Kia’s Refreshed Cerato To Continue Sales Juggernaut

Kia, Kia, Kia! A Humble entry level car maker no more. With this Cerato, Kia’s run up the charts continues. Cerato comes in 4 models, from the bare bones S, through the Sport, to the unimaginatively named “Sport+”, that has a PLUS after it, so it must be better. The top of the tree is the GT, with red bits, so it goes faster.

What has the new Cerato got over the old model?

Kia rarely puts a foot wrong. Careful planning by COO, Damien Meredith, has sown the seeds of a bountiful harvest, despite entrenched Australian brands doing so poorly that they simply died out. Shhh, don’t mention Holden.

Here is Kia’s genius “tortoise and hare” strategy paying off. They started slowly, made decent quality products, added value with a 7 year warranty, and backed it all with sympathetic, compassionate after sales service. What does all this mean, you may well ask? Quite simply, they’re words almost never heard in the auto trade.

Enter Cerato. Kia keeps to strict 6-year life cycles. Cerato is half way through meaning it gets some tasty treats to tart it up a bit. Here’s the crack, it didn’t really need tarting up. Cerato is already their best seller. Covid strip-mined every industry on the planet, laying waste to schedules, planning, travel, and manufacturing. That means promises made may not be kept. Put a pin in the for later.

Above: This Week 2022 Kia Cerato (model refresh) Video Review

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel

Top GayCarBoys Stories:

ABOVE: 2022 Kia Cerato, Bendooley Estate, Berida Hotel, The Whisky Cowboy

Back to Cerato, and the updates.

Kia took their little darling, sat her down at the dressing table, and put on a spot of lippy and gave her some shiny new glasses. With the new grille and lights, came red highlights for the GT. The Kia blokes went round back, with their pencils and clip boards, and decided only the sedan needed fettling. A couple of new light clusters later, and Bob’s your uncle.

It would be churlish to venture further without mentioning her new brooch. In fact, all Kias are getting new jewellery. Kia decided the old badge was old Kia, and a new completely flat badge was new Kia. Apparently, it makes Kia younger and more vibrant, or some such codswallop. Let’s move on, before I get phone calls.

Basically, engines and transmissions were carried over, the inside is more or less the same, but Cerato looks a little prettier.

Then we come to ride and handling. Remember the pin from earlier?

Covid curtailed continental travel, inter or otherwise.

Therefore, Graham Gambold was able to do, bugger all. Normally, he would sit around a table at the pub with a couple of chaps flown in from Korea. They’d order a pint of best, and chow down on a ploughman’s, all the while discussing rebound rates and spring settings. Anyone sitting close by would think they’re planning Armageddon. In fact, this is where a sow’s ear turns in to a silk purse, with Graham at the sewing machine.

At the end of it, Australian Kias have a bespoke set of settings. If you don’t believe me, try driving a Korean or American Kia, then come back to me and tell me how rubbish it is.

The more pedestrian Ceratos kept last year’s settings, but the mighty GT is much sharper, and that’s all there is to it.

Is the Cerato Cabin up to snuff?

Despite being a trio of years old, the interior design still feels current, albeit on the old side of current. Kias without navigation now have wireless CarPlay, meaning Cerato only has it in the base model S. Why? Apple is a shit, that’s why. But that’s not all, if the CarPlay is wireless, it is only wireless. You can’t use it via USB. And what’s even more bonkers, Android Auto is both wireless and wired. That’ll feed the trolls on twitter.

The “S” sound system is more than adequate, and displays on an 8” screen. All other Ceratos have a 10.25” screen with navigation. That means, no wireless CarPlay because Apple demands their maps be the dominant maps. I mean, you just wouldn’t make this up, right?

The centre console cradles controls including the new electric park brake with auto-hold. It will turn the brakes on every time you stop at lights. So now, when fettling your phone, you won’t bang in to a Bugatti. Never fear, all the safety gear and driver aids, can be turned it off.

Space is great for 4, but the rear seaters are going to want to keep their feet out of the way of GT’s sliding seat.

The boot keeps enough space under the floor for a full-size wheel, but only a space saver is supplied from factory. You can spend more shekels if you want the big one, but not only does a space saver save space, but it also saves weight, which is kind to polar bears.

Before we head out on the road, I had to mention this: Cerato has a fully digital dash, but only if you live in Korea.

By now, I was too tired to argue.

There is a bunch of safety stuff too, and for a list of this and all other Cerato accoutrements,

DOWNLOAD A SPECIFICATIONS SHEET HERE >>>>>> New Cerato MY22_Specs<<<<<<

How does the New old Cerato drive?

Lower models have had no tuning love, so they are as per last year. That’s not a bad thing because they were absolute peaches. They keep the same settings for all the oily bits, with subtle nips and tucks elsewhere.

The GT is quite a different kettle of kimchi.

GT has had a gentle hand laid on its thigh. The 150kw 1.6 turbo keeps its 7-speed dual clutch automatic. It still drives the front wheels, but the ride will rattle fewer dentures loose. Steering feels lively, and the brakes are responsive. The seats are comfy, and they’re heated and cooled too. They’re covered in bits of dead cow, and the driver gets little buttons. It means it will slip back out of the way when he wants to get out. That’s dead posh, that’s what that is.

We set off on a cold winter’s day, with scarves at a jaunty angle, and heating set at a jaunty temp. With my bum toasty warm, and Garbage on sound system, I hurtled through the Southern Highlands at an Olympic pace. We took turns and twists, with long straight stretches of Australia’s best. Tarmac varied from billiard table, to Cher, pre-Sonny.

The punchy little power plants feel frisky, making Cerato GT seem far more expensive than it actually is. With 150kw, it is a warm hatch at best, but fun comes at all speeds. And, at 36 grand and some change, you can drive away cheaply, with a 7-year warranty.

In less time than it takes bang out a Bourguignon, I had arrived at my digs. I made the final turn in to the Berinda Hotel, a graceful residence that had once been home to a doctor. For some reason, it was important enough to be mentioned at reception.

Later that night, we were transported by Alibaba, to a barn on Bendooley estate. When I say Alibaba, I mean a bloke in a small bus, but the latter hardly befits the poshness of the evening. Nelly Robinson from nel. Restaurant had his wenches serve little bits of Tomato Marshmallow, and things on sticks with oil chasers.

Moving to the dining table, fish and cow were served, but only after being touched by the hand of god. Nelly knows a thing or two about searing and mixing, and what comes out, isn’t food, it is fine art.

After hearing all about how FAAAAABULOUS new Cerato is, and downing a chocolate and honey-comb pudding, we repaired back to the display space and its roaring fire. There, a cowboy poured his own brand of whiskey, and lit some cigars. Have you ever seen a tobacco leaf before it is rolled into a tube on a nubile thigh? Nor had I.

If it all sounds terribly theatrical, it was. But, it added a touch of magic to what is otherwise a humble family hatch. Then it struck me, that is exactly how buyers see it. They see Cerato as a magic carpet of pure liberation.

Conclusion:

Kia has done a brilliant job by not fixing what ain’t broke. Cerato still looks pretty, and has a 5 star ANCAP. Granted it is a 3-year-old ANCAP rating, but it is current and that’s all that counts.

I love Cerato. It is fun and unpretentious. It is full of stuff, good to drive, is reasonably priced, and has the longest warranty in the business. There are other 7- year warranties, but they come and go. Others have 10 years, the last 5 years are only valid if you continue to use their workshops. It’s as if the whole thing was made up by a drunk work experience boy.

Price (Drive Away)