte line-up, we changed our steroeotypical understanding of "cheap" to a more appropriate "inexpensive". In this instance, that meant remarkable value.
       Fit and finish on our Forte EX was excellent. Interior ergonomics - ease of sigt and ease of use of gauges and controls - were better than those found in many rival cars. That's "better" as in "better" rather than "better for the money".
       Some examples: audio, heat and ventilation controls were clearly positioned and labelled, a welcome relief from cars in which the positioning and use of those controls have been turned into a dark scienece.
       Also there's this: in a driving emergency, such as a sudden traffic stoppages, the caution-signal button, indicated by a small red triangle within a larger red tri-angle, becomes the most important button on the instrument panel. You want to push that button quickly to alert motorists behind you that you are slowing down or stopping because of trouble ahead.
       Too many car companies seem to go out of their way to conceal the caution-signal button. Their stylists render the button practically linvisible and less useful by shrinking its size and blending it within the overall instrument panel.
       Kia has taken the opposite approach in itms Forte line. The caution signal button is the largest single control, and it sits at the top of the instrument panel. It is hard to miss and easy to reach and use. Thus Kia gives the caution signal button the supreme importance it has always deserved.
       We disagreed on the feel of the Forte EX's ride. Ria thought it was too hard, making it a tad uncomfortable for a family sedan. Mary Anne and I demurred. We though the Forte EX's stiffer-than-usual ride for a compact sedan (probably because of its optional low-rolling-resistance tyres) contributed to the car's better-than-usual handling for a compact family sedan.
       We all marvelled over the car's zippy acceleration, delivered by the 2-litre, 156-horsepower, in-line four-cylinder engine. We were even more impressed with its fuel economy: 10.62 kilometres per litre in the city and 14.45 kilometres per litre on the highway, running on regular unleaded petrol.
       The Forte's standard safety features, including four-wheel disc brakes and full-length head-curtain air baags, matched those found in substantially more expensive cars. That was also true of the Forte's optionally available amenities, such as iPod, Bluetooth-phone and MP3-player connectivity.