Kia starts detailing updated Cerato range, no manual

BY CALLUM HUNTER | 17th May 2021

KIA Australia (KAU) has started detailing its updated Cerato range with the popular hatch/sedan set to enter local showrooms this week brandishing a new look, new logo, more standard gear and a bigger pricetag.

All Ceratos have been treated to a new front end and a renewed tail-light signature as part of the MY22 update with the GT naturally upping the aggression factor.

Now starting from $25,490 plus on-road costs, the base model S has risen in price by a not-insignificant $3300 – most of which can be attributed to the axing of the six-speed manual transmission – however Kia is offering a new driveaway price of $25,990.

When compared like-for-like against the outgoing S automatic, the (retail) price margin is a more manageable $1000 for which buyers are compensated with a heap of new toys and safety gear.

LED daytime running lights, a new 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, new 4.2-inch colour TFT display, rear air vents, lane following assist, autonomous emergency braking (car and pedestrian) and rear seat alert will all be included straight out of the box.

These features join the existing array of creature comforts including cruise control, manual seat controls for the driver, a six-speaker sound system, manual air conditioning, 16-inch steel wheels, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera with dynamic guidelines and lane keep assist.

For an extra $1000 customers can opt for the Safety Pack which adds a more advanced AEB system (car/pedestrian and cyclist detection), electronic parking brake, 15-inch rear disc brakes, smart cruise control, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, electric folding mirrors, a leather steering knob and leather steering wheel, essentially replacing the old Si variant.

Building on the standard spec of the S is the mid-range Sport which now checks in from $27,590 (+$3400) but like the base model, can no longer be had with a manual transmission.

Flaunting all of the same gear as the S and more, the Sport adds redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels, sport pattern cloth upholstery, premium steering wheel and gear knob, a bigger 10.25-inch infotainment system with 10 years of free MapCare, digital radio and illuminated vanity mirrors.

The Safety Pack can once again be had here for an extra $1000.

As before, the penultimate Cerato trim level is the Sport+ which takes a sizeable jump up in terms of standard kit compared to the grade below it, featuring all of the Sport and Safety Pack’s toys and then some.

Priced from $30,640 (+$600), the Sport+ comes as standard with leather upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic defogging system, blind collision avoidance assist and Aeroblade front wipers.

Sitting at the top of the Cerato range will be a facelifted version of the performance-themed GT however pricing and key specification details for the updated warm hatch (and sedan) are yet to be detailed with the first examples not expected to arrive until the middle of next month.

Power across the range comes from an unchanged array of engines with the S, Sport and Sport+ all still utilising the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol as before with the only change being the previously mentioned axing of a manual transmission.

As a result, power and torque are still pegged at 112kW and 192Nm respectively, whereas the GT continues on with the same turbocharged 1.6-litre four-banger developing 150kW/265Nm, all of which is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The outgoing version of the Cerato has comfortably been Kia’s best-selling model so far this year ending April with 5993 units shifted over the four-month period, earning the Korean brand a 17.5 per cent share of the packed sub-$40,000 small car segment behind the Toyota Corolla (9454/27.6%) and Hyundai i30 (8681/25.3%).

2021 Kia Cerato pricing