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Home » Kia Cerato

Kia Cerato

May 17, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

Cerato
Cerato
Cerato exterior
Cerato
Cerato exterior
MY13 Kia Cerato S interior with Automatic transmission.
Cerato automatic transmission
Cerato
Cerato dashboard
Cerato
Cerato backseat
Cerato
Cerato centre console

 

[toggle title_open=”Car specifications” title_closed=”Car specifications” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Prices: LX $29,990, EX $33,490, SX $38,490
Engine: Four-cylinder petrol 1.8-litre 110kW/178Nm; four-cylinder 2-litre 129kW/209Nm.
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel economy: 7.1litres/100km – 7.4 litres/100km
Emissions: 169gr/km – 177gr/km (Euro4)
Equipment: Includes Bluethooth wireless
Safety: Not yet tested
Factory warranty: 5-year/100,000km
[/toggle]

 

The growth of Kia sales in New Zealand can be measured in part by the success of the Cerato sedan: The first-generation model averaged 220 units a year between 2004-08 and the second-generation 339 between 2009-12. Now Kia expects the third generation four-door to account for an average of 500 annual sales. The new model is appreciably bigger than before, with bold new looks and a generous list of equipment. Step inside and there is an immediate impression of roominess, thanks in part to the cabin-forward design and an expansive dash. Chrome highlights thankfully give the black interior a lift. Kia has paid more attention to the driver – the centre console is angled slightly towards the go-to seat. Door apertures are generous, so is legroom front and rear. Headroom is a tad tight for six-footers. Stowage for small items is also good, especially the open-and-shut box in the centre console for an iPod or smartphone. The boot offers 421 litres of space – but flipping the rear seatbacks forward increases luggage room. On the road the 1.8-litre powertrain was a good match, down on power and torque against the 2.0-litre unit but sweeter overall. Ride and handling, apart from a bit of bump and grind over sharp surfaces, was up there with the best in the segment. To add to the Cerato’s sportier look and feel, Kia has borrowed the Flex-Steer variable steering system from South Korean partner Hyundai. It offers three levels of weight – comfort, normal, and sport – via a steering wheel-mounted button. Flick through all three on a winding road and the difference in comfort and normal is negligible – but the helm certainly firms up in sport mode.

[hr]

Good features
Looks, cabin, equipment levels, drivetrain

Not so good
Will anyone bother to use Flex-Steer?

[hr]

[box type=”tick” size=”large” style=”rounded”]Rating 7/10[/box]

 

Filed Under: Car reviews, Kia Cerato Tagged With: jaguar, Subaru

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The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

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A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

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