Kia Cerato

Kia announced itself as a serious rival to the all-conquering Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 with its third generation Cerato sedan that arrived in April 2013.

Following Kia’s recent design language created by Peter Schreyer, the Cerato incorporated the familiar tiger-nose grille with a sleek and flowing design that looked modern and appealing next to a number of its competitors.

A number of new engines were offered including a 1.8 litre four-cylinder unit producing 110kW/178Nm and fuel consumption of 6.6 litres per 100km when matched with the six-speed manual or 7.1L/100km for the auto.

An equally stylish hatch bodystyle arrived in August 2013, maintaining identical specification levels – S, Si and SLi – and pricing to the sedan. At launch Kia said it expected the hatch to be the top selling variant.