Kia Cerato manual 2004 review

Kia showed its hand in Sydney when it ran the worldwide dealer preview of the Cerato, flagging the importance of Australia to the brand and the car itself.

It also highlighted a rise-and-rise performance that has made Kia Australia's fastest-growing car company, with a massive 57 per cent sales jump in the first half of 2004.

Taking over from all Spectra, Mentor and Shuma models, the Cerato has a bigger engine and more features than previous Kia models in the class. It also comes with a smaller $18,990 driveaway price tag.

Explore the 2004 Kia Cerato range

• Kia Cerato manual 2004 review
• Kia Cerato 2004 review
• Kia Cerato 2004 review: snapshot

The first all-new model to be rolled out in Australia this year, it sits between the four-cylinder Rio and flagship Optima V6.

The Cerato fits into the small-car class, which has overtaken big sixes as the most popular shopping ground for Australia buyers, and is worth around 180,000 cars a year.

It is a breakthrough model because it shares the Hyundai Elantra's mechanical package, the first time Kia -- which is now owned by Hyundai -- has had a shared model with the Korean juggernaut.

But the engine isn't as strong, and the Cerato also has a very different suspension tune.

Its 2.0-litre engine only generates 101kW of power and 182Nm of torque, with a fairly standard 0-100km/h sprint time of 10.5 seconds. Gearboxes are also the standard deal, with a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic.

The Cerato design was done entirely at Kia, and while bland, it's not nearly as ugly as some earlier efforts.

The sedan is the key model for Australia, with a five-door version under consideration when right-hand-drive production starts at the end of this year.

The Cerato has twin front airbags and four-wheel disc brakes, but anti-skid control is an extra.

There is only one level of equipment, but the car comes loaded with cruise control, power windows, remote central locking, heated electric mirrors, CD sound, and a cupholders.

The cabin includes power sockets for phones and computers, as well as a battery saver system that turns off any lights that are accidentally left on.

The Cerato is longer, wider and heavier than Kia's earlier mid-sized compacts, while the boot has been boosted by nearly 56 litres for impressive carrying capacity.

Kia is taking a cautious approach to sales forecasts, predicting just 400 cars a month will be sold.

Toyota sold 4031 Corollas in June, while Holden did 2650 Astras and Mitsubishi sold 2083 Lancers.

But Kia managing director Ric Hull isn't under-estimating the work to be done on a car in this category.

"Bringing an unfamiliar name from a relatively minor brand into the marketplace is certainly going to take a little time, but we think we will get there," Hull says.

Kia also admits the Elantra will be a tough target.

Hyundai claimed June as an all-time record month with 1856 sales, but even that has been tough work and there is potential for trade-off sales between the brands.

"There is no doubt the Elantra is a competitor. Kia and Hyundai have never said they wouldn't compete in the marketplace," Kia sales manager Edward Butler says.

"But the success of Hyundai is our success, because the more people who buy Korean products experience the reliability and the quality of Korean products."

The Cerato is aimed at city people, aged 25-45, who want comfort and features, as well as value.

On the road

The Cerato is no sports car, but it is likely to be good at its job.

It has a comfortable drive, and while the suspension is set softly, it handles reasonably well and feels pretty solid on the road.

The five-speed manual is the best gearbox choice as it allows you to get the most out of car and engine.

The auto is no slouch, and Kia claims it equals the manual in the 0-100km/h dash, but on a few cornering occasions the auto left the right foot flailing momentarily waiting for the box to pick its gear.

The manual, however, was able to match torque delivery, keeping the car more stable through bends with better pick-up for straights and during overtaking.

The back seat comfortably fits three across, and the space makes it more like a sedan than a small car.

As a value deal, it is hard to fault the Cerato.

And the price tag and features list make an appealing combination.

Kia's Ric Hull is confident and says the Cerato should do much better than the Spectra, one of the models it is due to replace.

He points out the Cerato is all-new and has a better bottom line.

"There is nothing in common with the Spectra at all, this is an infinitely better car," Hull says.

"In fairness, it is much more competitively priced, and for $1000 more you have a much better-equipped 2.0-litre car, much more modern.

"We are incredibly currency dependant. Frankly, we were nervous at putting it (Cerato) into the marketplace at say, $19,990 driveaway.

"There are too many entries there and it seemed to us we wouldn't have anything particularly unique to offer, so we decided to give it a good hit and put it in at that price ($18,990)."

The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun