The Kia Forte Koup is the brand's first-ever sporty two-door, and if all goes as planned, the Koup and its Forte sedan sibling will go head to head with the segment staples such as the Honda Civic, and Mazda3.

The Koup shares its front-drive unibody platform with the Forte sedan, but manages to be slightly shorter in height and length than the four-door. It also shares the Forte's engine lineup consisting of an EX trim level base 2.0L four-cylinder (156-hp, 144 lb-ft) and a bigger 2.4L four-banger (173-hp, 168 lb-ft) in the higher-spec SX model - both of which should be good for more than 30 mpg highway. Entry level Koups come with either a five-speed manual or four-speed auto. Transmissions in the SX models get one more gear each.