Driver's Seat: '11 Kia: Good-looking, but . . .

2011 Kia Forte SX: I must be missing something.

Price: $22,445 (base price $18,895)

Marketer's pitch: Setting new standards.

Conventional wisdom: The Kia Forte is one of Edmunds.com editors' top recommended cars. Kias have gotten much better since their early days.

Reality: Looks nice, well-laid out, but still . . . not quite.

An open letter: Dear Honda, I am very, very sorry I called your 2012 Civic boring. I hadn't yet driven the 2011 Kia Forte SX.

But seriously: I'm being too harsh. It's attractive. It's roomy and comfortable. The interior is pleasant. And the old-style tall windows make seeing outside easy.

But it just lacks that certain something-something. I've given the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta rave reviews, so it can't be car snobbery on my part. Usually Edmunds and I concur on our choices, so I'm taking great pains to balance my negativity against another view I respect.

No fun to drive: Put it on the twisty back roads and it just tilts to one side, then the other. Nimbleness is not its Forte.

I actually wanted to slow down. I felt myself aging, as if I should leave my left blinker on and, well, maybe it's a little chilly and I should put on a sweater, and, hey, what are those kids doing over there? You kids get off my lawn!

Rough ride: As fluffy as the Forte handles, it's not all smoothness and quietude. Like Kia Souls I've driven, the Forte loses composure over the bumps, feeling as if the wheels are losing contact with the road (a special shout-out to PennDot for making the Route 202 reconstruction a nice place to test out suspensions). And though I haven't done a full test on one, I do have a soft spot for the Soul, whose handling and performance I find zippy and fun.

And, yet, it tries, it really does: The six-speed automatic comes with shift capabilities on the gearshift and paddles on the steering wheel. How's that for sporty? But the gearshift pushes forward for up, rather than backward, as nature, BMW, and Mazda had intended.

Peppy power: The 2.4-liter four-cylinder on the SX is an upgrade from the 2.0 in lesser models. It moves the Forte quickly.

Inside: The bolsters on the seats are not snug, and there's certainly a, uh, wide market out there for that. The seating position is high and comfortable. The rear seats offer plenty of legroom and are nice.

Our tester seats came with leather coverings and heat for $1,000. Like most leather seats, I found these extra firm.

In control: The heater controls were simple and easy to use, and that's a definite plus in this era of confusing gizmos.

Finding a navigation system on this inexpensive midsize car was a plus, but it'll cost you $1,800 for the SX technology package, which also included push-button start, automatic temperature control and chrome door handles.

The navigation/entertainment system has buttons that are close at hand, making it easy to change stations or modes without looking away from the road.

Tough to gauge: The speedometer helpfully goes up to 150; I confess to not making use of even half of that range.

Unfortunately, no digital speed readout is available, so it can be tough to gauge your speed at a pokey 65 or 70.

But in general, the Forte has it all over the Civic because it doesn't try so hard, especially in interior styling. Sometimes, familiar isn't such a bad thing.

Fuel economy: 28 m.p.g. for my test, not too impressive, but comparable to the Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Jetta I tested.

Where it's built: South Korea.

How it's built: J.D. Power gives this model low marks in initial quality, and almost average in predicted reliability. My tester had just over 5,000 miles on it, and I noticed a distinct hesitation when the engine was cold, although it could just be an engineering compromise to get the best performance at operating temperatures.

In the end: A base Forte would clock in at just under $16,000 and come with a 2.0-liter engine. I might be happier with better mileage and the extra cash in my pocket, because the 2.4-liter certainly didn't knock my socks off.