Kia Cerato Problems

It’s not available on the current car. You have to wait for the new model, which launches in a couple of months.

Stick to the well-proven Japanese brands, such as the Mazda 6, Honda Accord, and perhaps the Korean Kia Cerato. As a private sale your Mazda would be worth $11,000-$12,000, as a trade-in $8000-$10,000.

As we haven’t experienced the problem ourselves it’s hard to comment on your concerns, but it does sound like a design problem that should have been identified and fixed before the car went into production. Now being in production it’s very difficult to fix, but we will contact Kia and see if they can suggest something that might help you. To fix it you could look at ways of shielding the dash when the light is coming from the direction that cause the problem. One thing you could look at is window tinting.

The Kia Cerato is not affected by the Takata airbag recall. I can’t say why your VIN number was rejected. Contact Kia to check.

It’s something that bugs a lot of drivers, but unfortunately there’s not a lot that can be done about it until the lawmakers change the rule and force carmakers to be more accurate. I understand it’s not good enough, but I would suggest you go by what the GPS says.

You need to persist in trying to get a resolution form Kia. You have already been told that it is a warranty problem, and Kia has a responsibility to resolve it. That the software manufacturer is no longer in business is Kia’s problem, not yours, and they must find a solution to the problem. As you have already been in contact with Kia head office continue to press them for an answer.

If you bought it from a dealer and it's still within the time limit of the statutory warranty then take it back to the dealer and request that it be fixed. If you didn't buy it from a dealer, or the warranty has expired take it to an auto electrician and have it repaired.

I would question the Renault if you're doing lots of kays in then country. I'm sure it would be reliable, but having it serviced when you need to could be an issue if you're away from a main city. The Kia is a good choice, so too are the Mazdas. You could add the Honda Accord, Subaru Liberty and Suzuki Kizashi to your list.

You’re right to be wary of the Golf, but apart from the well publicised stories of trouble with the DSG gearbox a few years ago it has been in more recent times a sound vehicle. We get very few complaints from owners of these later cars, so I wouldn’t be concerned about buying one. The Cerato is also a fine car and would be a good choice. If I were forced to choose I would probably gamble on the Golf for its driving dynamics.