Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Cerato
What's the difference?

Mini 5D Hatch

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2020 price

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Kia Cerato

$14,984 - $31,990

2022 price

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Summary

2020 Mini 5D Hatch

2022 Kia Cerato

By Andrew Chesterton

By Tim Nicholson

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Turbo 4, 1.6L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

6.0L/100km (combined)

6.9L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Potent engine
Tons of grip
Funky cabin ambience

Peppy turbocharged engine
Modern simple multimedia system
Massive boot

Dislikes

Ride can be harsh
Jittery drive experience
Cabin tech overly user friendly

Harsh ride quality
Unrefined, noisy cabin
Ageing interior design

2020 Mini 5D Hatch Summary

That the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works is the most powerful Mini to have landed in Australia isn’t all that surprising. After all, parent company BMW has squeezed the thumping four-cylinder engine from the M135i under its bonnet, and that thing creates a snarling beast of any vehicle it finds a home in.

What is a surprise, though, is that having now driven this angry, crackling, snarling hot hatch, what with its burbling exhaust and properly rapid acceleration, is that it took Mini this long to get around to doing it.

So does the engine upgrade now put the Clubman JCW on the same pedestal as the best European hot hatches? There's only one way to find out.

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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

2020 Mini 5D Hatch 2022 Kia Cerato

Verdict

The Mini Clubman JCW is quirky in a lot of the right ways, and now has a hard-charging engine to up the adrenalin factor. If you were already sold on the idea of joining the Clubman club, this one will steal your heart more than any other.

Verdict

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.

Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Cerato What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Cerato
What's the difference?