Kia Cerato vs BMW I3

What's the difference?

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.

It’s easy to forget BMW was paddling into the growing electric vehicle wave when it was only a gentle swell. It took off early with the i3 city car, which believe it or not has been in the Aussie new car market for six years.

While the German maker has long been developing the concept of electrified powertrains in existing models, the i3 was the result of a dramatically different approach, showcasing the use of exotic materials and innovative packaging.

Like its i8 supercar sibling, the i3 won’t be replaced with a new-generation version, but BMW says it will continue to develop this high-tech hatch before it departs, and we spent a week in the sporty i3s to see how it stands up in 2020.