Full Australian specifications and pricing for the new 2018 Kia Cerato sedan have been detailed this week, the third-generation of the popular small car arrives with a redesigned body, greatly improved cabin and additional safety measures.
At launch, only the sedan is available in three trim levels, the S, Sport and Sport+. The best case scenario has the new hatch touching down late this year. Kia states supply of the existing hatch will tide them over until the fresh five-door arrives.
All variants are well stocked, the headline acts across the range include autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors along with a new 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment that’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
Before we get to carried away, the new Cerato is still a winner on the value scale. Kia is launching the new Cerato with sharp drive-away pricing starting with the base model S manual for $19,990 – the S automatic rises to $21,490.
Styling is inspired by the Stinger which is most noticeable from the front. The wheelbase of the new model is unchanged at 2700mm, however, the overall length has grown by 80 mm to 4640mm and the hight increases by 5mm to 1440mm. The new proportions give the Cerato a more desirable fastback silhouette.
The cabin is better in every conceivable way. The crisp design takes a contemporary minimalist approach that’s dominated by the floating 8.0-inch infotainment screen. Like all modern Kia models, there’s plenty quality materials and soft-touch surfaces.
For those who need to cart more than a smartphone, the boot has grown from 482L to 502L.
The Cerato S comes stocked with plenty of fruit including forward collision warning, lane keep assist, reversing camera with guidelines, tyre-pressure monitor, DAB+ digital radio and 16-inch steel wheels.
Cerato S buyers will have the choice of a manual or automatic transmission, each with six-speeds. Kia is tipping the manual will account for only five per cent of total sales.
Moving to the mid-spec Sport adds satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic and 10 years Mapcare, premium steering wheel and shift knob, aero blade wipers, an upgraded cloth-trim on the seats and 17-inch alloys.
The range-topping Sport+ brings some extra luxuries like LED daytime running lights, smart key and push-button start, leather seats, electric folding door mirrors with automatic folding function, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning and rear air vents.
Sport+ buyers also get Fusion II autonomous braking with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, and advanced smart cruise control.
All Cerato variants utilise the familiar 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that powered the outgoing car, it produces 112kW and 192Nm.
As a consequence of the larger proportion, the Cerato is slightly heavier meaning the official consumption figure on the combined cycle for the auto is now listed at 7.4L/100km (0.2L up on the old model).
As with all new Kia vehicles, the Cerato is backed with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped price servicing.
2018 Kia Cerato pricing (drive-away):
S manual - $19,990
S automatic - $21,490
Sport - $23,690
Sport+ - $26,190
Options
Safety Pack 1 (for S and Sport) - $1000
Fusion II AEB, smart cruise control (not available on S Manual), blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, folding mirrors and leather steering wheel.
Safety Pack 2 (for Sport+) - $500
Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.
Premium paint - $520
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