Kia Cerato Si 2015 review

Workhorse rather than show pony, the Kia Cerato is hard to beat on price and equipment.

Driveaway pricing has finally put the Kia Cerato on small-car shopping lists — and deservedly so. The hatch/sedan ticks all the boxes without being a standout act in any aspect.

That all-round competency is backed by genuine value, which helps explain why the Kia is beating big-name opponents such as the Ford Focus, Nissan Pulsar and Mitsubishi Lancer.

Explore the 2015 Kia Cerato range

• Kia Cerato 2015 review
• Kia Cerato Si 2015 review

Access to the Cerato starts at $19,990 on the road for the S model. That buys an older multi-point injection 1.8-litre engine paired with a six-speed manual. The same price applies to the six-speed auto, making that decision a no-brainer for most potential owners.

An S Premium model adds a seven-inch touchscreen with satnav, a reversing camera and alloy wheels for $24,990. If you can afford that, consider parting with another $2000 for the Si equipped with a modern direct-injection 2.0-litre engine, auto headlamps, keyless start, leather trim highlights and faux carbon fibre.

The $32,490 SLi brings 17-inch alloys, dual-zone air-conditioning, a sunroof and electrically adjustable driver's seat.

Design

Packaging takes priority over prettiness in the Cerato, inside and out. The nose is unmistakably Kia with the signature tiger-shark grille but the shape is fairly generic.

It is a similar story inside where expanses of dark plastics don't set the heart racing but do frame a well thought out layout, from the usable storage spaces to decent rear seat room. Soft-touch surfaces can be found on the contact points such as the centre bin and door armrests. Unlike many in this class, the Si and SLi also have air-con vents for those in the back.

Boot space is more than handy in the hatch and outright cavernous in the sedan.

The driving position is neutral and the switchgear is easy to operate, as is the touchscreen (standard on all models except the base S).

About town

The 2.0-litre engine has more than enough go on city streets despite not being force-fed by a turbocharger. It spins smoothly through the revs and the relative lack of torque is masked by smart ratios and intelligent software in the six-speed auto.

Visibility is better than average and the steering is well weighted to negotiate carpark slaloms as owners dodge pedestrians and reversing vehicles.

Forget about the multiple steering modes, though — comfort is too light and sport is needlessly leaden without altering the response or feel.

On the road

There's good news and really good news here. The Cerato's competence extends to freeway driving and it should come ridiculously close to the claimed fuel consumption figure.

After a week of tormenting the Si hatch CarsGuide averaged 8.1L/100km, which is just 0.6L more than Kia advertises.

Kia tunes the suspension to suit Australian roads and the Cerato delivers a reassuringly composed ride. It doesn't corner on rails but it does suppress the hits over potholes and speed humps and it is hard to unsettle this small car at regular speeds.

Push the Cerato hard and there'll be occasional rear-end thumps over big bumps and you'll discover the tyres aren't the grippiest rubber on the market. Invest some of the money you saved buying — and running — the car in a new set but the originals are more than adequate until they wear out.

Performance

Don't expect the Cerato to go like a hot hatch and you won't be disappointed.

What it lacks in low-down kick it makes up for with a willingness to rev that ensures you're never off the pace in traffic, irrespective of whether that's at a set of lights or on a steep incline. A large part of that can be attributed to the auto's programming to kick down at the first hint of throttle pressure rather than jolt back a couple of cogs when the driver presses harder because nothing was happening.

The 1.8-litre engine in the base models isn't as convincing. The on-paper figures of 110kW/178Nm aren't far off the bigger mill but it lacks the responsiveness and still uses almost as much fuel, with a claimed use for the auto of 7.4L/100km.