2013 Kia Cerato Hatch Review
2013 KIA CERATO HATCH REVIEW
What’s Hot: Zesty engines, sorted on-road handling.
What’s Not: No standard sat-nav, limited headroom in SLi.
X-Factor: More than just a good looker, the Cerato hatch is one of the best in its segment.
Vehicle Style: Small hatchback
Engine/trans: 110kW/178Nm 1.8 petrol, 129kW/209Nm 2.0 petrol | 6sp manual, 6sp auto.
Price: $19,990 (Cerato S manual, on-the-road) to $30,990 (Cerato SLi auto, before on-roads)
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.6 l/100km (1.8 manual), 7.1 l/100km (1.8 auto), 7.4 l/100km (2.0 manual and auto)
OVERVIEW
Once the top-seller in Kia’s stable, the Cerato has recently fallen behind the Rio and Sportage in the popularity stakes.
But salvation is at hand. The all-new sedan variant which launched in April this year has finally been joined by its hatch-backed sister, expected to account for 70 percent of all Cerato sales.
Priced from $19,990 drive-away for the base Cerato S manual, the new hatch launches with a pricetag that’s as attractive as its Schreyer-styled sheetmetal.
Style and value will surely get punters into the showroom, but what will they find once they’re in there?
THE INTERIOR
The base model Cerato S has more hard plastic surfaces - particularly on the door trim - and the colour scheme is a sombre black-on-black-on-black, but this is a quality interior that’s both easy on the eyes and easy to get settled into.
The front seats provide good comfort and support, and in the top-grade SLi the driver even gets a heated and ventilated seat.
However, those seats could do with a greater range of height adjustment, as very tall drivers may find their scalp scraping on the headliner on the sunroof-equipped, Cerato SLi.
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