9 February 2011
New car report; Kia hatches new Cerato.
When Kia’s new 4 door Cerato sedan was launched back in 2009, we were impressed by the high level of equipment and found the styling pleasing on the eye, with interior space and comfort levels that punched above their weight.
We had a couple of criticisms. The 4 speed automatic transmission didn’t particularly impress and the cabin quality was let down by the use of hard plastics on door trims, but as an all-round package we found it to represent great value for money.
But given that only 23% of the market sector where the Cerato competes is populated with 4 door sedans, what Kia was really lacking was a 5 door hatch which accounts for 64% of that market, the remainder being filled with wagons and sports variants.
New 6 speed transmission improves driver appeal
So the people at Kia are understandably in an upbeat mood with the arrival of a 5 door Cerato into the market, and not just because they can now pitch to a both hatch and sedan buyers, but our earlier criticisms of the transmission lacking ratios and hard plastics have also been addressed.
A new 6 speed automatic transmission has been adopted, and softer materials introduced earlier this year give the 2011 Cerato range a higher quality feel.
The option of a 6 speed manual transmission is offered, but Kia execs tell us that as 73% of the total market is now automatic, the manual will be available on indent order only.
All models receive a mild facelift, with a new grille, lower air intake and fog lamps, and the door mirrors now incorporate LED indicators. New alloy wheels are also fitted.
As with the Cerato Sedan and Koup, the 5 door hatch is fitted with Kia’s 2.0 litre 115kW CVVT engine which produces 194Nm of torque. Fuel efficiency has been improved by 4% for the manual and 3% for the auto, bringing consumption down to 7.5L/100km and 7.7L/100km respectively.
With the practicality of a hatch added to the range, Kia now has its sights on rivals such as the Hyundai i30, which they are confident of beating on the sales ladder in 2011 with the Cerato range.
Two levels are offered, the LX and SX, giving buyers the option of four or five doors with similar pricing at each level whether you choose a Sedan or a Hatch. The Cerato LX automatic is priced at $30,490 and the SX automatic is $34,990. Pricing for the Manual is yet to be confirmed.
Like the Sportage, Downunder suspension tuning
Like Kia’s new Sportage, suspension settings for the Cerato have been especially tuned for the Australasian market, recognising that our road surfaces and twisty back roads require a unique set-up.
Further improvements have been made to NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels, with the 5 door Cerato Hatch models we drove on a variety of road surfaces at the recent press launch north of Auckland proving that a compact hatchback can soak up uneven and course road surfaces in a refined and comfortable manner.
Visually separating the LX from the more highly appointed SX externally are 16 inch alloys in place of the SX’s 17’s, with different styles for the Sedan and Hatch, the exhaust exiting under the rear of the car as opposed to through the rear diffuser in the more sporty looking SX, and additional chrome accents including chrome door handles and exhaust tip.
Inside the car, the SX has leather seat trim, steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, climate control air conditioning, ECM mirror and alloy pedals. Standard features on the SX models also include rear parking aid, automatic light control, an uprated instrument cluster and a 6 disc CD changer in place of the single disc unit in the LX.
Braked towing capacity is rated at 1,200kg and unbraked weight is 400kg for all models. While the hatch shares the same 2,650mm wheelbase as the sedan, overall body length is a surprising 190mm shorter at 4,340mm compared with the sedan's 4,530mm.
Kia has set high standards in recent times for high equipment levels and the 2011 Cerato is no exception. All models have cruise control, steering wheel mounted audio controls, Aux and USB inputs, Bluetooth and front and rear fog lights.
Despite the $1,500 price increase since the 4 door Cerato was launched in 2009, it still represents great value for money, and with the addition of the 5 door hatch, appeal will be even wider than before.