Evgeny Bagdasarov from Autonews took a ride in the updated Kia Cerato sedan, assembled in Russia. The test involved a car with a 1.6-liter engine.
The Cerato's chassis remains tuned for smooth highways with smooth cornering. The car goes through joints and speed bumps rather harshly, and begins to sway on the waves. The suspension does not notice minor defects, but on large potholes, as a rule, it gives up. The clearance of 150 millimeters is also not suitable for bad roads.
It’s hard to expect sport from a car with a base engine of the same volume as the Rio sedan – 1.6 liters. Although the engine produces more power (130 versus 123 hp) and torque (158 versus 155 Nm), the Cerato itself is more than a hundred pounds heavier. In addition, the transmission is tuned to save fuel, so acceleration to 100 km/h is an unimpressive 11.6 seconds. At higher speeds, the engine seems too loud, which is why you don’t want to turn it at all. At the same time, fuel consumption according to the on-board computer does not rise above 9.5 liters.
Journalist Alexander Rostarchuk, working for the AutoVzglyad portal, tested the restyled KIA Cerato 2.0 (150 hp) AT for several days. The man outlined his impressions of the car below.
The dynamics are, without exaggeration, hurricane-like. On the highway, taking into account the very precise steering, the travel of the gas and brake pedals adjusted to millimeters, it is easy to “fall out” beyond the maximum allowed on most highways of 130 km/h (from this mark to 200 km/h the car accelerates like a cannon - tested on one from landfills near Moscow).
In general, the new KIA Cerato gives complete driving pleasure. Perhaps, especially inveterate drivers will pay attention to slightly excessive rolls in particularly steep turns; Maybe they will complain about the harsh suspension, which is not very fond of bumps, potholes and other Russian primers.
However, in all of the above there is not a hint of “crime”: everything is within the limits, so to speak, of an arithmetic error.
Motor Page portal columnist Andrey Ladygin drove a KIA Cerato 1.6 (130 hp) with an automatic transmission. The journalist tried to describe his impressions of the interior of the updated sedan in as much detail as possible.
I haven't had much luck lately with center armrests on test cars, especially inexpensive ones. Either this object is present, but it is located so inconveniently that you want to dismantle it, then, on the contrary, the hand is looking for support, but it is not there, it is not available even for an additional payment. The “Cerat” armrest is optimal in any position (its “lid” can move back and forth).
It is known that there are complaints about it: it allegedly creaks under the weight of the hand. I didn't notice this. But I felt play in the driver's seat headrest. True, I only felt it, didn’t hear it, there were no extraneous sounds when moving.
Yes, there are practically none at all! Silence in the cabin even at speed, acoustic comfort is really high. And the acoustics sound high quality, and if you don’t think so, then you can install more expensive speakers and you probably won’t regret it. This is the case when the game is worth the extra effort.
The 143-centimeter width of the cabin in the front allows you to avoid bumping elbows with the front passenger. The space in the back is slightly smaller, 137 cm wide and 28 cm long when seated “behind me”. Given my height, when I sat in the back for a test, I didn’t touch the ceiling with my head, but for taller passengers, it might, perhaps, put pressure on the tops of their heads. The tilt of the back of the rear sofa is significant, there is no adjustment. But there is a two-stage heating of the pillow.
The Behind the Wheel portal was one of the first in Russia to test the updated KIA Cerato. Behind the wheel of a car with a 2.0-liter engine producing 150 hp. and journalist Mikhail Kuleshov sat down automatically. How much he liked the restyled version of the Korean sedan can be found out below.
There are no questions about the acceleration dynamics. But the sound insulation of the engine compartment is sad. As soon as the tachometer needle approaches the red zone, the interior is filled with an unpleasant hum and forces you to leave the right pedal alone. I hope that Kia will resolve the noise insulation issue promptly - without waiting for a generation change or the next modernization.
To be honest, I don’t remember the behavior of the pre-reform Cerato very well, but the new one, even in the sports driving mode (the Drive mode option allows you to change the settings of the engine, automatic transmission and steering), does not shine with the sharpness of reactions. Only the effort on the steering wheel changes - but not the quality of feedback. Plus the car remains quite rolly. At the same time, on speed bumps and other spot irregularities, the suspension sometimes breaks.
2021 Kia Cerato in a new body
The first auto show of 2021, held in Detroit, presented car enthusiasts with such a new product as the stylish Kia Cerato sedan. The car received a completely new, distinctly sporty design and a number of important technical improvements.
They have been talking about the imminent appearance of a new generation of the popular Cerato line for a long time. But the manufacturer remained silent, fueling the intrigue and leaving everyone guessing what the new car model will be, known in the USA as Forte, and in its homeland in South Korea under the short name K3.
The management of Kia Motors Corporation is positioning the new product as a car with a sporty heart and charismatic appearance, which is sure to appeal to young and active people.
Test drive Kia Cerato 2018-2019
It is not surprising that the new Cerato was shown for the first time in the USA - for Kia in the North American market it plays the same role as the Rio in the Russian market, from generation to generation remaining the sales locomotive of the Korean brand in this country. Moreover, the Cerato is Kia's global bestseller. In Russia, with its Golf class having shrunk several times in recent years, sales of this model in absolute numbers are small. The undisputed leader here is the Skoda Octavia liftback, which accounts for almost half of sales. But if we take a look at only the C-segment sedans, then the Cerato is in first place in sales!
Exterior of the new item
Introduced in January 2021, the Kia Cerato is a five-seat sedan whose exterior is similar to the Kia Stinger. But still, the new product has its own individuality and attracts attention with a harmonious combination of classics and modern trends in design.
The new sedan differs from the previous model:
- a new body shape, which has noticeably increased in size;
- a sloping roof designed to improve the aerodynamic performance of the car;
- elongated hood and slightly shortened rear end;
- powerful radiator grille in the recognizable Kia style;
- a new bumper, on the sides of which there are large air intakes with built-in strips of LED running lights and small round fog lights;
- redesigned head optics, which in the new model will receive innovative intelligent control;
- mirrors with LED turn signal strip;
- large rims, pleased with a radically new design.
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The massive rear bumper, into which reverse light units are integrated, gives the car even more solidity.
For the new model, 10 luxurious shades were selected, including snow white, cosmic blue, pearl black and metallic gold.
When thinking through the advertising campaign, the corporation's management focused on the sporting characteristics of the model. In the presentation video, Cerato was compared to the iconic Lamborghini, showing how much more practical the new generation sedan is fast, stylish and has the most enviable functionality.
Kia Cerato 2021 - appearance
Who would doubt that at every opportunity, Koreans will remember the Stinger. After all, when working on the appearance of Cerato, designers kept looking back at the company’s newly-minted flagship.
No doubt, the new Kia Cerato looks nice. Especially from the front, where, thanks to the signature radiator grille, the car brand can be guessed at a glance. Rear: average Asian-European optics and generally remarkable rear. The picture is also diluted by the turn signals built into the bumper. Overall, the car looks solid, with some sporty elements.
Interior of the new Cerato sedan
There were three main changes in the cabin:
- the number of buttons and switches has decreased;
- the functionality of the equipment has improved;
- The comfort of the driver and passengers has increased.
If you look at the modernization of the Kia Cerato interior in more detail, you can note that the model, which will be offered by brand dealers in 2021 and 2021, will receive a number of significant changes, namely:
- new shape of the steering wheel with comfortable grips and a set of functional buttons;
- a convenient dashboard with two wells of a tachometer and a speedometer, as well as a digital display on which all other parameters of the car and messages from the bot computer are displayed;
- large 8-inch touch monitor;
- modern multimedia system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
- high-quality Harman Kardon acoustics delivering 320 W;
- wireless charging device compatible with many modern gadgets;
- air ducts, the design of which is borrowed from the sports Stinger;
- comfortable chairs with reinforced frame;
- a modern passive safety system, complemented by innovative functions for monitoring the situation on the road and driver assistance.
4 color schemes have been developed for the interior of the new sedan:
Technical characteristics of Kia Cerato
The Kia Cerato model, whose technical characteristics are excellent, is equipped with highly elastic gasoline engines: 1.6-liter (126 hp) and 2.0-liter (150 hp). They are combined with 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions, guaranteeing efficiency and exceptional smooth shifting.
| Fuel type | petrol | ||
| engine's type | 1.6MPI | 2.0 MPI | |
| Working volume, cm3 | 1591 | 1999 | |
| Body type | sedan | ||
| Number of doors/seats | 4/5 | ||
| Ground clearance, mm | 150 | ||
| Trunk volume, l (VDA) | 482 | ||
| Fuel tank volume, l | 50 | ||
| City, l/100km | 8.7 | 9.1 | 10.2 |
| Route, l/100km | 5.2 | 5.4 |
Exterior
- The head optics are quite large. The design goes along almost the entire wing; a combination of optics and diodes is used in its manufacture.
- The radiator grille is small in size and has a chrome decorative trim around the perimeter.
- The front bumper has a rather complex design, especially the lower part. There are air intakes on the sides, as well as in the central part. At the bottom there are large fog lights.
- The wheel arches are small and extend slightly to the side. The largest tire diameter is R17.
- The rear of the car is quite simple, reminiscent of Ford sedans due to the similar shape of the rear lights. The rear is slightly raised, which makes the car look more sporty.
Due to the large head optics, the Kia Cerato 2021 (new body), equipment and price, photos of which are presented in this work, looks modern and quite attractive.
