Known as the K3 in its home market (Kia might actually start adopting this new alphanumeric naming scheme for global markets as well), the compact sedan gets a new front clip with slimmer headlights and a smaller tiger nose grille. The Porsche-like four-point LED DRL has also been replaced by horizontal dash lines found at the top and bottom of the headlights. Of course, the new grille and headlights necessitated a change in bumper design and for 2022, it’s more angular with triangular-shaped “inlets” ala the Stonic and diagonal LED fog lights.

At the back, the 2022 Forte also gets the same dash line lighting treatment. The signal and reverse lamps still look to be situated on the lower part of the bumper, but they look better integrated this time around thanks to its smaller size and a sizeable horizontal mesh around it designed to mimic the tiger nose grille upfront.

Inside, the Forte remains largely the same as before, but noticeable changes include the removal of the manual parking brake for an electronic one, a new infotainment screen, a new instrument cluster, and steering wheel with the new Kia logo.

The powertrain for the Forte is carried over from the pre-facelift model though. That means it gets a Smartstream 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 123 horsepower and 154 Nm of torque as the pre-facelift version. This is mated to the company’s IVT gearbox, a CVT with built-in shift logic.

No news whether Kia will adopt the same changes to the Forte GT, or if it’ll get a bolder treatment this time around.