Test drive Kia Cerato
Test Drive

Test drive Kia Cerato

What options did Cerato get after a light restyling and why in some trim levels the Korean sedan was cheaper than its predecessor

The pre-styled Kia Cerato is remembered for its convex headlights with a graceful cutout, but the updated sedan seems to be in the wake of German premium brands. It has characteristic vertical nostrils on the sides of the front bumper, and the head optics pressed more tightly against the radiator grill.

The restyled Kia Cerato / Forte was presented in Korea in November 2015, and reached Russia a year later. The delay was due to the organization of production at Avtotor - a pre-reform sedan was assembled there in full cycle, but there were more welded spots on the body of the updated car. In addition, time was spent on certification of the vehicle with the obligatory ERA-GLONASS emergency response system. And these are not the only changes that the sedan received after a slight restyling.

A sloping roofline, a very short boot step, a high sill line - Cerato takes on a design and does not look particularly practical. At the same time, its wheelbase is the same as that of the Toyota Corolla - 2700 millimeters. There is ample legroom in the rear and headroom for passengers, despite the strong slope of the C-pillar. The trunk of the Cerato is one of the largest among the C-segment sedans - 482 liters. Interestingly, the Kia Rio, which is one class lower, has an even larger luggage compartment - 500 liters. The low sill and wide opening make loading easier, but there is still no button on the boot lid. You will have to open it from a key fob, from a key in the cabin, or using a special sensor that remotely detects the key in your pocket - this is one of the most useful changes after restyling.

Test drive Kia Cerato

A new front end with vertical bumper slits gives the Cerato a sportier look. The front panel, deployed towards the driver, the automatic gearshift paddles and the floor gas pedal with a chrome lining are tuned in the same way. The driver's seat has good lateral support, but it is not set in a sporty high. The panels with a relief for carbon fiber are clumsy, but in general the interior makes a good impression: chrome parts, a folded soft insert in front of the passenger, leather with stitching on the door armrests and the instrument visor.

Test drive Kia Cerato

Previously, the steering wheel was clamped in the near-zero zone when driving, and even the ability to change modes ("comfortable", "normal", "sport") did not correct the situation. When the sedan was updated, the electric amplifier was modernized: it is still located on the shaft, but now it is controlled by a more powerful 32-bit processor instead of a 16-bit one. The steering wheel turns very easily, but at the same time the quality of feedback has increased: the sedan is controlled more accurately and more pleasantly.

The Cerato chassis is still tuned for smooth highways with smooth curves. Joints and speed bumps the car goes harshly, and begins to sway on the waves. The suspension does not notice small defects, but in large holes, as a rule, it gives up. Not conducive to bad roads and clearance of 150 millimeters.

Test drive Kia Cerato

It is difficult to expect sports from a car with a base engine of the same volume as that of the Rio sedan - 1,6 liters. Although the engine produces more power (130 versus 123 hp) and torque (158 versus 155 Nm), the Cerato itself is heavier by more than a centner. In addition, the transmission is tuned for fuel economy, so the 100-11,6 mph sprint is underwhelming at 9,5 seconds. At high revs, the engine seems too loud, which is why you do not want to turn it at all. At the same time, the fuel consumption on the on-board computer does not rise above XNUMX liters.

The version with a two-liter 150-horsepower engine looks much more preferable. Acceleration from a standstill for such a car takes 9,3 s, and the declared average consumption is not much higher than that of the version with a 1,6 liter engine - 7,0 versus 7,4 liters. There are at least two more reasons to choose a two-liter sedan. Firstly, it has become cheaper, and secondly, most of the new options are available exclusively for cars with a top-end engine. Only she has the ability to select driving modes in which the settings of the engine, transmission and steering are changed.

Test drive Kia Cerato

The Cerato trim levels have been revised and new options have been added to the sedan. The car has become safer not only due to the installation of ERA-GLONASS - side airbags and curtain airbags have already appeared in the basic configuration. The list of options now includes systems for monitoring blind spots and assistance when reversing from a parking lot.

After restyling, the xenon headlights turned out to be adaptive, and the Cerato interior began to warm up faster due to the additional electric heater, which is available from the second Luxe trim level. Most of the innovations, including remote trunk opening, are only available for the two-liter car and in the top-of-the-range Premium trim. For example, only in the "top" Cerato can be equipped with a rear-view camera, which is paired with a color multimedia screen. The screen with a diagonal of less than 5 inches is too small, but even with such a simple multimedia system, the updated Kia sedans began to be equipped in 2017. At the same time, Bluetooth appeared on cars with a 1,6 liter engine and an old-fashioned "monochrome" audio system. The situation is strange considering that cee'd and even Rio already have multimedia with large touchscreens and navigation.

Test drive Kia Cerato

The version with a 1,6 liter engine was deprived of the maximum Premium option, but the "automatic" can now be ordered with a basic set of equipment. The starting price for the version with a two-liter engine and automatic transmission dropped from $ 14 to $ 770. thanks to the new budget Luxe package. The simplest VW Jetta and Ford Focus with "robots" and Toyota Corolla with a CVT will cost more.

At the same time, in order to reduce the cost of Cerato, some options were removed. For example, the base sedan lost the heated steering wheel, and the steel wheels are now smaller - 15 versus 16 inches in the pre-styling version. R16 stamped wheels are now offered in the second Luxe equipment level instead of light-alloy wheels. And the driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support is no longer offered, even in the maximum equipment version.

Test drive Kia Cerato

At the time of its appearance at the end of 2016, Cerato kept the base price tag of the pre-styling machine - $ 12. The Luxe version even got a little cheaper, while the rest added in price for $ 567-$ 461. Since the new year, sedans have risen in price again, mainly due to the ERA-GLONASS emergency response system. Now the base trim costs $ 659. more expensive - $ 158. The rest of the trim levels are up $ 12. Not much, considering that in addition to the panic button, new equipment was added to the equipment. The simplest sedan with a 726 liter engine and automatic transmission is tempting even after the rise in price - $ 197, but the simplest equipment will only interest taxis and corporate parks.

Test drive Kia Cerato

The peak of sales of the current generation Cerato fell on 2014 - more than 13 thousand cars. If you add the cee'd results to that number, Kia had an absolute lead in the C-class. Then the sales of the sedan began to fall: in 2015, the Koreans sold 5 units, and in 495, only 2016 cars. Last year's result was influenced by the crisis situation in the market, and the decline in the popularity of the entire C-class, and the changeover of production at Avtotor. The updated version is able to slightly improve the situation, but it is unlikely to radically change it: the restyling turned out to be too modest. Cerato has improved in terms of comfort, but it still lacks a modern multimedia system and better adaptation to bad roads.

     Kia Cerato 1.6 MPIKia Cerato 2.0 MPI
Body typeSedanSedan
Dimensions (length / width / height), mm4560 / 1780 / 14454560 / 1780 / 1445
Wheelbase, mm27002700
Ground clearance, mm150150
Cargo space, l482482
Curb weight, kg12951321
Gross vehicle weight, kg17401760
engine's typeGasoline 4-cylinderGasoline 4-cylinder
Working volume, cubic meters cm.15911999
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)130 / 6300150 / 6500
Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm)157 / 4850194 / 4800
Drive type, transmissionFront, AKP6Front, AKP6
Max. speed km / h195205
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s11,69,3
Average fuel consumption, l / 100 km77,4
Price from, $.13 31914 374

The editors are grateful to the administration of the townhouse village "Little Scotland" for their help in organizing the filming.

 

 

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