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Kia Cerato vs Kia Optima

What's the difference?

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Kia Cerato
Kia Cerato

$20,990 - $39,999

2022 price

Kia Optima
Kia Optima

$16,888 - $29,689

2018 price

Summary

2022 Kia Cerato
2018 Kia Optima
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 1.6L

Inline 4, 2.4L
Fuel Type
Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6.9L/100km (combined)

8.3L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Harsh ride quality
  • Unrefined, noisy cabin
  • Ageing interior design

  • Removed some good stuff to lower price
  • Not as good looking as pre-facelift model
  • A bit basic inside
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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2018 Kia Optima Summary

There are plenty of reasons why you should still consider a mid-sized sedan like the Kia Optima. I’m sure there are… just let me think about this for a sec…

Okay, so this part of the market is dying. A decade ago, sedans like this were really popular, but now there are heaps of alternative options. Yep, people are going for mid-sized SUVs rather than mid-sized sedans like this.

But that doesn’t mean models like the just-updated 2018 Kia Optima are without their reasons for being. I’m just not sure the facelift has made it more appealing to look at…

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Kia Cerato 2018 Kia Optima

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