Road Test 2010 Kia Cerato

Kia is keen to give a European feel and look to its cars, at the same time sell them for considerably lower prices than the Euro machines. This is a worthwhile ambition, one that seems sure to help consumers if the long term plan can be made to work.

The latest Kia Cerato, launched in Australia at the beginning of 2009 is arguably the South Korean marque’s best attempt yet at this difficult task.

For starters, the styling of the latest Kia Cerato takes a fascinating new direction. In particular, the radiator grille is the first showing of a new shape that will eventually be seen in all Kia models. Its chief feature is widening of the top and bottom surfaces in their centre areas. The grille, indeed the complete body, was penned under the supervision of Peter Schreyer, who was previously with the Audi design team.

The European car makers have long given all models in their ranges an unmistakable resemblance to one another, a resemblance that's obvious even to those who have no particular interest in cars, but are very brand conscious. The grille of the Kia Cerato is the first iteration of what the company plans to lift the visibility of the marque.

It's not all about looks though, because a lot of work has gone into making the suspension dynamically good, but keeping it supple at the same time. It achieves this with a fair bit of success and even on rough roads the Kia remains stable and reasonably comfortable. The steering is slightly slower in the on-centre position than we like, but once past that stage it’s nicely weighted and Cerato responds promptly to driver’s requests, even when asked to change direction suddenly.

Noise and vibration are well damped and coarse-chip surfaces didn’t upset the suspension overmuch. However, there was quite a bit of gravel rattle under the rear-wheel arches as Aussie rough roads sent rocks up into them.

Interior space is impressive because the new-generation Kia Cerato is quite a tall car. There's space for four adults to get comfortable. Three large kids will fit in the back seat with a minimum of arguments over elbow room. Getting in and out is easy through large doors. The boot is huge, and made even better by a nicely regular shape that makes it easy to load. Cerato comes only as a sedan at this stage, a five-door hatch may join the range later.

But Kia has taken the interesting route of introducing a coupe model, called Koup (Cerato Koup to give it its full title, though everyone seems to call it simply Koup to differentiate it from its more mundane sedan brother).

The Cerato's engine is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that's a brand new design and carries the latest in (affordable) powerplant technology. On the road we found it to be a competent unit, with decent torque at lower revs and a willingness to respond quickly. It’s happy enough working at the high end of the rev band, though it’s not really the sort of car that's going to be driven in that manner.

Five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions are pretty well the norm in this price group, and the Cerato is no exception. Our road test car was a manual.

Fuel consumption will be typically in the eight to nine litres per hundred kilometres range when driving on motorways and moderate country roads. It can be brought down into the sevens if you pay attention to your economy driving techniques. Around town the consumption will rise to about nine to eleven litres if you're spending time in heavy-duty commuting.

Standard features on the MY09 $19,990 Cerato S five-speed manual are six airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, an MP3 compatible audio system with USB and iPod inputs, power windows and door mirrors (the latter heated) and keyless remote locking.

The MY10 Si ($20,990) adds ESP and cruise control while the $24,190 MY10 Cerato SLi gets alloy wheels, a chromed grille, front foglights, climate-controlled air conditioning, jersey-knit trim, trip computer, rear parking sensors and ESP.

Automatic transmission is a $2000 option on all variants.

Kia Cerato carries a very impressive five-year warranty with no limit on distance travelled if it's a private car, this remains at five years if the car is used for business or commercially, but a distance limit of 130,000 km applies.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
MY09 Cerato S 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $18,990 (manual), $20,990 (automatic)
MY10 Cerato Si 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $20,990 (manual), $22,990 (automatic)
MY10 Cerato SLi 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $24,190 (manual), $26,190 (automatic)
(Note: These are Driveaway prices)

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Not offered on S, standard on Si and SLi
Dual Front Airbags: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
Stability Control: Not offered on S, standard on Si and SLi
Traction Control: Not offered on S, standard on Si and SLi

SPECIFICATIONS (Kia Cerato 2.0-litre four-door sedan)

ENGINE
Capacity: 1.998 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 86.0 x 86.0 mm
Maximum Power: 115 kW @ 6200 rpm
Maximum Torque: 194 Nm @ 4300 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4530 mm
Wheelbase: 2650 mm
Width: 1775 mm
Height: 1460 mm
Turning Circle: 10.5 metres
Kerb Mass: 1350 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 52 litres
Towing Ability: 450kg (1200 kg with braked trailer)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Coupled torsion beam, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc

PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.5 secs
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.8 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 7.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / Unlimited km (private), 130,000 km (business)

Road Test 2010 Kia Cerato

Kia Cerato - A Lot Of Car At A Modest Price