Kia Cerato 2014 Review

Displacing two litres, the direct-injection, four-cylinder engine in the Cerato SLi prefers to work higher in the rev range, developing slightly stronger performance once the needle's past 3500rpm. But there's enough torque at lower revs to hold higher gears on hills. The engine goes about its business with a subtly sporting exhaust note and it's fairly refined right up to the redline. There's immediate response from the engine at launch too, helped in part by the Cerato's relatively light kerb mass and the low-ratio first gear in the excellent six-speed automatic transmission.

The auto box changes gear responsively and smoothly, and has the right sort of gearing for good fuel efficiency at open-road speeds, combined with decent in-gear acceleration. Around town, which is mostly where the Cerato was driven during the week, fuel consumption was unexceptional – averaging 9.9L/100km. Out on the open road, however, the Kia proved far more frugal, returning a figure of around 6.9L/100km at a steady 100km/h.

One significant concern is that the combination of automatic transmission option and satellite navigation adds $4000 to the price of the car, taking it up to $31,990. As against that however, the Cerato has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

In corners, the Cerato offers responsive turn-in and reasonable feedback (particularly once the FlexSteer system was set to 'Sport'). Front-end grip is commendable, without the car exhibiting any signs of mitigating lift-off oversteer. It's impressively neutral in most circumstances. Kia has tweaked the suspension for Australia – and it shows.

In fact, the stability control system steps in before the car's suspension and tyres begin to throw in the towel. Powering out of a bend will provoke the stability/traction control into action... just as the front tyres begin to moan. In other words, the electronic safety nannies won't let you explore the Cerato's dynamic ability to the extent that other cars will. That's probably a good choice on Kia's part, but makes little allowance for the fact the Cerato's passive dynamics in this specification place it among the top tier of small cars.

Ride quality and body control are both well sorted. The Cerato behaves itself over mid-corner bumps and it handles flatly in corners, but it also absorbs road surface irregularities with ease. Damping is just about spot-on.

Tyre noise in the Kia is kept low, as is wind noise and driveline NVH.

The driving position offers simple, legible instruments and an easy reach for most controls. I found the brake pedal to be a bit touchy, and drivers accustomed to throwing all their weight on the pedal for moderate retardation will take a while to make the adjustment to the Cerato's brakes.

Shift paddles provide instantaneous gear-changing and are easily reached, even with a bit of steering lock applied.

The H point for the Cerato seems just a touch higher than the norm for small cars. This makes it a little more accessible for older drivers and passengers. Better still, the driver's seat automatically glides fore and aft on start-up and shut-down to optimise room to climb in or out. Unfortunately, seat comfort could be improved. The driver's seat certainly benefits from the adjustable lumbar support, but the side bolstering around the squab is mediocre. Cushioning is flat and rather unforgiving too, lacking support in the right areas.

But the Cerato's interior is otherwise stylish and yet orderly. Trip computer and infotainment functions were self-explanatory, although I was disappointed that the car wouldn't default to Bluetooth audio on start-up.

Rear-seat accommodation is better than just adequate for adults. Headroom is more than acceptable for someone of average height, and there's enough knee room also (significantly better than in the Mazda3, in fact). There's some wiggle room for toes under the front seats and you can stretch out a little. With eyeball vents in the rear of the centre console the Cerato delivers realistic family-car packaging for those occasions the de jure family car is being serviced.

Cerato is put together well, with tight panel fit inside and out, nicely damped wiper/indicator stalks, and shift paddles that feel robust yet tactile. There are some hard plastics in evidence throughout the interior, but they're not front and centre.

Mazda3 offers exceptional door closure that the Kia can't match. It's not to say that the Cerato is tinny, or anything like that; in fact it's on par with most other cars in the small car segment. Simply put, the Cerato just needs more determined thrust to close the doors than the Mazda does – and the Mazda is exceptional in that regard. All of that said, I would sacrifice that quality for the Cerato's extra rear-seat legroom if I were in the market for a small car.  

Boot space is handy in the Cerato too – and particularly so when you realise the under-floor area is occupied by a full-size spare and alloy wheel matching the four fitted front and rear.

With all this squeezed into a small-car footprint, packaging is clearly one of the Cerato's great virtues. Additionally, the Kia is well equipped and quite driveable. With all that going for it, the Cerato SLi has arguably earned its meta-$30,000 pricing, though that may come as a surprise to buyers who still expect Korean cars to cost less than Japanese or European cars. 

Postscript: Since this review was written, Kia has announced a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. 

Also consider: Ford Focus Titanium, Mazda3 Touring, Nissan Pulsar SSS