2013 Kia Cerato S

By: Alex Forrest

In Western Australia, sales of small cars are going against the tide.

Overall, new car sales in WA are in decline, but sales of small cars and mid-sized SUVs continue to increase, albeit at a slower rate than they have previously.

Competition in this part of the market is brutal, and right at its entry point is Kia’s small car, the Cerato. With this car, its abundantly clear Kia is serious about pinching sales from competitors.

Firstly, Kia gave the entry level Cerato S good basic safety kit, such as six airbags and advanced seat belt reminders, which help it achieves a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Cerato comes in four model grades, comprising the S, S Premium, Si and the SLi. It’s only available with a 2.0-litre petrol, which makes 112kW and 192Nm.

A rear camera in the base model will require an extra $500 for an option pack, which adds a seven-inch touch screen, dusk-sensing headlights and an Android Auto connection. Apple Carplay^® is also available.

The Cerato S with this option pack is the real value king here. Blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert comes with the Si model. The SLi adds daytime running lights and lane departure warning. It also gets forward collision warning, which means it’ll beep and flash lights, but it won’t actually brake for you.

Next, although the previous model already had locally tuned suspension, it went in for some more revisions, with tweaks to the front springs and damper valving and the electric power steering has been upgraded.

Kia also gave it a very sharp price ($19,990 at launch, including auto), and applied the brand’s unique seven-year warranty. We still believe there is no better indicator of a brand’s confidence in its product than a lengthy warranty period.

The upgraded interior does make it more refined than you’d expect for an entry level small car and the changes are definitely noticeable.

The Cerato is a good example of what happens when a carmaker enters a super competitive market with ambitions to take a bigger slice of it: the consumer wins.