KIA Cerato SLi Hatch

 

 

Kia's advertising catchphrase is "The power to surprise." Well, I am pleased to say the Cerato is a surprisingly sophisticated car, and one that buyers in this market should not ignore.
The Cerato hatch is definitely an vast improvement on the previous namesake,
The styling is swish and modern, one of the sharpest looking in its class, thanks to the creative pen of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, and the interior has an upmarket look and feel about it as well.
The top of the range Cerato SLi is awash with features normally found on much more expensive models. Examples include a sunroof, satellite navigation, leather trimmed seats, the front two heated, (the driver's pew will also cool your derierre,) dual zone airconditioning, auto door locking, a two position driver's seat memory catering for different sized occupants, reversing camera, auto dimming rear vision mirror, auto lights and column mounted paddles for the smooth six speed automatic gearbox. A quality 6 speaker sound system rounds out a very desirable package.
Generously padded door and console armrests are very welcome. The doors thud shut like the proverbial bank vault.

Keyless entry and start is also handy. The Cerato greets you with a cheerful chime, and bids you goodbye with another, accompanied by an animated picture of the car on the dashboard, when the engine is switched off.
At night when you approach the car, lights illuminate the front door handles, and the folding heated wing mirrors swing back into position, flooding the pavement below with large puddle lights. Minor switchgear is illuminated in red, with the main dials picked out in white on black. 

First impressions of the Cerato's ride are very good. KIA's engineers have spent many hours on Australian roads, to get the suspension tuning just right and it works a treat. The Cerato feels solid on the road, with ruts and bumps soaked up better than many larger cars. it has a real planted feel through corners, aided by adjustable steering feel. There are three positions, sport, comfort and normal, activated by a steering wheel button. Normal is best for everyday use, Sport making steering effort heavier than it needs to be. The wheel contains easy to use controls for cruise, audio, and Bluetooth. 
There's no shortage of grunt from the naturally aspirated two litre four cylinder, even though it has a modest 129 kw/ 209 nm, it has no hesitation to fling you rapidly down the road at a prod of the throttle. At idle the engine is quiet, and even when pressed, is not intrusive.
Under way in the suburbs, there is no wind or tyre noise inside the Cerato whatsoever, yet another surprise. On the open road it's equally as silent, except on coarse chip surfaces, but that too is commendably well dampened.

Interior room is good, but as is often the case, with the front seats in the fully rearward position only short passengers need apply in the back seat.
I didn't find the sunroof touching my head, even though I am 6'2" (188cm) tall  
The hatch has a reasonably large cargo area, and there's a full sized spare beneath the floor.
This top of the range SLi Cerato won't break the bank..competitively priced at just over 30K, smack in the middle of the hotly contested small car market. 

In terms of refinement, comfort, ride, handling, performance and features, the KIA Cerato hatch, has in my view, outpaced many rivals, including the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla. Give it a look.
You might just be surprised enough to buy one.
Peter Sellen