It's hardly surprising that Kia's latest Cerato sedan, introduced in 2009, has earned a pretty good reputation for itself. Decent looking, solid, well equipped and priced comfortably below the opposition, it's a car that makes a lot of sense and one that you're not really going to begrudge yourself for buying.
Now there's a hatchback version for those that don't quite consider themselves sedan people, but I can't help but feel that it's an opportunity missed.
Surely the hatchback sibling of a sedan is meant to impart a sportier, more youthful vibe, one that will elicit "I want it" reactions in a person's soul. But the Cerato Hatch's design just doesn't seem to do this. Sure, it's not ugly by any means but it it's just too generic for my liking, not sporty enough, and next to some of Kia's more modern offerings, such as the Rio and Sportage, it even appears a tad old-fashioned.
That same last-generation feel extends into the cabin, where it just looks a bit too drab overall - like not enough imagination's gone into the whole design. Besides that, though, it's really hard to fault, with decent material and build quality being the order of the day and as much luxury as you could expect for R185 995.
Besides the usual air conditioning and remote central locking, it also packs a six-speaker audio system (CD/Aux/USB/iPod), a leather-covered steering wheel with audio controls, electric windows and mirrors, trip computer and height-adjustable driver's seat. You'll need to upgrade to the two-litre, however, for leather trim, climate control and cruise control.
And where rivals offer hubcaps and bits of black trim on the outside, this entry-level Cerato packs standard 16" alloys as well as chrome door handles and a rear spoiler.
The Cerato's also surprisingly big inside. With rivals increasingly shrinking the amount of space in the back, the Cerato trumps most of them with plenty of stretching space. Even the boot is huge by class standards, with a total loading volume of 550 litres available. The seating, front and back, is comfortable too.
Same goes for the general driving experience. The Cerato has a refined feel, with not much noise or vibration, and the gearshift action is slick enough - if a little plasticy in feel.
I put our test unit through 1000km of highway driving and, while I was impressed with the cruising ability afforded by its sixth gear, needle hovering around the 3000rpm mark at 120km/h, the car did feel fairly sluggish up hills - even after the necessary gearing down. Overall, it doesn't feel quite as quick as its outputs suggest - these being 91.2kW at 6300rpm and 156Nm of torque at 4200rpm.
The suspension system, sporting a plain old-fashioned torsion beam at the back, does a good enough job of providing compliant ride quality and safe, stable handling and the steering feels both accurate and positive.
VERDICT:
Ultimately, the Cerato 1.6 Hatch, despite its attempts to present itself as a sportier alternative to the sedan, remains a car that you'll firmly choose with your head rather than your heart, and while the 1.6 EX does make good sense at the price, the better-equipped two-litre version is well worth the extra 20 grand in my book.
PRICE:
Kia Cerato 1.6 EX 5dr - R185 995
ALTERNATIVES:
Ford Focus 1.6 Ambiente 5dr - R208 400
Hyundai i30 1.6 GLS - R199 900
Mazda3 Sport 1.6 Original - R207 540
Peugeot 308 1.6 Access - R199 000
Renault Megane 1.6 Shake it! - R204 900
Toyota Auris 1.6 Xi - R207 500
VW Polo 1.6 Comfortline - R189 900