Kia Cerato (2004 - to 2007)

Models Covered: (4dr saloon and 5 dr hatchback 1.6, 2.0 litre petrol, 1.5CRDi diesel [GS, LX, SE])

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Wind the clock back ten years and you would only ever buy a Korean car on the basis of price. These days things have moved on considerably and although manufacturers like Kia can still promise pricing that reads like a misprint, the hardware has narrowed the gap massively to the mainstream European brands. Take the Cerato for instance. Designed to offer a Focus-sized car for Fiesta money, this is a vehicle that was great value when new but never really caught the publics imagination in quite the way Kia expected.

Bad news for Kia, great news if youre a used car buyer with a keen nose for a bargain.

Build
Comfort
Depreciation
Economy
Equipment
Handling
Insurance
Performance
Styling
Value

Both four-door saloon and five-door hatches were offered to UK buyers although, given our predilection for things that flip up at the rear, its not surprising that the saloon proved to be nowhere near as popular as its hatch counterpart. Compared to the saloon model, the hatch is some 140mm shorter, much of this due to the fact that the rear overhang was cut from 965mm to a mere 825mm. The roof height is shared by both cars but the roof of the hatch is longer and also yields a little more in the way of rear seat headroom (up by 15mm). The added versatility of the five-door shape ensures that despite its more compact overall dimensions, it can carry 538 litres with the seats upright and 1,494 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

The back bench splits 60/40 for added practicality. The interior design isnt going to win any industry awards but its far removed from the sort of plastic dungeons weve come to expect from budget South East Asian cars. The dashboard is divided horizontally with the upper surfaces trimmed in a dark colour which then continues onto the door trims. Those familiar with the marque will appreciate quite what a landmark car the Cerato was, being the first Kia other than an MPV people carrier to be fitted with a diesel engine.

The provision of a diesel engine proved hugely important in a market where oil-burning technology was entering a boom period. The powerplant is badged 1.5-litre CRDi. Although many at first thought this would be the three-cylinder unit manufactured by Kias owners Hyundai, it is in fact quite a different price of engineering, with four cylinders and a good deal more power.

Generating a healthy 101bhp, this 16-valve unit can also muster over 215Nm of torque which means that youre rarely short of pull and frequent gearchanges become a thing of the past. A more powerful diesel was introduced in Spring 2006. Of course, there will always be customers who prefer a petrol engine and Kia have two on offer, 1.6 and 2.

0-litre units, both with a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. The 1.6-litre unit produces 103bhp at a fairly heady 5,800rpm and youll need to rev it to 4,500rpm to gain access to the full quota of 143Nm of torque. The emission figures for this engine arent the best in class with 165g/km of carbon dioxide emerging from a manual Cerato 1.

6 and 187g/km from the automatic version.

Prices start at around £5,200 for a 2004 54-plate 1.6LX hatch with around 12,000 miles on the clock. Upgrade to an equivalent GS and youll need to find another £800. The four-door LX models actually fetch a little more than the hatches.

The well equipped 2.0-litre SE saloon starts at around £7,400 for a 2004 car with around 10,000 miles on the clock, although prices can fluctuate depending on how the car was sourced from new. Shop carefully here and use every bargaining tool at your disposal. Insurance for the Cerato reflects the fact that it tends to be bought by more mature owners, the groupings ranging from 7 to 9.

Make sure the car is in perfect condition. Kia offered an extensive warranty package with this car from new and most models should have had a pretty easy time of it in their early years. Having said that, check for those parking knocks and scrapes that are easy to pick up in multi-storey car parks. The ventilation systems arent too great, so make sure that its working to its full capacity else demisting will be a chore in the morning.

Otherwise insist on a full service record and contact a few franchised dealers to try to find the best bargain available.

(approx based on a 2005 Cerato 1.6LX) The Cerato offers some very cost-effective parts prices in keeping with its budget nature. Some manufacturers offer a cheap upfront price and then claw a whole lot back with exorbitantly priced spares but Kia thankfully refrain. A new clutch assembly retails at around £180, while front brake pads are around £40, with rear brake shoes only a few pence more.

A new radiator is around £95 and an alternator an eminently reasonable £130.

The quickest Cerato on paper at least is the 2.0-litre petrol model. This unit saw continuously variable valve timing fitted for the first time to a Kia and it can muster a full 142bhp. With this sort of power on tap, the emissions figures of 180g/km for the manual and 195g/km for the automatic version can perhaps be excused but there will be many other cars that will probably work out more cost-effective over a three-year period.

The styling is tidy without being conspicuously sassy and was even engineered to handle competently. Its fully independent suspension system is a nicety denied the MkV Vauxhall Astra and the 2006 Honda Civic and both the front and rear suspension units are fitted with nitrogen filled Sachs gas shock absorbers. The power-assisted steering feels fairly direct at just 2.8 turns lock to lock and while the standard 60-series tyres take some of the edge off the sharpness of turn-in, Kia offer 16-inch alloys fitted with lower profile tyres if you hanker after a more entertaining steer.

Safety is well taken care of. The all-disc braking system is bolstered by the addition of four-channel anti-lock brakes as standard. This system also incorporates the added safety net of Brake Assist which helps drivers brake harder and faster in the event of an emergency. If you need to accelerate out of danger rapidly, a traction control system is also offered on some models.

Multi stage airbags are installed as standard up front and side airbags for the front seats and full length curtain bags were also available as an option. The drivers seats could also be ordered with an active headrest that protects from whiplash injuries.

It would be disingenuous to suggest that the Cerato was in any way groundbreaking, exciting or even competitive with the best of the mainstream European cars in terms of engineering, but it does come a lot closer than most would give it credit for. Well-equipped, reliable and with a decent dealer network to back it up, a used Cerato may be the very epitome of sensible shoes motoring but for those who dont feel the need to prove themselves through their choice of car, its a very shrewd choice.