Kia, however, has exceeded those expectations. The 2010 Forte Koup drives better than it should for being a much different body atop the Forte four-door chassis and using the same drivetrain as the Forte sedan (Test Drive, Sept. 18).

Must be something in the water. Or the paint. Or the styling. Because there's too much mechanical similarity for the feel to be so different.

The test Koup was fitted with the bigger engine, a 2.4-liter four-banger rated 173 horsepower, and a six-speed manual transmission, while the sedan that was tested had the 2-liter, 156-hp engine and an automatic. Even allowing for the obvious fun-factor difference, the Koup felt like an exceptional sling-about.

The Koup is sleek to see (though not entirely attractive), tight and snappy – and a relatively light touch to acquire. Nice blend. The test vehicle, a high-end Koup SX, had about everything you need for grins for less than $20,000.

What you might not like:

•Clutch.Tricky. Hard to start smoothly. Fine once you got past the dead spot just up from idle speed. Probably you'd adjust to it over time, but you shouldn't have to.

•Gearbox. The shift from first gear into second had too much "feel," as if the smooth-shift synchros weren't working perfectly. Otherwise, fine.

•Two-door inconvenience. Any coupe would have the same issues. Nature of the beast. To be specific, Koup's back seat was awkward to enter and leave.

The front passenger's seat has a quick-slide mechanism to help open a wide aisle to the back quickly, but there's no way around the duck-and-tuck maneuver any modest-size two-door car requires to use the back seat.

And the sleeker styling that makes a coupe appealing in this case also slices a couple of inches from the Forte sedan's head room and rear-seat width. The test vehicle also had a noise in the ceiling, near the sunroof. Probably a one-off deal, but hammer the car over some nasty roads in your own personal test drive to be sure it's not common.

Helping balance those factors were especially comfortable seats.

Also, Koup has tight steering with a good on-center feel; no need to make tiring small steering corrections to stay pointed straight. (Wouldn't you think that by now, more than 110 years after the automobile was invented, it would be unnecessary to call out proper steering as a plus?) And prompt-acting brakes should delight drivers numbed by years of the softer, spongier feel so many automakers find acceptable.

Because the interior apes that of the sedan, you get the same small but pleasant benefits. The instruments and controls were nicely arrayed, were easy to use and felt classy to operate. Auto suppliers are now good enough at imbuing mainstream or bargain instrument panels with premium feel, so no car company has an excuse for cheap-looking or cheap-feeling interior gear.

Even if you opt for the base Koup, called EX, you get bigger standard wheels and tires than you do on the base Forte sedan, an advantage.

The SX is the one you really want, especially if you favor an automatic transmission. The EX has a four-speed that, in the sedan, anyway, shifted no better than so-so. The SX has a five-speed that, while not tested, should drive better.

And the SX's bigger engine and bigger menu of standard features make it the standout version of a surprisingly appealing model.

2010 KIA FORTE KOUP

•What? Kia's first coupe; a compact, front-drive, two-door that's mechanically similar to the Forte four-door sedan.

•When? On sale since Sept. 3.

•Where? Made in South Korea.

•How much? EX starts at $17,290 with $695 shipping. SX starts $18,390. SX test car: $18,990.

•How potent? EX has 2-liter four-cylinder rated 156 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, 144 pounds-feet of torque at 4,300 rpm. Available with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

SX has 2.4-liter rated 173 hp at 6,000 rpm, 168 lbs.-ft. at 4,000. Available with six-speed manual or five-speed automatic.

•How big? About the size of a Ford Focus. The Kia is 176.4 inches long, 69.5 in. wide, 55.1 in. tall on a 104.3-in. wheelbase. Passenger space listed as 90.7 cubic feet, cargo space as 12.6 cu. ft. Weighs 2,716 to 2,875 lbs. Turning circle diameter, 33.9 ft.

•How thirsty? 2-liter rated 25 miles per gallon in town, 34 highway, 28 in combined driving; 2.4-liter rated 22/32/26 manual, 23/31/26 automatic.

Trip computer in 2.4-liter, manual test car showed 18.6 mpg (5.38 gallons per 100 miles) in spirited suburban driving. Burns regular, holds 13.7 gallons.

•Overall: Major whoopee for minor price.

Enlarge Kia Kia Forte Koup is sleek to see, tight and snappy.