Kia Cerato
Mat Ranasinghe swings by South Korea to find out how its car manufacturing industry is motoring along
After producing poor quality vehicles, the South Korean car manufacturing industry has transformed itself; today, it manufactures some of the world’s best vehicles that are renowned for their craftsmanship, quality and cutting-edge design. The first-generation Kia Cerato was an attractive car especially as a coupe – or ‘Koup’ as Kia calls it. However, the issue we had with it was that even though the car looked fast, it was actually rather slow.
We would place it in the same camp as Hyundai’s Veloster (non-turbo) or Honda’s CR-Z. As with most products from South Korean manufacturers these days, the Cerato and Cerato Koup have a 1.6-litre GDI turbocharged version, which means there’s enough poke to complement the fast styling.
Given that it’s aimed at the North American market in the main, this model is designed at Kia’s Californian headquarters. The deeply sculpted body has creases in the right places while its attractive lamp clusters are part and parcel of the overall design compared to the taillights on the Land Cruiser’s Prado, which look as if they’re an afterthought.
It provides obvious clues as to where the design inspiration came from. If you haven’t guessed, it bears a strong resemblance to Kia’s own Stinger – a motorcar that has won much praise as well as several ‘Car of the Year’ awards.
Four grades are available including the base model S, Sport, Sport Plus and finally, GT at the top. The GT may
be identified by its larger wheels or the red accents on the wheels’ centre caps while the front grille has red inserts as well. Much like the exterior, the interior is well designed; and it comes with reasonably high quality materials and finishes.
Kia has stepped up its game in the value for money stakes.
The dash is well laid out with signature circular air vents (found throughout the Kia range, these days) and is simple without too many confusing buttons. The seats are well bolstered especially in the GT model and they hug the body in anticipation of spirited driving. There’s plenty of room for passengers whose height is less than six feet but taller folk may feel uncomfortable around the knees when sitting at the back.
As for technology, the Cerato stands well beside the competition and against much higher priced motorcars. There’s an eight inch floating display infotainment system that’s reasonably simple to navigate.
The Kia Cerato comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to keep you entertained, which is a big plus in this segment. The upper echelon models have heated and cooled seats, an active cruise control and lane keeping
assist. There’s also an optional safety pack that includes pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.
Though it has reasonably hard cornering, the Cerato copes well. It’s set up to be a compromise between handling and comfort although some may find the GT model a little too hard sprung. Regular models have no such issues.
But let’s keep in mind that the Cerato is a reasonably priced family sedan and not purely a sports car.
Would we recommend the Kia Cerato to a potential buyer?
Yes, we certainly would. South Korean cars are now on par or at times even better than their Japanese competition. It really is time to shed our preconceived notions about cars of Korean origin being lower quality products, and step into the well built plush cabins of the Cerato and Cerato Koup.
Nevertheless, before signing on the dotted line, do keep in mind a few of the smaller potential deal breakers. Sourcing secondhand parts or even new genuine parts for South Korean cars in Sri Lanka is still difficult. Often, the local agent only imports the part that you need when you place the order and commit your money.
And South Korean cars still depreciate at a higher rate in Sri Lanka than their equivalents from Japanese carmakers. But as long as you don’t think of your vehicle as an appreciating asset, you should be fine – you’ll have a reliable set of wheels in your driveway for years to come!