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Kia's current and upcoming product catalog suggests a naming strategy solely inspired by someone's old music dictionary. Both the Rondo and the upcoming Cadenza draw their names from musical terminology-as does parent Hyundai's Sonata-and now we have the Forte, christened with an Italian word that directs performers to play loudly.

Less Forte, More of a Mezzo Piano

Fortunately for Kia, the Forte isn't so much forte as it is mezzo piano, which means "moderately quiet." Indeed, at idle, we counted only 39 decibels inside the Kia's cabin, and that quiet hints at the Forte's impressive refinement. The styling is mature, the interior décor is handsome yet subdued, and the mechanicals are competent.

The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder-the only engine available in LX and EX trim-is pretty much all a Forte driver needs. It's powerful, particularly at higher rpm, and the exhaust note doesn't turn sloppy as it gets allegro, music-ese for "fast." The 2.0-liter's performance essentially paces that of the uplevel SX trim's 173-hp, 2.4-liter four, as well. Zero to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds and the quarter-mile in 16.6 at 85 mph trail the near-100-pound-heavier SX by only 0.2 second to 60 and matches it in the latter measurement.

We wished for another gear in the automatic transmission of this EX, however, as the four-speed drops the 2.0-liter flat on its face with each shift. A five-speed auto is available with the top-level SX's 2.4-liter, or with this smaller engine as part of the $600 Fuel Economy package (which also includes lower-rolling-resistance tires, electric power steering, and a lower-draw alternator). The wider-spread ratios of a five-speed could work wonders here, with the added benefit of seeing EPA fuel economy increase from 25 mpg city/34 highway-we observed only 22-to 27/36. (The 2.4-liter paired with the same five-speed earns a comparatively weak 23/31-mpg rating.)

Musically speaking, pianissimo means "very soft," which would describe the suspensions of Kias past. No more, as the Forte's springs have been fortified (Fortefied?) for better composure and control than the Spectra it replaces. It's still not as buttoned-down as the sportier Honda Civic or Mazda 3, but gone is the mushiness of the Spectra. "Surprisingly neutral," our tester noted after recording 0.80 g on the skidpad. While that number would have plopped the Kia on the trailing edge of mid-pack in our eight-way compact-sedan comparo, the Forte's ability to stop from 70 mph in 179 feet-a skill perhaps more likely to prevent an accident in daily use-would have been good for third place.

A Comfortable Concert Hall

Inside our tester was a mixture of soft gray materials-the other choice is tan-highlighted with handsome matte-gunmetal trim on the steering wheel and center stack. Space in the front and rear is among the best of its peers. Thankfully, the Forte sedan doesn't have the agonizingly chintzy light-up speaker surrounds offered on the coupe, which can allegedly beat in time with the music but actually demonstrate all the rhythm of a drunken toad.

Instead, the EX includes as standard a six-speaker stereo with a CD player, auxiliary and USB inputs, and Sirius satellite radio, as well as windows, locks, and heated mirrors that are all powered. Standard safety equipment includes traction and stability control and the six most important airbags: driver and passenger front, front-seat-mounted side-impact, and two-row curtain.

To that roster, our tester added the $1000 Leather package, which wraps the seats, shifter, and steering wheel in skin that looks as though it might have come from a plastic cow. Leather isn't available without the $900 sunroof-all the better to prematurely age and crack it-leaving us with a sticker price of $19,590. Interestingly, pairing leather and the sunroof with the fuel-economy bundle is forbidden. We might opt to save $1300-and gain a few mpg while we're at it-by going for the Fuel Economy package instead, although we're curious to see just how the electric power-steering pump and low-rolling-resistance tires would affect the driving experience. Either way, for under $20,000, the Forte is, if not a virtuoso, definitely grazioso-"graceful."