The compact car segment, especially in the United States is a crowded one. That’s why it comes as a surprise that Kia managed a major upset as the Forte was named as the most appealing car in its class, beating the likes of the Honda Civic.

One of the Korean automaker’s best-selling brands there, the Forte was judged as the highest scoring compact car in the recent J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study.

Redesigned this year, the Forte takes on a more sophisticated design and adds more desirable features, particularly in the top-trim GT variant. In this guise, it gets a 204-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged motor, all-around independent suspension, and a slew of impressive standard features including a flat-bottomed steering wheel, sport seats, and an infotainment that integrates both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The APEAL Study measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle across 77 attributes, ranging from the power they feel when they step on the gas to the sense of comfort and luxury they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat. These attributes are then combined into an overall APEAL index score measured on a 1,000-point scale.

The study, now in its 24th year, is based on responses gathered from February 2019 through May 2019 from nearly 68,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2019 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.

In the Philippines, the 2019 Kia Forte is available in three variants: the LX A/T (P 1,095,000); the EX A/T (P 1,195,000); and the GT (P 1,650,000).