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Honda Civic vs Kia Cerato

What's the difference?

VS
Honda Civic
Honda Civic

$47,200 - $72,600

2024 price

Kia Cerato
Kia Cerato

$20,990 - $39,999

2022 price

Summary

2024 Honda Civic
2022 Kia Cerato
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.0L

Turbo 4, 1.6L
Fuel Type
-

Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
8.9L/100km (combined)

6.9L/100km (combined)
Seating
4

5
Dislikes
  • Price, maybe
  • Limited availability
  • Likely a swansong

  • Harsh ride quality
  • Unrefined, noisy cabin
  • Ageing interior design
2024 Honda Civic Summary

Before we dive in, this isn’t your typical road test. 

That’s because there’s no road, per se. Instead, the majority of what you’re about to read comes from The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.

You’ve read the headline, though, so you’re probably putting it all together: a Honda Civic Type R on a well-liked race track must be bliss. Let’s find out.

A very quick catch-up for those not in the know. The Honda Civic Type R (or CTR if you like) is the brand’s only performance model on sale after the demise of the NSX supercar. 

The current (FL5) CTR is a little over a year old, having been launched internationally in late 2022, but has only been on Aussie shores for a little while. In fact, we’ve already reviewed it for the road, back in April.

But Honda Australia was keen to get media behind the wheel in a setting it says the CTR thrives in - a racetrack. Its predecessor was a car loved almost universally, can this one live up to the new standard?

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2022 Kia Cerato Summary

Three years after the fourth-generation Cerato small car rolled into Australian dealerships, Kia launched a mid-life facelift for the sedan and hatch range in mid-2021.

It ushered in styling tweaks including new headlights and Kia’s new logo, as well as more safety tech and a multimedia upgrade.

At the top of the range sits the warmed-up Cerato GT. It’s not quite Hyundai i30 N-level performance, more i30 N-Line. In other words, more than enough performance to keep most people satisfied and enough poke to get away quickly at the lights.

But is the updated version of Kia’s Cerato trying to be something it’s not, or is it a performance bargain?

Read on to find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Honda Civic 2022 Kia Cerato

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