Kia Cerato manual 2009 review

It boasts revamped styling, good value for money and the backing of one of the best warranties in the business.

The downside: you also still get what you pay for, so in the Cerato you will find some hard plastics, doors that don't feel solid and a ride which gets a little untidy on gravel roads.

Mind you, the same can be said of many of its rivals. So the tip here is admire the value and enjoy the features but understand this is not a prestige car — despite Kia's advertising, which implies it could be.

Explore the 2009 Kia Cerato range

• Kia Cerato 2009 review
• Kia Cerato SLi 2009 review
• Kia Cerato manual 2009 review
• Kia Cerato Koup 2009 review: road test
• Kia Cerato Koup 2009 review

But Kia (and stablemate Hyundai) have improved far beyond their past reputation as “cheap, nasty, unsafe rubbish” (to quote some buyers to whom I suggested Korean brands recently0.

I'll concede that when badges from Korea first launched here decades ago, they had a steep learning curve to try and match the quality and finesse of the Japanese, which itself went through the same exercise long before that. And the newcomers from China that are on the way will no doubt face the same marketing challenge.

The truth is, nowadays the Koreans can play with the Japanese on a level playing field. Now that may surprise, many but Kia has been quietly kicking some important goals lately. And its latest Cerato sedan – launched at the start of the year — is a shining example.

For a start the car is larger, deliberately looks European rather than Korean (the bloke who designed it was a German who also gave us the VW Beetle); the pricing is sharp, and the car comes loaded with most of the equipment buyers want.

Pricing and equipment

The $18,990 entry model gives you six airbags and anti-lock brakes as standard, but not the all important electronic stability control or traction control, so you can see how Kia kept the price well under the $20,000 barrier.

You do get a five-speed manual (a four-speed auto is an extra $2000), air conditioning, 15-inch steel wheels, power mirrors and windows, remote locking, MP3 compatibility, USB input and sunglass holder.

You can tick the box for the optional safety pack for $1000 which adds ESP, traction control, cruise control and remote audio controls on the steering wheel and is well worth the money.

The top-flight SLi version which is the pick of the two, starts at $22,990 for the manual and comes with the full raft of safety features, alloy wheels, cruise, rear park assist, climate controlled air conditioning, trip computer and fog lamps.

As for the warranty: try five years with unlimited kilometres for peace of mind in case you still had some concern about the badge.

Interior

The Cerato's cabin is refreshingly different from what Kia has offered before. While the plastics are still hard-looking and hard-feeling, the cloth upholstery and black and polished alloy look to the dashboard is modern and smart.

The cabin also gets ticks for being spacious, reasonably comfortable for four (five is a squeeze) and having a roomy boot. The rear seat folds flattish (by pulling a couple of levers in the boot itself). Annoyingly, the car locks itself once under way.

Drivetrain and economy

Power comes from a 2-litre, four-cylinder with the test car fitted with the standard five-speed manual, handicapped by a super lightweight clutch which made smooth changes sometimes difficult. Most buyers would opt for the optional sequential four-speed auto which has plenty of gap between the ratios and was designed with fuel economy not performance in mind.

That can't be said for the manual we drove. The fuel consumption, according to the car's trip computer, returned an average of 11.4l/100km. I didn't believe it and reset it, only to get a similar reading, although it did drop to 9.2l/100km on the highway which is still not impressive. Kia quotes an official figure of 7.9l/100km so something was amiss.

Driving

I like the Cerato. No, it's not perfect but it’s honest and has more going for it than not. It is comfortable, offers loads of space and has an impressive sound system.

Its performance is better than some in this family-sized class, and while the engine feels perky the Cerato doesn't pretend to be a sprint car.

It gives its best at lower revs where the torque can work its magic. Higher up the rev range nothing much happens apart from added engine and wind noise.

In most driving conditions — the daily fight in commuter traffic or cruising the highway — this newcomer is pleasant enough, but the driving experience is tarnished by the overly-light clutch which makes smooth starts at traffic lights a hit or miss affair. Even though it only has an old fashioned four-speed auto, that's the transmission to go for.

Light steering also takes away some of the feel for the road; conversely it makes the car easy to drive in the city and that's what most buyers want.

On sealed roads the Cerato offers a comfortable, sure-footed ride; on gravel it becomes nervous and twitchy.

Did I mention it was from Korea?