2019 Kia Forte is ready for prime time

The Kia Forte is all new for 2019 and is more competitive than ever.

It's also now one of the better-looking sedans in its class.

The Forte starts at $17,690 and totals to $23,010 as-tested, including $895 for destination.

With every option box ticked, the Forte can surpass $26,000.

All Fortes come with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque connected to the front wheels via a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission.

My Forte EX tester returns an EPA-estimated 30/40 city/highway mpg. After 825 miles, I saw 35.3 mpg.

With 15.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity, the Forte's trunk space sits near the top of the class, even beating the midsize Toyota Camry by 0.2 cubic feet.

There's plenty of room inside the Forte for up to five occupants.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on an 8-inch touchscreen. Compulsory driver-assistance features include collision-mitigation braking and one of the better lane-keep assist systems on the market.

Click or scroll further for more photos of the 2019 Kia Forte.