New Kia Cerato from $19,990

Kia has hit the ground running with its bigger, more stylish, quieter and more dynamic third-generation Cerato small sedan, which goes on sale this week with a bargain-basement starting price of $19,990 plus on-road costs.

To be followed by a redesigned five-door hatchback mid-year, the entry-level Cerato four-door undercuts some of the most popular sedans in Australia’s single biggest sales segment.

They include the top-selling Mazda3 (from $20,330), Toyota Corolla ($20,990) and the Elantra ($20,590) from Korean sister brand Hyundai.

While the base Ford Focus, Nissan Pulsar and Mitsubishi Lancer all match the cheapest new Cerato’s sub-$20,000 list price, only Holden’s Australian-assembled Cruze sedan (from $19,490) undercuts it.

With the exception of the 1.6-litre base Focus and the 2.0-litre Mazda3 and Lancer ranges, the new Cerato matches its chief rivals with a 1.8-litre engine at the entry level, and betters them with the choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions available across the line-up – the latter priced just $2000 higher.

Powering the entry-level Cerato S is a relatively peppy 110kW/178Nm 1.8-litre ‘Nu’ four-cylinder petrol engine that returns a class-leading 6.6L/100km fuel consumption in manual form (7.1L/100km for the auto) and offers 0-100km/h acceleration in 10.1 seconds (auto: 11.6 seconds) and a 200km/h top speed.

The other two Cerato sedan variants come with a larger and more advanced 2.0-litre Nu GDI (direct-injection) petrol four offering a mainstream class-leading 129kW/209Nm – enough for 8.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration (auto: 9.3).

Both the Si and SLi models consume 7.4L/100km (manual and auto). A 50-litre fuel tank should offer at least 650km between refills.

All new Cerato engines feature all-aluminium construction, variable intake and exhaust valve timing, a plastic variable intake manifold, mechanical lash adjustment and a timing chain.

In addition to good value, Kia believes styling, safety and technology will put the 2013 Cerato sedan on more shopping lists in Australia, where sales were up almost 30 per cent in 2012.

However, the outgoing Cerato sedan and hatch model range accounted for just 3.3 per cent of the nation’s booming small-car segment, which amassed 252,000 sales and 23 per cent of the total new vehicle market.

The MkIII Cerato four-door is the result of 42 months design, engineering and development work and an investment of more than $250 million.

It is distinguished by a chrome-surrounded ‘tiger nose’ grille, front quarter windows and a cab-forward side profile with a coupe-like roofline.

Bigger in all key dimensions except height, which is 25mm lower than before (1435mm), it is 5mm wider (1780mm), 30mm longer (4560mm) and rides on a 50mm-longer (2700mm) wheelbase that is as long as the Sorento medium SUV’s.

Front and rear overhangs are 15mm and 5mm shorter respectively, yet boot space increases by six litres to 421 litres, augmented by a 60/40-split folding rear seat.

Kia claims a low cabin floor, lower hip point and wider seat cushions help increase front head, leg and shoulder room, while the glovebox is 30 per cent bigger at eight litres, all four doors hold at least a 500ml bottle and the heating and ventilation system is upgraded.

Attention to surface detailing and underbody airflow reduces aerodynamic drag from 0.29 to a low 0.27Cd, while aero lift is also reduced.

Incorporation of 63 per cent high-tensile strength steel, hot-stamped pillars and redesigned crash boxes are claimed to increase the body’s torsional rigidity by 37 per cent and reduce weight by an average of about 50kg.

In addition to a stiffer bodyshell, extra sound deadening measures in key areas is also said to reduce noise, vibration and harshness. They include new vibration-damping front subframe mounts, a new three-layer noise-lowering pad for the engine bay bulkhead, new dual-frequency engine mounts and a new 700g/m2 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate sound insulating coating on the cabin floor.

Thanks also to a breathable film inside the roof headlining, acoustic deadening foam in the A-pillar and side sills, a dynamic damper fitted to the shorter of the front driveshafts and thinsulator boot lining, the result is claimed to be a 2dB reduction in idle vibration through the steering wheel and cabin floor, a 1dB reduction in cabin noise at idle and a reduction of interior noise at 100km/h to 65dB.

Another intensive chassis localisation program by Kia brings improved handling dynamics, ride quality and steering feel. Changes to the MacPherson strut front and coupled torsion beam rear suspension systems include firmer gas dampers all round.

At the factory, Kia says a new, stronger front suspension subframe features wide L-shaped lower arms with larger diameter bushes, while the steering rack is mounted 15mm forward to improve on-centre feel.

The electric power steering system features Kia’s three-mode FlexSteer system with Normal, Sport and Comfort modes, while the longer wheelbase results in a slightly larger 10.6-metre turning circle, there is a tight 2.96 turns lock-to-lock and the steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake.

Kia expects the new Cerato to score a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating (the old Cerato scored just four) and standard safety features include six airbags (twin front, front-side and side curtains), electronic stability control, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, hill-start assist and seatbelt reminders for all five seats.

There is also Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), which activates the hazard lights under hard braking, and braking is via four-wheel discs with 280mm vented rotors up front and 262mm solid rotors at the rear, backed by an anti-lock system.

All MY13 Cerato sedans come standard with air-conditioning, FlexSteer, foglights, remote central locking, power windows/mirrors, heated side mirrors with indicators, front corner and rear parking sensors, a matching full-size spare wheel/tyre, six-way driver’s seat adjustment including height, front and rear armrests with twin cup-holders, and a glass aerial.

Also standard across the board are a (mono) dot-matrix type LCD instrument cluster with multi-function trip computer, body-coloured door-handles and a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with AUX/USB input and Bluetooth connectivity/streaming and remote controls.

Specific to the entry-level Cerato S are the 1.8-litre engine, 16-inch steel wheels with 205/55 R16 tyres, projector headlights with escort function and woven cloth seat trim.

In addition to a bigger 2.0-litre engine, the midrange Cerato Si offers 16-inch alloy wheels with the same tyres, a reversing camera with in-audio screen display and parking guidelines, automatic headlights, push button starting, rear ventilation outlets, a 4.3-inch colour touch-screen and premium interior trim, including carbon-look fascia, chrome-look door pulls and soft-touch door trims.

Also standard in Si models is a premium steering wheel and shift knob, fake-leather instrument cluster trim, sunvisor illumination, passenger-side seatback pocket, welcome puddle/pocket lights, auto-folding wing mirrors, a sliding front centre armrest, chromed interior highlights, a chromed exhaust outlet, a UV-cutting windscreen, auto up/down front windows and aero-blade type wipers.

On top of all this, the top-shelf Cerato SLi comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels with 215/45 R17 tyres, LED daytime running lights, HID headlights, LED tail-lights, leather seat trim, eight-way power driver’s seat adjustment with memory and ventilation and heated front seats.

The flagship Cerato SLi also comes standard with a powered sunroof, auto-dimming rear-vision mirror, colour TFT supervision instrument cluster, alloy sports pedals, a cooled glovebox, dual-zone climate-control with clean air module, auto defog system and, in automatic versions, steering wheel paddle shifters.

An optional satellite-navigation system will be available from June, featuring a seven-inch colour touch-screen, multimedia system with SUNA traffic information, DVD player and shark-fin GPS antenna, priced at $1000.

Ten exterior paint colours will be available, including new Plant Blue and Sandstone premium hues.

The Cerato is Kia’s top-selling export model, with more than 2.5 million sales since 2004, including 1.21 million second-generation models since 2008. Third-generation Cerato models will be built at Kia’s Hwasung facility in Korea.

“When both body styles of new Cerato are on sale, we anticipate sales growth to increase achieving annual global sales for this model approaching 500,000 units, to claim a 3.3 per cent share of the global C1 Segment,” said Kia Motors’ global Executive Vice-President and COO, Thomas Oh.

2013 Kia Cerato sedan pricing (plus on-road costs):
Cerato S --  $19,990
Cerato S (a) -- $21,990
Cerato Si -- $23,990
Cerato Si (a) -- $25,990
Cerato SLi -- $27,990
Cerato SLi (a) -- $29,990

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