2024 Kia Cerato evaluation | CarExpert

For those who’re out there for a brand new Kia Cerato, time is working out.

A budget and cheerful small automobile will likely be changed by the all-new K4 subsequent yr, ending a manufacturing run of 4 generations and over 20 years.

It’s nonetheless comparatively inexpensive, nonetheless has an extended guarantee, and nonetheless packs energy from a petroleum four-cylinder.

On paper, the Cerato isn’t precisely going out with a bang. No adjustments have been made to the mannequin for 2024, whereas costs are up $900 throughout the vary – regardless of the value rise, it’s nonetheless quite a lot of steel for the cash.

You’ll must pay extra for a Hyundai i30, Toyota Corolla or Mazda 3, so it’s as an alternative aligned with high-end variations of the smaller Mazda 2.

Is it nonetheless value snapping up a Cerato earlier than they’re gone for good?

How does the Kia Cerato examine?

View an in depth breakdown of the Kia Cerato in opposition to equally sized automobiles.

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Cerato

How a lot does the Kia Cerato price?

The 2024 Kia Cerato vary kicks off at $28,790 drive-away for the bottom S and tops out at $39,250 drive-away for the turbocharged GT.

The check car featured here’s a Security Pack outfitted S sedan with no further choices. The Kia Cerato is identically priced in each hatchback and sedan physique kinds.

Kia provides nationwide drive-away pricing for the Cerato, which is detailed beneath.

2024 Kia Cerato pricing:

To see how the Kia Cerato compares with its rivals, use our comparability device.

What’s the Kia Cerato like on the within?

The inside of the Cerato is uninteresting, however practical.

Onerous black plastics dominate the house, together with the centre console, door playing cards, and sprint.

That’s not surprising for an economic system automobile, and Kia has been very selective with how its restricted funds is distributed throughout the Cerato S.

Included within the Security Pack is a leather-wrapped steering wheel, which sits satisfyingly within the fingers. As does the gear lever, which can also be trimmed in leather-based, and the plastics utilized in high-traffic areas such because the armrest have a gentle contact.

Small items of plastic aluminium-look trim break up the ocean of black, however it’s clear they aren’t the true deal.

Comparable sentiments apply to the seats.

Trimmed in fabric, they don’t look particularly premium, however it was simple to get snug due to supportive facet bolstering and well-judged cushioning.

The headrests are contoured, which is a fairly neat and unusual characteristic that makes them gentler in your head.

Behind the steering wheel you’ll discover a small display screen flanked by an analogue tachometer on the left and a equally old-school speedometer on the fitting.

There’s no digital instrument cluster right here – regardless of a ten.25-inch unit being obtainable in South Korea – and the Cerato feels older than it’s consequently.

The puny digital show might be customised to indicate car settings, gasoline economic system, and velocity info, and suggestions for sure security techniques. It’s simple sufficient to navigate, however the button controls are cheesy and unsightly to make use of.

Transferring from the gauges to the infotainment system, it’s like stepping by means of a time portal from the mid-2000s to 2024.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen is befitting of its fashionable standing, full with wi-fi smartphone connectivity.

Some premium new automobiles nonetheless required a wired connection for smartphone mirroring, so I used to be pleasantly shocked to see wi-fi functionality on the spec sheet for this little funds sedan.

With that mentioned, Apple CarPlay was vulnerable to dropouts throughout my time with the automobile, and it’s troublesome to exit the mirroring display screen and not using a bodily dwelling button.

There’s additionally a noticeable lag between urgent a button and one thing taking place on the display screen, which stands out given we spend a lot time utilizing lightning-quick telephones and tablets in 2024.

Though the infotainment system is wi-fi, there are two USB-A ports and a 12V outlet positioned beneath the local weather controls, so each entrance occupants can cost their units concurrently.

Talking of local weather management, the structure will likely be acquainted to anybody who has pushed a automobile within the final 30 years.

All capabilities are adjusted by means of three rotary dials, one every for mode, temperature, and fan velocity. Air is distributed by means of 4 vents up entrance.

Easy and efficient, an enormous plus for any rental-spec car.

Space for storing advantages from such an uncluttered sprint structure – you get two seperate iPhone-sized cabinets beneath the local weather dials, so each driver and passenger are sorted.

Nevertheless, elsewhere house is restricted. The entrance door bins are small and poorly laid out, whereas the armrest cubby and glovebox are equally tight.

Twin centre cupholders are every sufficiently big for a 1L drink bottle, and there’s a drop down holder for sun shades above the sprint.

Storage can also be at a premium within the second row. Like many different compact automobiles, the rear door bins are solely good for a small drink bottle, tops.

Map pockets are absent from the seat backs, though you do get a centre armrest with two mounted cupholders.

Connectivity is nicely lined within the entrance row and rear passengers aren’t uncared for in that area both, with one USB-C connection level obtainable.

In the case of house for folks, the Cerato will get a go mark.

Adults of a median dimension will match comfortably, though taller folks might discover their hair grazes in opposition to the headliner when sitting upright. There’s loads of room for ft beneath the entrance seats.

Fortunately, the sunshine headliner and a pair of air vents additionally stop the automobile from feeling claustrophobic within the again. Whether or not you’re driving solo or travelling with a carload of passengers, the boot within the Cerato sedan gives loads of cargo room.

With 502L of house, the Cerato has probably the most boot house within the small automobile section, though the aperture is on the small facet. For those who want extra room, the rear bench folds 60/40 to unlock further capability.

Annoyingly, there’s no technique to open the boot manually with out the important thing fob. That’s unacceptable in my guide, and an actual knock on practicality.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

All Cerato variants besides the flagship GT are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

Our gasoline economic system determine was measured over 170km of largely peak-hour commuting, with some brief stints on the open street.

To see how the Kia Cerato compares with its rivals, use our comparability device.

How does the Kia Cerato drive?

The Cerato is a simple and pleasing automobile to drive with a flat studying curve.

All of the controls are easy to function, and the small stature of the automobile makes it simple to put in metropolis visitors and tight suburban streets.

That additionally applies to parking. The Cerato will slot in nearly any parking house and a reversing digicam is available to make the method even less complicated.

Whereas the S doesn’t declare to have any efficiency credentials, it feels sporty on quieter roads with clean, naturally aspirated energy and correct steering.

You get 112kW and 192Nm from the two.0-litre engine, which is greater than sufficient for city driving. It’s happiest once you’re taking issues simple, put your foot down and also you get a lot of revs, a lot of noise, however not all that a lot efficiency.

The steering particularly shocked me, as another fashionable steering techniques might be overly gentle and inconsistent.

A forgiving suspension setup ensures that the Cerato manages to be each sporty and cozy, even over potholes and velocity bumps.

It’s under no circumstances flawless, although.

Among the further security techniques included with the Security Pack are too intrusive of their default settings, particularly blind-spot monitoring and ahead collision-avoidance.

The blind-spot monitoring system has the tendency to warn you if a automobile is driving alongside in a separate lane, whereas ahead collision-avoidance tech at instances brakes and abruptly shudders the Cerato if you happen to go narrowly between parked automobiles or attempt to navigate a decent metropolis laneway.

A few of these points are remedied by adjusting security settings by means of the infotainment display screen, however not all.

I wouldn’t mess with the rear cross-traffic alert characteristic, nevertheless, because it functioned seamlessly and took the nervousness out of reversing into busy streets.

Out on the freeway the Cerato is snug cruising, retaining a cushiony trip at excessive speeds.

The cabin is nicely insulated from outdoors noise, so longer street journeys don’t turn into a chore.

In case you are attempting to speed up uphill with a load on board, nevertheless, you get a lot of noise from the petrol engine because it strains to get the job completed.

Adaptive cruise management comes with the Security Pack, and the expertise operates easily on these prolonged journeys.

It was onerous to get a good gauge on the effectivity of the Cerato throughout our check, as a lot of the kilometres have been chalked up in metropolis visitors, however I used to be nonetheless shocked to see a gasoline consumption determine of 12L/100km.

What do you get?

The S is the entry level into the Cerato vary, though our tester was fitted with the $1500 Security Pack – right here’s what you get with every variant.

Cerato S normal gear:

• 16-inch metal wheels
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster display screen
• Cruise management
• Air con
• 6-speaker sound system
• Automated headlights
• Automated high-beam
• Tilt and telescopic adjustable steering column

Cerato Sport provides:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite tv for pc navigation
• DAB digital radio
• Illuminated vainness mirrors
• Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel and shifter

Cerato Sport+ features:

• Leather-based-appointed seats
• Heated entrance seats
• Twin-zone local weather management with auto defog perform
• Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
• 15-inch rear disc brakes
• Digital parking brake
• Energy-folding exterior mirrors

Cerato GT provides:

• 18-inch alloy wheels 
• Multi-link rear suspension
• LED headlights and tail lights
• LED inside lighting
• Leather-based-appointed ‘sports activities tubular’ trim
• Flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Wi-fi cellphone charging
• 8-speaker JBL premium sound system
• Arms-free energy boot-lid (sedan solely)
• Twin exhaust
• Alloy pedals
• Paddle shifters
• Tilt/slide sunroof
• Ventilated entrance seats

Is the Kia Cerato protected?

The Kia Cerato was final examined by ANCAP in 2019, with two totally different rankings overlaying the vary.

Kia Cerato S and Sport fashions with out the non-compulsory Security Pack obtained a four-star ranking, whereas these with the $1500 Security Pack in addition to Sport+ and GT variants have been awarded a five-star ranking.

Commonplace security gear consists of:

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Lane-keep help
• Lane Following Help (lane centring)
• Rear occupant alert
• Driver consideration alert with main car departure alert
• Reversing digicam with entrance and rear parking sensors
• Tyre strain monitoring
• Entrance, front-side, and curtain airbags

Security Pack (S and Sport) and up add:

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and bike owner detection
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Blind-spot help (Sport+, GT solely)
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Adaptive cruise management
• Protected exit warning

Sport+ and up additionally obtain lively rear cross-traffic help.

How a lot does the Kia Cerato S price to run?

All Kia Cerato variants are lined by the model’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee in Australia.

The Kia Cerato S, Sport and Sport+ require providers each 12 months or 15,000km, whereas the GT has a stricter schedule with 12-month, 10,000km intervals.

Kia provides seven years of capped-price servicing, which equates to $2970 for the Cerato S, Sport and Sport+, whereas Cerato GT house owners pay $3281 throughout the identical interval.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia Cerato

The Kia Cerato S is a sensible and competent economic system automobile that’s prepared for a refresh.

It has sufficient infotainment and security expertise to maintain up with the pack, and is snug to drive each within the metropolis and on the open street.

You additionally get extra room within the second row than most equally priced hatchbacks, whereas Kia is the category chief in the case of boot house.

Having mentioned that, none of that is new for 2024 and costs have jumped $6800 because the present mannequin hit the market six years in the past.

The inside is a relic of that point, as is the inefficient powertrain.

Sedan rivals on this worth vary are onerous to come back by, however the Hyundai i30 is a more recent platform that provides the choice of hybrid effectivity and superior inside polish… if you happen to can stretch your funds.

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