The all-new Kia Cerato is a highly competitive entry into the popular lower medium segment (Focus/Astra/Golf size). The modern European influenced exterior of the Cerato is matched to a spacious and up-to-date interior that will hold five adults and their luggage. The emphasis on refinement and the use of high quality materials clearly represents the new generation of Kia products. The Cerato reinforces and extends Kia's commitment to bring to market stylish and spacious cars with high levels of equipment that offer excellent value for money. The Cerato range is priced from £9,750-£11,995.

The UK range is made up of seven models with two petrol and one diesel option, and three specification levels. The high level of standard equipment includes twin front, side and curtain airbags, air conditioning, remote central locking, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, split/folding rear seats and JVC audio with CD/MP3.

Higher, wider but shorter than the car it replaces, the Cerato offers generous passenger accommodation with class leading front head room (1017mm) and shoulder room (1400mm) as well as rear leg room (898mm) and shoulder room (1370mm). Luggage space has not been sacrificed either.

Cerato also challenges best in class standards in terms of NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) with extensive development at Kia's wind tunnel at Namyang.

The interior design is simple, modern and efficient using high-quality materials. The dashboard is divided horizontally with the upper surfaces in a dark colour (to reduce reflections and glare) that is continued around the upper surfaces of the door, visually unifying the passenger compartment. The central fascia is finished in a high grade plastic to match the colour tone of the interior and features a metal-grain finish for a more high-tech look. A distinctive feature of the dash is the four flush air vents and their directional controls, while the overhead console features twin map-reading lamps and sunglasses holder.

For the first time in this segment, Kia will be offering customers a choice of petrol and diesel engines in the Cerato. The initial line-up will feature the 1.6GS and 1.6LX 5dr hatchback and the 1.6LX saloon. The 1.6LX 5dr hatchback is also available with automatic transmission. The 2.0SE saloon will join the line-up before the end of the year and three 1.5-litre diesel derivatives (1.5CRDi GS and LX 5dr hatchbacks and 1.5CRDi LX saloon) are expected to be available from November. The final pricing on the diesel models will be announced later.

There are two modern four cylinder petrol engines on offer both with double overhead camshafts and 16-valves. The 1.6-litre produces 104bhp, while the 2.0-litre unit features for the first time in a Kia engine, CVVT (continuously variable valve timing), which boosts power at low and medium revs, and generates 141bhp.

The new four cylinder 1.5-litre common-rail diesel engine offers class leading power and torque and will be Kia's first diesel-powered passenger car, as previously the company has marketed diesel engines only in MPV and SUV models.

Styled to attract modern, image conscious consumers, the Cerato is the latest product intended to move Kia towards its 'young, sporty and friendly' brand positioning. Clinics carried out with existing and prospective customers for this type of car have shown that the styling of the car is seen as confident, with a hint of sportiness, compared to other cars in this sector, and juxtaposes well with the traditional Far Eastern attributes of high build quality and reliability.

By judicious weight saving measures and attention to matching engine performance and gearing the Cerato achieves highly competitive performance and fuel economy results. Acceleration times for the Cerato models (0-62mph) range from 9.0 sec (2.0-litre CVVT) to 11.0 sec (1.6 Manual) to 13.0 sec (1.6 Auto), and top speeds from 129mph (2.0-litre CVVT) to 116mph (1.6 Manual) to 107mph (1.6 Auto). Combined fuel consumptions range from 56.5mpg (1.5-litre CRDi) to 40.4mpg (1.6-litre manual) to 37.7mpg (2.0-litre CVVT Manual), while CO₂ ratings spread from 128 g/km (1.5-litre CRDi) to 167g/km (1.6-litre Manual) to 180g/km (2.0-litre CVVT Manual).

The high safety specification includes dual front airbags, front side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. There are all round disc brakes, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) and Brake Assist System (BAS) for maximum stopping power.

Cerato prototypes were extensively road tested in Europe by staff from Kia's European R&D Centre near Frankfurt. This process allowed fine-tuning of the suspension, and ride and handling set-up, to ensure that Cerato matches accurately European driving conditions and the expectations of European customers.

The line-up and pricing is as follows:

- Cerato 1.6GS £9,750
- Cerato 1.5CRDi GS £tba
- Cerato 1.6LX £10,500
- Cerato 1.5CRDi LX £tba
- Cerato 1.6LX auto £11,400
- Cerato 1.6LX Saloon £10,500
- Cerato 1.5CRDi LX Saloon £tba
- Cerato 2.0SE Saloon £11,995

The Car Enthusiast will be driving the new Cerato early in 2005. Watch out for the review on the main Road Tests page.

Kia news release - 20 Aug 2004