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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.
The difference between ‘cheap’ and ‘inexpensive’ is the difference between the Kia Picanto and most sub-$20,000 cars.
Kicking off from $15,990 before on-road costs (ORC), the popular hatch represents Australia’s only complete sub-B supermini experience, with a full range, affordable pricing, excellent aftersales and a welcome absence of obvious cost-cutting measures.
By not being feeble, flimsy, expensive or hopelessly outdated like all the rest, the Picanto is serious about treating budget buyers with respect while offering consumers real choice. Nobody else seems to provide such qualities quite like Kia can.
To that end, we take a long look at the most-expensive – or, if you like, Australia’s least-expensive sporty hatch – version of the Picanto, the intriguing GT.
Kia has value and packaging on its side with the sleek and spunky Cerato GT sedan. There’s no shortage of standard gear, it comes with the latest multimedia and safety gear and the cabin and cargo area are spacious and practical.
The powertrain is a winner too. Which is why it’s such a shame that it’s let down so badly by the ride quality.
If you’re going to be driving on various road surfaces, or regularly driving long distance, check out the far more compliant Hyundai i30 N-Line instead.
But if you’ll only ever drive in urban areas – or enjoy the occasional back-road blast – and you can handle the firm ride, there’s still plenty to like about the Cerato GT.
The Picanto GT is the least expensive sporty runabout for the money, providing a dash of visual flair and plenty of gear to go with its punchy performance.
If you’re a warm or hot hatch buyer, however, you might find that the Kia lacks the vital handling focus and dynamic polish of the better (albeit costlier) alternatives, even if there’s enough muscle on tap to raise a few pulses.
No, it’s best to enjoy the GT for what it represents in 2022 – a more eager and entertaining option for budget buyers who seek a city runabout with a bit more speed and spice.
And, don't forget: as only Kia currently occupies this space, even the most expensive Picanto represents great value that never feels cheap.
When the fourth-gen Cerato sedan was revealed in US-market Kia Forte guise at the 2018 Detroit motor show, the design was praised for taking inspiration from the sleek Stinger performance sedan.
The facelift has arrived at just the right time to keep the Cerato fresh against the dominant Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and new Volkswagen Golf.
The sharpened front-end styling features an eye-catching daytime running light signature and the headlights now connect with the redesigned, slimline Kia ‘tiger-nose’ grille in gloss black.
It’s a subtle, yet successful design refresh.
Inside, the Cerato is starting to look its age against rivals like the Golf and Mazda3. Those GT themed additions definitely lift the ambience of the cabin, but the dash layout feels a bit generic and the overall interior design is nothing flash. Especially when you consider the interior of some of Kia’s latest models, like the impressive Sportage medium SUV.
Fun fact: the Picanto is known as the Morning in some countries.
Commanding some 70 per cent of all sales, its only competition nowadays in Australia is the ancient Fiat 500 and soon-to-vanish Mitsubishi Mirage. Former rivals like the Holden Spark, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Celerio are history, though the tall and skinny Suzuki Ignis should be included too even though it is classed as an SUV.
Speaking of height, let’s talk size.
At just under 3.6 metres long, 1.6m wide and 1.5m high, the pert Picanto is classed internationally as a ‘sub-B’ city car (known inaccurately as well as rather disparagingly as the Micro segment in Australia), that sits below regular superminis/light cars like the Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris.
A clean and elegant design that has aged well since launching in 2017, the JA-series Picanto is the third-generation version since the nameplate was debuted internationally in 2004, and helped establish Kia as a globally relevant player in mature markets like Europe.
Mid-2020 saw a minor facelift with a revised front-end styling, equipment and technical improvements inside and some small mechanical upgrades.
As mentioned, the red stitching throughout, chunky steering wheel and sports seats are welcome additions to the GT cabin.
There are soft-touch materials on the top of the dash but hard plastics on the dash fascia.
There’s no fully digital instrument cluster, but it has a 4.2-inch LCD display in the cluster showing fuel economy and the like. No complaints with the analogue dials and there’s a digital speedo if required.
The update ushered in Kia’s latest multimedia system to the Cerato and it’s a winner thanks to cool graphics, logical menus and its ease of use.
There’s quite a sizable central storage bin and glovebox, while the console houses a key slot, two sizeable cupholders and a second spot for devices adjacent to the charging pad.
The front sports seats look sexy, have excellent side and body bolstering and they’re firm, but comfortable.
A 600mL bottle will just fit into the doors, bit it’s tight.
Sitting behind my six-foot (182cm) frame in the rear, legroom is adequate but toe room is tight. My head was about an inch away from the headliner due to the sloping roofline. The rear seats are also firm.
The Cerato has lower rear air vents, one USB-C port, a map pocket on the passenger side, a central rear armrest with two cupholders, and bottles slot into the doors easier than they do up front.
Kia offers a temporary spare wheel housed under the boot floor. The boot is long, offering an impressive 502 litres (VDA) of cargo space, which is more than other small sedans like the Subaru Impreza (460L VDA) and the Hyundai i30 (474L VDA).
Lower the rear 60/40 seats via the levers in the boot and that space increases further, but they don’t fold completely flat.
Not as squishy as the diminutive proportions may suggest.
As sub-B superminis vanish from our roads, the Picanto seems smaller and narrower compared to what else is out there. Looking like a Hyundai i30 interior that’s been Xeroxed down to by 70 per cent, the five-seater cabin is tall but slim, with your passenger sitting closer to you than in similarly priced cars like the MG3 or Suzuki Swift.
But it doesn’t feel cramped or tight thanks to deep windows and a pair of well-shaped and largely comfortable front bucket seats. The GT’s set have a sporty look to them, with the driver’s side offering the usual height-adjustment facility to match the ample sliding and reclining functionality.
An unusual item are the front headrest’s fore-aft movement that’s designed to minimise whiplash injury in the event of a collision.
Then there’s the commanding driving position. The dashboard looks big-Kia mature, with full instrumentation (including the always-welcome auxiliary digital speedo since the 2020 facelift), volumous air vents and tonnes of storage, even down to a lidded deep recess underneath the front centre armrest. Accessing the switchgear is also no sweat, and all have a quality look and feel to them.
Smart and contemporary, the 8.0-inch touchscreen offers a wide range of multimedia functionality, backed up by a 12V outlet, USB-A port, remote steering wheel controls, power windows all round (one-touch for the driver) and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.
However, not everything is plain sailing inside.
The steering column does not adjust for reach, there’s no digital radio and the vinyl seats are fine in winter but can feel clammy and hot in warm weather. Beware of that if you’re not wearing sufficient clothing. And – given these are so-called premium ‘sports’ seats, why can’t we have lumbar adjustment for the driver?
Access to the rear seat is a bit of a squeeze due to the restrictive 2400mm wheelbase length and narrow doors this entails, but once sat there, a 180cm person can easily position behind similarly-sized people up front. Squeezing in three adults isn’t easy, especially for the hapless middle passenger, but two riders only should find ample room and comfort, due in most part to the sufficiently sculptured backrest and cushion. The latter is set up quite high, allowing for easier vision out, especially for shorter folk.
There is no need for face-level air vents back there as the front ones reach rear riders, and overhead grab handles, door grab storage, a single map pocket and windows that disappear all the way down are further nice touches, but there is no rear-seat overhead lighting.
Note that while the Picanto is tolerably quiet from road and wind noise intrusion at urban speeds, at freeway ones it can get quite loud in there.
Further back, the hatch opens up to reveal a pretty limited 255-litre cargo capacity, that’s extended to 1010L with the 50/50 split/fold backrests dropped down. The boot floor is deep but there isn’t that much length to take bulkier items. As mentioned earlier, a space-saver spare wheel is included; it’s recessed under the boot floor.
A modern and inviting cabin that’s very civilised to boot in most urban settings, the Picanto is both roomier and more comfortable than its bargain-basement price suggests, with the GT’s ritzier trim adding a racier ambience to help justify its extra expense.
The GT is priced at $35,290 before on-road costs regardless of whether you opt for the four-door sedan (as tested here) or the five-door hatchback, though be aware that Kia Australia regularly runs drive-away pricing campaigns.
There’s not a lot of competition in the warmed-up small car market these days. A number of carmakers have slimmed down their small-car line-ups in the face of falling sales.
Kia’s closest rival is also its mechanical sibling, the Hyundai i30 N-Line sedan and hatch. The Hyundai is cheaper by more than $2500, but the more generously equipped i30 N-Line Premium sedan is a little over $2000 more expensive than the Cerato GT.
The Mazda3 GT sedan and hatch could also be considered a rival and pricing is about on par with the Kia.
Other lower grades in the Cerato range run from $25,490 to $30,640 (MSRP).
The GT benefits from the more premium powertrain offering in the Cerato line-up – the 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine shared with the i30 N-Line and the recently discontinued Veloster Turbo.
The GT bodykit adds sporty styling flourishes like a black front and rear diffuser, boot spoiler, dual exhaust, black external mirror caps, red highlights and 18-inch GT alloy wheels.
This theme carries through to the cabin too with features like alloy sports pedals, flat-bottom perforated leather sports steering wheel and leather-appointed seats with red stitching and embossed GT logo.
As the range flagship, the GT also has the most standard equipment. It comes with a sunroof, eight-way power driver’s seat, wireless device charging, an eight-speaker JBL premium sound system, heated and ventilated front seats and dual-zone climate control air conditioning.
The only option fitted to the test car was Snow White Pearl premium paint for $520.
“We cannot think of a better new car buy for under $20K” is what we thought late in 2021 after spending a week with the Picanto GT.
Then the inevitable happened, with a hike of $500 taking that to $20,490 before on-road costs (ORC) – or, $22,490 driveaway as promoted on Kia’s website. Costing just $17,990 back at its early 2019 launch, note that prices have since jumped nearly 15 per cent.
So, what does the GT offer that the base $15,990 MY22 Picanto S doesn’t?
Well, for starters, your $4500 premium scores a smaller engine with fewer cylinders – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder instead of a 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit. Yet with the aid of a turbo, it pumps out 12kW and 50Nm more power and torque respectively, so it’s pokier.
The GT also boasts sports suspension that's tuned locally, a body kit, two-inch larger alloys sheathed in 195/45R16 tyres, halogen projection headlights with LED daytime running lights, fog lights, sports seats offering stripy pleather hide, a front centre armrest, height-adjustable front seat belts, electric-folding/heated exterior mirrors, ‘premium’ steering wheel, alloy pedals, extra storage and fancier trim inside and out.
On the safety front, even the entry-level Picanto S features four-wheel disc brakes, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Forward Collision Warning, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, electronic stability control, traction control, Vehicle Stability Management, hill-start assist, dual front airbags, front-side airbags, curtain airbags, alarm and child restraint anchorage points (with a trio of top tether and a pair of ISOFIX positions).
You’ll also find reverse parking sensors, a rear camera, auto on/off headlights, remote central locking, power windows, air conditioning, cruise control with speed limiter, a single USB port, an eight-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, four audio speakers, steering-wheel mounted controls and a temporary spare wheel. Oh, and let’s not forget Kia's seven-year warranty.
That’s a fair whack of kit for the cash. In fact, the Picanto offers pretty much everything you expect and then some. In contrast, the Mitsubishi Mirage feels cheap while the MG3 and Fiat 500 are old and lack some driver-assist safety as well as some of the features standard in the GT.
Little wonder, then, that the Picanto is such a big player in its class.
However, the GT is now butting up against a pair of bigger, roomier and more sophisticated rivals – the Suzuki Swift GL Navigator also from $20,490 as well as the Mazda2 G15 Pure from $21,190. At least it looks sporty inside and out. For that, you’ll need the step up to the costlier Swift GLX Turbo and Mazda2 Pure SP.
Note though that the Kia is showing its age in one key area – the unavailability of driver-assist tech like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and lane-keep alert/assist systems.
While all other Cerato grades use a 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, the GT benefits from a spicier powertrain.
Under the bonnet is the Hyundai Group 1.6-litre T-GDI four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 150kW of power at 6000rpm and 265Nm of torque at 1500-4500rpm. This is the same tune as the Hyundai i30 N-Line.
This is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that drives the front wheels. Lower grades use a six-speed torque converter auto. Kia dropped the manual from the S and Sport grades as part of the update.
The GT differs from the rest of the Cerato range as it has multi-link rear suspension, instead of a torsion beam setup. Both the suspension and steering have been tuned for dynamic driving. More on that later.
Under the Picanto’s stubby bonnet is a gem of an engine – a 998cc 1.0-litre double overhead cam three-cylinder direct-injection turbo petrol unit known as the G3LC, developing 74kW of power at 4500rpm and 172Nm of torque from as low as 1500rpm to 4000rpm.
With a tare weight of just 1012kg, it delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 73.1kW per tonne (or 72kW/tonne if measured using its 1026kg kerb weight), for a 0-100km/h sprint time of around 9.4 seconds.
Driving the front wheels is a five-speed manual gearbox. Unlike the visually similar GT-Line powered by the 1.2-litre four-pot petrol engine, no automatic transmission is available. The latter is an old-fashioned four-speed torque-converter auto.
According to Kia, the Cerato GT sedan uses 6.9 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle. The GT hatch uses 0.1L less.
After a week of mixed driving in the Cerato GT, we recorded a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.0L/100km – a fair bit more than Kia’s claim.
The GT emits 157g/km of CO2 (official combined).
Our GT managed 6.6L/100km in hot, testing conditions that saw a fair share of performance testing and higher-speed driving as well as heavy traffic jams, which isn’t too far off the official 5.2L/100km as per Kia’s spec sheet claim. The latter equates to a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 122 grams per kilometre.
The Urban and Extra Urban consumption figures, by the way, are 6.8 and 4.4L/100km respectively.
Tuned to run on 91 RON standard unleaded petrol and compatible with a 94 RON E10 ethanol/petrol mix, the Picanto’s fuel tank is a measly 35 litres, resulting in a potential average distance between refills of 673km.
There is no stop/start technology fitted to help cut emissions and/or save fuel.
The 1.6-litre turbo engine is a ripper and it’s been put to good use in Hyundai’s i30 N-Line and Veloster Turbo.
It’s just as willing and responsive under the bonnet of the Cerato GT, but they each perform quite differently.
Accelerating from a standing start, there’s mild turbo lag in the Cerato, and some torque steer when accelerating hard.
Once up and running it’s quick, and the seven-speed dual clutch snaps through the gears smoothly while still allowing it to rev freely.
It’s the type of powertrain that is utterly unbothered by things like steep ascents. The Cerato GT just keeps pushing on, without losing momentum.
The downside of that is that the engine is super noisy when pushed and the Kia just doesn’t have sufficient noise suppression materials to counter that. Because of this, it lacks the refinement of its i30 N-Line cousin and the Mazda3.
Steering is weighted on the heavier side but it’s direct and the car goes where you point it.
Like many Kia models, the Cerato GT benefits from an Australian-specific steering and suspension tune. Kia doesn’t have a full performance hot hatch to line up with the i30 N, but the engineers seem to have tuned the suspension to be just as capable as the full-fat i30 N.
That certainly aids dynamic driving in the Cerato GT. It hugs corners and grips the road, avoiding any skipping and with only a hint of body roll.
However, we think Kia’s engineers have made the damper settings too firm, because the Cerato GT’s ride is harsh in virtually all driving environments.
A new, freshly laid road surface in an urban area without any speed bumps was the only time the ride was comfortable during our week with the car.
It crashes over potholes and it’s loud and jarring when you unexpectedly encounter a sharp rut. There’s a bit of vibration through the steering wheel too.
This is disappointing, especially when you consider that the i30 N-Line has a much more supple ride and is the sort of warmed-up hatch or sedan you could easily live with day to day.
We briefly drove the i30 N hot hatch just before we got into the Cerato GT and even that has a more tolerable ride quality than the Kia.
In a word... spirited.
It’s no shock to learn that the Picanto GT thrives around town.
With a rorty and rev-hungry three-pot turbo that’s champing at the bit to bolt off the line on one hand, and light-yet-agile steering on the other, the smallest Kia is ideal for darting about, zipping in and out of tight traffic spots and squeezing into tiny parking spaces with effortless ease. Its diminutive proportions, fine all-round vision and tight turning circle are excellent assets in the urban jungle.
Usually, a short wheelbase and relatively large wheels make for a choppy, restless ride. But the GT does an adequate job in absorbing most things that the roads throw up. While still quite firm, the suspension isn’t uncomfortable or agitating.
The Kia’s impressive speed and agility also translate well out on the open road, as long as the driver keeps the revs up – no real chore given the agreeable manual shifter and light clutch action. In such conditions, throttle response is immediate and effective, allowing for a surprisingly strong turn of speed for something so small.
Note, though, that there is quite a bit of tyre and road roar intrusion coming into the cabin at higher velocities.
If the revs aren’t in the sweet spot, expect a moment’s delay in engine response, since you’ll have to wait for the turbo to spool up before you feel the power kick in. In wet conditions, sometimes it can come on too suddenly, meaning that the front tyres could break traction, resulting in some scrappy progress.
The Picanto’s steering is fairly direct and composed, for accurate and controlled cornering, especially in dry conditions. But the handling is not as sharp or as involving as some enthusiasts might hope for from a warm hatch, since the GT doesn’t connect in the same, intimate way with a keen driver that, say, a Fiesta ST does so faithfully.
Note that the stability and traction control system can be disabled for drivers wishing to explore the chassis’ dynamic limits, but the lack of a limited slip differential may result in the front wheels bucking if driven carelessly in the rain. At least the brakes are effective and always at the ready to wash away speed quickly once that turbo starts to take effect.
Fun and feisty as the GT is, it's no GTi.
The Cerato GT achieved a five-star ANCAP crash safety rating in 2019 and it applies to all Cerato variants built after June 2021, except the S and Sport which have four stars because the autonomous emergency braking system offered as standard in those grades can’t detect vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.
Standard safety for the GT includes auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, forward collision warning, rear occupant alert, driver attention assist, rear cross-traffic alert with collision avoidance, blind spot detection and collision avoidance assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist with lane follow assist steering, safe exit warning, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
At one point, the AEB kicked in pulling out of a parallel street parking spot because it detected a vehicle that had already driven past the car and was several metres ahead.
Kia’s lane keep assist system is generally impressive and functions without issue, but it pulls on the wheel a little. It’s not jolty like systems offered by some other brands.
When lane keep and follow assist are active, it can be fiddly to switch them both off. If you hold the steering wheel-mounted button down, the follow assist stays on but the lane keeping deactivates, so you just have to keep holding the button down until the lane and steering wheel icons in the digital display eventually disappear.
The current-gen Picanto scored a four-star crash-test rating when it was tested by EuroNCAP in 2017. That score carries over to the 2020 facelift too.
While adult occupant protection was rated as good, the Kia performed less well in Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist system availability. Further to the latter point, the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system was singled out as only operating at lower speeds. No maximum operating speed data was published.
Standard safety features include four-wheel disc brakes, AEB with Forward Collision Warning, anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, electronic stability control, traction control, Vehicle Stability Management, hill-start assist, dual front airbags, front-side airbags, curtain airbags, alarm and child restraint anchorage points (with a trio of top tether and a pair of ISOFIX positions).
Reverse parking sensors, a rear camera, auto on/off headlights, remote central locking and an alarm with immobiliser are also fitted, as is an auxiliary digital speedo in 2020 (and high time, too).
The Cerato, like all Kia models, is offered with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and one-year free roadside assist which extends year by year if you service with Kia (up to eight years).
It also comes with a seven-year capped-price servicing plan that costs approximately $3234 over the seven-year period.
Servicing intervals for the Cerato GT are every year or 10,000km, whichever comes first.
Kia has led the industry with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for a number of years, with only Mitsubishi’s conditional 10-year warranty beating it for now.
Roadside assistance is complimentary the first year, which extends a further seven years as long as you return to an authorised Kia dealer for servicing annually or as required.
Intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, while published basic capped-price servicing ranges from $283 to $606 depending on the interval. The total is $3127 over seven years, averaging $447 annually over that period at the time of publishing.