The well-loved Forte is the car the new Kia Cerato is here to replace. That little Naza-badged car really did demonstrate the strict rules by which C-segment sedan sales work. Sticking a realistic price tag on the windscreen and standing back to watch the queue form isn’t nearly enough. Just look at the Chevrolet Cruze‘s dismal sales record. Or even the Ford Focus to a certain extent.
Not here in exec land, and especially not in the class-conscious Malaysian market. To be noticed, the well-engineered and visually inoffensive Forte had to be priced down to the point where it rivalled cars a whole class lower, and it also had to be full of toys to boot. It was a successful formula, as of the non-Toyota or Honda brigade, it was the only model that managed to move anything approaching respectable numbers.
The Cerato builds on that same fill-er-up-full mantra, but lives without the key edge that its predecessor enjoyed: a significant price advantage over its class rivals. Now positioned much closer to similar-sized alternatives, the Kia Cerato will now have to bank on its good looks, long list of gadgets and, this is the hard sell, improved brand image to succeed.
Is the Kia badge now desirable enough to command little to no price leverage over the long-established brands? That’s totally up to you to decide. What we can definitively tell you, though, is whether or not the new model is worth your hard earned cash. Read on for our verdict on the Kia Cerato as evaluated on Malaysian roads.
Every car has a strong point, and the new Kia Cerato is big on style. In profile, it looks like a longer, more cultured Honda Civic, fresh from a European reboot, and no longer thinking that a pie and a pint is the ultimate in fine dining.
Kia has styled a car to regain its presence in the mid-size sedan market. In the flesh, you get glimpses of that low, sleek roofline and it all makes the new sedan seem alive with dynamism. It has mostly the right angles, from the lowered stance and wider tracks, and even the extended overhangs look good.
The new design has plenty of moments, perhaps more so if you’re approaching from the side or rear. Kia has gone for a European look, and the Cerato could just about pass as a Teuton. The way the roof arches into the C-pillars and the rear lights cut into the flank is pure Ford Focus.
But the years when you can pin point a Korean car’s design influences from contemporary vehicles and laugh at the way clashing elements are forced to work together are long gone. As the Kia Cerato looks distinctive and original wherever you’re looking, and the impression stays together when you move in close.
The chroming is subtle, the panel gaps tight and consistent and the paint deep, crisp and even. It’s tasteful, restrained and completely unmindful of how other players decide to style their vehicles. Kia has now grown a look of its own; one that is to be seen with respect and even admiration.
But moving around the front, the criticism gets considerably hotter. The Cerato suffers from that bane of modern car design: the corporate front end. Presumably to make Kia Picanto and Rio owners feel better by association with something so sleek and prosperous.
As fresh as it is, though, the details don’t really matter. Passers-by during the pre-launch press drive to Kuantan loved it from every direction, regardless of the small fashion faux pas around the fussily styled headlights and grille. And in driving around you’ll spend far longer looking at the interior. This is recommended, because the Cerato’s cabin is a pretty impressive place.
Firstly, there’s a palpable air of quality – not something you’d associate with Kias of old, or indeed pretty recent. Apart from the slightly hollow top of the dashboard, the feel and fit of the plastics could pass for a semi-premium German (that’s Volkswagen, not Audi), lifting it beyond the Japanese bunch and the Hyundai Elantra, which is decidedly still very Korean.
Okay, the carbonfibre-effect used on the centre console is rather outré but quite a few bystanders rather like the finish. Maybe it speaks to its target market well, so you, not us, will be the judge of that. Easily said, over a good 800 km of frequent rough roads, nothing creaked, squeaked or came asunder.
It’s the ergonomics that impress. Important switches are in rational, expected places. Indeed, many buttons on the steering wheel allow most everyday driving things to be done with hands on the wheel, and the touchscreen controls are all well labelled and parked in obvious places.
On our busy roads, that reduces the likelihood that you’ll still be fiddling with the radio controls or adjusting the ventilation switches when slow traffic pull across the road or a three-abreast overtaking battle approaches from around a corner.
Then there are two display screens (both coloured in the 2.0), offering a selection of warnings and chirpy advise, but more often than not one is telling you what the stereo is doing while the other keeps you informed of trip and efficiency details. Again the controls are logical rather than extravagantly complicated as others tend to be (Ford, we’re looking right at you).
If this is making the car sound a bit semi-detached, let us state that it isn’t. Despite its bulk, the electronics and sheer quantity of kit being lugged around, the Cerato does a good, if digitally synthesised, impression of enthusiasm.
The engine is responsible for most of it. The lesser version makes do with a lightly updated 1.6 litre engine (now with dual-CVVT for an improved 130 PS and 157 Nm of torque), but at the top of the range, a new Nu 2.0 provides motivation. It has already seen duty in the Optima K5 and facelifted Hyundai Sonata, and here it gets 161 PS and 194 Nm of twist.
On a light throttle and low revs, it’s all executive waft, most of the torque available from 2000 rpm onwards. But when called upon to extend itself, the 2.0 litre motor does so enthusiastically with a pleasantly hard-edged note filling the cabin. And importantly, it stays sweet to the red line.
Acceleration is certainly impressive, even in the test cars that were barely run in. For highway cruises the larger engine is definitely the one to go for, as it offers effortless acceleration and less engine drone (with longer gear ratios to assist). Ask more of it and it always delivers, be it uphill action or traffic-gap filling.
That’s not to say that the cheaper model is underpowered, because it isn’t. Less powerful would be the obvious and accurate descriptor, but there’s enough for everyone, really. The older engine does show its age next to the brand new mill, shouting louder over prolonged throttle-heavy instances, and with slower response too. But lose out to rival engines it does not, both in refinement and performance.
Either engine are good at the pumps; the lesser option averaging 6.8 litres per 100 km on a combined cycle, and the 2.0 needing just 0.2 litre more over the same range. Test results weren’t anywhere near those claimed figures of course, but taking into account the way the cars were driven (hard, most of the time), you’ll be looking at more than respectable mileage in the real world.
The suspension retains the Forte’s tried and tested MacPherson strut front and torsion-beam rear set-up, although the settings have been tweaked and polished. The car has wider tracks on both axles, and the wheelbase has been increased too. The set up heavily sides straight-line comfort over cornering ability, and the car is better off for it.
Let’s be honest here: you’re not going to buy a Kia Cerato for sports car handling. Or, if you were, don’t. This is still a comfort-biased front-driver with considerable weight in the bows. At low speeds, excessive cornering demands result in understeer, although the standard ESC stability control system will attempt to tame it by throttling back the engine and doing some autonomous wheel braking.
At higher speeds it feels solid and certain (provided you’re not being silly), staying flat-ish and mostly neutral on the quick stuff. Just don’t expect sensory overload in terms of feedback, as the variable-load electric power steering is predictably over-assisted.
The Flex Steer system offers three modes: comfort that is finger steering good, normal and sport. The last two feel most natural, but as neither adds any real feel to the wheel, you’re more likely to stick to one mode and forget the rest just a few days into your ownership. A novel, but ultimately useless addition, really.
As you’d expect, comfort comes before sporting intent, with a well-smoothed ride largely unbumping any given section of road. At higher speeds the Cerato feels remarkably stable, with the mass taming of high-frequency undulations and the dampers stepping in to stop the harmonics. It’s far better tuned than the mechanically-related Hyundai Elantra, for instance.
The decision to go for touring (if not exactly grippy) tyres also pays off with the velveteen ride quality. Only at really high speeds does the impression of stability diminish, with an exploratory (downhill) run to 230 km/h discontinued with the onset of what felt like rear-end lift. As a 130-140 km/h cruiser, the tall gearing and impressive refinement make the Cerato exceptionally civilised.
Right, we’ve been leaving the best until last: the toys. The Kia Cerato bulges with an incredible amount of equipment. The secret is multiplexing, as both the models are absolutely loaded. As in stuffed.
There’s the class-unusual standard kit: cruise control, dual zone climate control with cluster ioniser and auto defog systems, powered memory seats, projector headlamps with DRLs, LED rear combination lights, aero blade wipers, puddle lamps and pocket lights (both part of the smart welcome lighting system linked to the keyless entry/start feature).
Also included are aluminium foot pedals, leather wrapped multi-function steering wheel, chilled glovebox, Bluetooth connectivity, 800 MB on-board jukebox, folding rear seats with centre armrest (and cupholders), all-around three-point seat belts plus that all important rear air-con vents.
Next, the common-sense safety features: front airbags, sidebags, curtains (six in total), rear-view camera, ISOFIX anchor points, electronic stability control, traction control, steering-assist vehicle stability management, brake assist and hill-start assist.
The dearer 2.0 litre adds leather upholstery with ventilated (air-conditioned) driver’s seat, auto-levelling xenon headlamps, rear lip spoiler, colour 4.2-inch supervision cluster and sunroof, not to mention the 2.0 badging and extra performance that comes with it.
Kia well recognises that the Cerato is going to fight on value for money and goodies. And there’s a clear target in the Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda Civic, which the 2.0 model closely matches on price. Equipment levels beat the alternatives comprehensively.
On first acquaintance, it does feel like the new Kia Cerato has the measure of all its dated competitors too (yes, the Honda is still new, but it hardly feels it). Driving dynamics isn’t quite its forte (pardon the pun), but neither is it any of its rivals’ bar the keen handling Ford Focus. On the comfort front, the Cerato has them all licked.
Objectively then, it’s a winner, and now it all comes down to the price and brand acceptance. So over to you: do you see the Kia Cerato as a viable alternative to the usual suspects? You really should, but we’ll leave you to make the final decision.
For more on the Kia Cerato, read Jonathan’s test drive report from Dubai as well as our comprehensive launch report. Or if you prefer pictures to do the talking, check out the large gallery below or another set of images from the showroom here.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Kia and cousin Hyundai certainly improved a lot. Having said that, there’s no logic behind massive price increase around RM15K from Forte since Cerato is the latter latest incarnation.
In my opinion, RM100K is Cerato with 1.7l diesel or Kia Ce’ed variant.
Naza should named it Kia Seratus K.
Dont know about you, but I think this article is hard to read.
Trying too hard to emulate Anthony Bourdain.
should keep it short n simple.
Tested. The driving experience is not as good as it’s looks. A big NO!!!!!
Agree with you. I can’t finish the whole review.
I thought it’s just me who find the article hard to digest.
i just browse down until i see the words i want to know and skipped all the others
Not trying to bash or what, but I find it hard to understand Paultan’s car review article, kinda like around the bush but never straight to a point.
Yes is not easy to read especially for a local, prefer straight and technical English rather than a Love Story…
When comparing with other makers and model, some data comparison could be good.
Ya man, the price is damn disappointing.
Worse news, it rides on torsion beam at rear :-(
ABTguy, even last time forte n elentra and most C-segment car r torsion beam except lancer, civic n focus. some more this car is for comfort ride n handling.
but i a bit disappointed with d plastic door panel which i feel forte had done a better job on that.
apart of this, d car is overall value for money especially all d goodies inside.
why with tb suspension? even multi link with k5 doesnt give sharp handling.it’s all about tuning. nothing bad with megane tb suspension.
Civic fd has double wishbone suspension, can tapau ferrari anytime anyday, lol
*Sarcasm*
My 1996 Honda Civic SO4 (bug-eye) has independant double wishbone suspension on all 4 corners!! The last of the Honda Civics to feature that!! No, its not for sale, not yet!
perfect car in C segment category if Kia improve
1-ride and handling (good to drive)
2-suspension setup. better use multilink rather toup unnecessary gadget
is the result of suspension what matter most
It matters when you carrying passengers. The ride is quite harsh and this make the Cerato still behind of its rival in term of comfy, ride and handling.
yup..went to kia store yard on monday before they launched it, been in the driver seat, try the mdps normal,comfort, sport, feel the dashboard and everything, feel the seat move when stop the engine and open the door, and when i step outside the car i’ve already made a decision which is civic 1.8.
cerato is too korean + really amaze by the spec before, i’m one of the cerato follower,been watching on youtube almost 1 year, and i have to say the gadget already feel boring once you taste it. + the price kinda letdown for me…sorry kia.
As tested, the car suits for average people and
for family people,
comfort all the way, but not gonna suit young people for this kind of car as its not fun to drive..
The steering feels unnatural.
Can fight the Japs if this car reliable.
Nothing wrong about the price, u see this car came with sunroof, led lights, leather and great exterior… u can found these in the Civic or Altis? let see the upcoming Mazda 3 and Altis but Civic is the uglist one!
Nothing wrong with the price, u see this car came with sunroof, led lights, leather and great exterior… u can found these in the Civic or Altis? let see the upcoming Mazda 3 and Altis but Civic is the uglist one!
Their RV has improved in the opposite direction. Good for me
Interior still wtf. But the most annoying thing is the price. Although it really has impressive equipments but at the end of the day, everyone looks at the price. Top a 10k grand and you’re into the Ford conti range, which looks and drives better than this. Naza is too ambitious.
totally agree with u. better choose Ford Focus, better equip and ride and handling.
NAZA banyak tamak
in the category of poor resale value, bad SC, pricy spare part, not reliable engine + gearbox, yess the focus better than cerato
Sejak bile their engine + gearbox unreliable? The Powershift in the new Focus is definitely miles ahead of DSG in terms of reliability. Dah baca banyak forum dan facebook komen, tambah pula komen dari kawan yang bawak Focus, takde pun kete mati tengah jalan macam VW. Grinding noise dan juddering pun kat low speed je but reduces as the car reaches 3000KM mileage. Ford pun proactive bagi banyak software update untuk gearbox bagi meningkatkan prestasi Powershift.
DSG normal rattling gitu ,
Ford skrng pegang world best engine
Enjin terbaik DUNIA tuu ..
Jauh lagi nk compare dgn KIA ni ,
especially technical specs
If rosak then you vomit blood to replace
come on OMG. any car when rosak engine or transmission, you’ll also vomit blood lah.
i’ll also pick a focus anytime than this cerut.
ford anytime
CKD…overpriced….direct injection…poor after sales services/market….all the best AP King..puff some more Dunhill Cigarettes to ease your frustrations on your downwards poor sales after three month ahead..
heard 1k booking already recieved.
Good job naza kia
We all know that you must have heard it from the salesman. We all learn from experience that salesmen are not to be trusted.
1,000 fools book it ady. That’s 1000 fools in Malaysia.
with RM118K for 2.0, I can get a jap car such as the Mazda 3 2.0 and about RM10K for Ford Focus, Altis 2.0 and Civic 2.0.
http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20130702165554/Article/
772 bookings 2 days ago.. yup.. probably reached 1k already by now
1000 sorhais will be shown the Hilux a year from now, losing 50% of purchase price.
Please keep up the sales momentum
Thanks to the 1k idiot the Japanese will price their car even higher n says if the korea can sell for 120k and there’s people buying. We should sell at 140k.
The japs will have to match the kit too. If they just continue to overprice with low specs, there will be even more people that flock to other brands.
If you compare specs with the newly launched CRV 2.4 versus the new Santa Fe, you should note that the japs are not the ones who are stupid enough to price themselves out of the market.
If only they could stick to the proce tag as Forte, this car would have sell like hotcakes …
even forte is not a familiar sight on the road. the 4 speed early version maybe yes, but naza sure found forte as a failed formula for malaysia.
hence, increase spec and change the name. forte will no longer be used. just like spectra5.
or proton’s tiara/savvy/juara.
Forte is not a familiar sight? maybe yes for 4 speeder version? alldisc, which part of Malaysia are you from? Naza found forte as a failed formula? thatz a bad joke
You should pay more attention when on the road. I’m sure that you’ll notice that there’s always an all white Kia Forte SX with ori bodykit around you. Cheers!
You asking “Is the Kia badge now desirable enough to command little to no price leverage over the long-established brands?”
MY answer is no… not just yet. Maybe another 10 years of good sale of KIA’s vehicles
I guess the writer tried very hard to diplomacy to local Kia distributor (or even Hyundai and Malaysianized brand iNoKom with ugly yet vulgar “i” emblem).
Dear Kia (and Hyundai):
Korean need another 10 years (unless they bring their potent diesel and satisfactory aftersales experience on par with Toyota or Honda or at least Nissan level on top of decent residual value of Korean marques.
I rather prefer new latest New Corolla Altis.
Datt ASSSS!! Datt numberplate!!!
Yeahh! we want value for money car rather than low tech 4 speed kosong japs
I don’t get my car breaking down after 35,000KM.
I don’t get internal malfunctions after 1 year of owning the car.
I don’t get a dated engine.
Dont you see…all the extra stuff like ventilated seats etc. are gimmicks to lure customers. They can’t challenge T & H at their own game. They have to bring it somewhere else.
Can you prove a KIA will breakdown after 35k?
can you prove a KIA will have internal malfunctioning after 1 year?
Are you NOOB? YOUR vios 3 generations same engine.
Korean car also use sane engine but updated.
Japs also,
Then how come every new car got better power,efficiency and else …
4speed japs=more reliable,efficient,less complicated.
sometimes, need old skool tech and simpler is better.
Bro ‘you noob’ , u not the engineer …
so lets go to the KIA service centre n looks for the proof yourself.
alots with angry customer too ..
assume.. assume.. and lastly pwned urself
Actually Japs no more 4 speed in their new line up, only Thai, and used name of Japs.
Vios is a Thai car, Our Camry is also engineered by Thai. People still thought our Toyota here is Japanese. Only Japs Toyota here is Prius, Prius C and GT86. No more, rest is Thai or probably Indo.
vios is a japanese car la. not south east asian only.
the current on is known as Belta. its successor traced back to the old days of Soluna and Tercel, and if not mistaken in some markets – Corolla II.
toyota’s formula has shown many manufacturers that the only way to achieve excellent consumption and carbon footprint is by using simple and light cars. nissan followed with almera, mazda with the 2 (also a concept of sky active) and mitsubishi colt
if you look in the US market, some of the cars still has 4 speed auto box.
btl tu….sokokng…wlupun kia x sehebat toyota honda mitsubishi…tp dia dh buktikan pd dunia KIA boleh…skrg tmpt ke lima…x lama lagi mgkin tmpt keempat dunia…jepun dh risau kebangkitan korea
wowww.. u should write novel bro.. i like your writing.. instead of reading just fact.. your writing got emotion.. i can actually feel like being in the car myself haha! but i bet some people wont like it..
Compare to previous Forte, this cerato having improvements but not tally with the price tag.
People in bolehland may not compare this car price with Civic, Altis, M3 and etc but tend to compare it with previous Forte we have here..
Yep, many have been spoiled by the Forte’s pricing and so they all see the new Cerato’s price as being too overpriced.
As a smart buyer, they should compare the price with the current competitors. Pricing vs specs and see what the other makes can offer at similar price.
Or they can find a used Forte for cheaper price, or ask the salesmen for clearance stock Fortes.
Many of us are living in the past. Btw, Cerato’s dashboard design is not to my liking.
The interior already looks bad enough and I can’t believe they actually put this carbon fibre effect on the dashboard that’s so Ah Beng.
nice stop gap if you can’t wait for mazda3, if you can wait for mazda 3 IMO
Is that the new number plate in Malaysia?
It’s still a great car and I still see the price acceptable. Look at it this way, it’s sister the Elantra is priced almost the same and has less feature and a lesser engine. So honestly to my perception, the Koreans are going upmarket, the K and leaning H badge commands enough pedigree to compete with T and H, so why would’t the price go higher, it may be RM20k more, but I think we are getting a RM20k better car.
The Elantra is an overpriced CKD car with 2-airbags. The rear lamps also kerje separuh jalan by Inokom. Go to lowyat forum to read what most owners did to fix this kerje separuh jalan.
Naza should not be following SD’s poor strategy and execution of the Hyundai brand. With this poor execution and strategy by SD, a lot of people have been leaving the Hyundai brand.
Dont understand the logic, people say just add around 10k and you can get a jap car.. yes but what features you will get? Kia Cerato has almost every feature you will need in a car..
yes sir, on top of that.. it still cheaper than kosong japs car? (in b4 RV value is low)
Wait until new m3 and Altis comes in. Kosong spec with selling price starting from 120k.all complaint again.
Heck I already heard salesman talking about the new vios going to sell at 100k. Can u Imagine?
And will get 3000 booking in 1 days. C’mon! Please do a little bit research before you buy a car ok. I rather buy a 1st gen Vios with 2x lower price and shared everything same. Pay 100K for an empty Thai car, seriously something wrong.
The logic is easy, Japanese cars have better performance, handling and their engineering under the good is way better. Plus, you get a better resale value. C-segment Japanese cars like the Altis, Civic or Mazda 3 may lose in terms of all those little techy features here and there and their styling is also not that appealing as Korean cars, but what you get in return is a great engine, superior fuel efficiency and a reliable brand. And Japanese rides age well.
although im not anti korean nor anti jap..i find ur comment quite amusing..u seems like dont know what you are talking
It is brand perception. Brand perception affect resale value. Kia and Hyundai is well known brand of having very poor resale value. If the gap with Honda, Toyota, Nissan is small, people would go for Jap’s brand as it have much better resale value and easier to sell. Unless you are planning to use this car for 15 years than you can go ahead purchase this car
Not sure if the car can last 15 years though..
The brand and price perception is still very critical in Malaysia.
Naza opted for the price to be at par with T&H and loaded Cerato with toys.
Wondering if it’s better to take off the load, and price it cheaper…
While the fit and finish seem good, I still find the interior, especially the steering and dashboard dull and boring. I expected it will be leaps and bounds over the Forte.. They can do it better like K5 and Rio, but why not this?
I still prefer new Hyundai Elantra’s front look than Kia Cerato’s. The latter looks too plain.
ohhhhhh~ Look… What does Smithers know about cars? All you know is Mr. Burns~ hahaha…
ok ok… seriously, Elantra’s front is very sexy indeed. Much more appealing than this. :)
As much as I would like to replace my current ride, I will still stick to the wait n see approach. I’ll look for the upcoming M3 and Altis before making any decision to buy a car. The price of this cerato is well being in the range of those cars so it’ll be worth waiting. I can still wait 1-2 years without buying a new car but I think those car companies cannot wait 1-2 years without a sale. Haha
after the new mazda 3 and altis out.. then new gen civic will be out in another 1 year.. then you wait again.. then the list keep go .. on and on
New Altis announced, new engine, 6 speed gearbox, 6 airbags and score 5 star in NCAP…etc.
Arrive in Malaysia and assembled in Thai, carry over engine and gearbox, 2 airbags because you poor you die, charged 130K for the same thing but added Thai designed TRD Sportivo kit.
Since this Cerato is fully equipped with good accessories & features which is a plus when selling this car, it is no doubt it would attract buyers. And yes, some of you might say that those things made this car a bit pricey.
But the thing is, the RV of this car is quite poor and IF and i mean it IF our government should reduce excise duties in the next few months or 1-2 years, it would be a bad move for Naza Kia to sell this car with its price range. And it would be a bad move for people who already booked and have intentions to buy this car. Just imagine you pay 10% as downpayment and you have to commit RM1000++ a month for 9 years for this car. Do you think it’s worth it to pay 1k a month for a Kia?
Well, it’s really up to you guys. It’s a big NO for me.
Kia Ceratong somehow has shown his tiger move but how malaysian accept the judgement of pricing and realibilty of this car is still in long way to go…Price wise way to high even additional premium feel packages is okay but still feel cheap compare to Protong….But recently move by our car industry offering various model is similar choice has given variety to consumer to choice the best…anyhow well done Caretong….still u cant win yet malaysian heart bcz ur brother forte has the impress factor not you…
The quality of Kia assemble in Malaysia is very poor. Two of my friends who owned K5 suffer from leaked sun roof. When it rains, water dripping from the roof… haiya. Need umbrella in a car laa. I suspect the quality of this car will also be sub-standard. Better don’t call this car Kia Cerato, call it Kia Corot-too (corot means last)
my owned a k5 and i’m totally and ultimately satisfy with it.. by the way, k5 is a CBU car.. 100% imported.. at least, please check your fact right.. booo T&H salesman!
i tot K5 is CBU unit?
K5 is not assembled in Malaysia, its a CBU Korea.
Can you name me who is your 2 friend? So far, in all Naza SC records, no K5 come in for sun-roof leaking problems, only reports to replace the rubber lining which is too soft for M’sia weather.However, the rubber lining problem does not cause any leaking problems.I am an owner of K5 and we know the truth. Dont simply create rumors like this.You must be a jealous Saga/Vios/City owner who cant afford a K5….idiot.
Even my BMW rubber worn-off within a moth…cheap quality produce by local company to save cost….compare to K5 its comparable
clearly u r T or H salesman…hahaha…go back to school..
haha epic FAIL by T&H salesman.. eat maggi now so have to spread bad rumors about korean cars
I always encourage sorhais to buy kimchi’s brand new.
Love it when they trade it in 1 year on. All I see is profit
not sure about the quality but the CKD for picanto is a crap. all reporting problem, which is true. but the one which is true….the sales/service is rubbish. no one called me back to claim the warranty for my car switch….now over 6 yrs. cant fix a problem which is known even in forums. getting parts are a disaster, 2 months waited for some parts from Korea. best of all, the operator at naza hq said u are calculative because the mileage shows it was used for 400km….i was noob at that time believing they are ‘testing’ it. peugeot is the same……no more naza cars for me no matter how good the things are bcos they are run by unprofessional professionals.
One way to look how good the Kia brand is to look at the resale value of its used cars. Are used fortes holing its price well? If it is then, this is a smart purchase over Honda/Toyota with little accessories.
Most Malaysian still think of RV of a car before buying one. It’s understandable because of our low income and purchasing power. Except for a few models, even a Toyota or Honda would end up losing a big chunk of the purchase price. Recently, a friend of mine wanted to sell his 5 year-old 1.8G Altis Sporty which he bought for roughly 120K. We went to a few car dealers and they offered him between 50 -65 k. I could still get 50 – 55 k for my 3 and a half year Forte 1.6 sx from the same dealers. So you see, the RV of Korean cars must be on the rise, noted that my friend’s Altis has just done 55k km while my Forte is nearing 100k km.
Please understand the economic of used cars…when the demand that particular used car is RV high but its falls down if supply is more than demand….Other factor in consideration maintenance cost, reliability and same facelift model change and model generation change…that why resale of honda and toyota still high due to low supply but high demand and somemore honda take every 5 years to change generation but our protong and perduang almost in years there is change of model and facelift…that why this car rv very very low expect Kanciling /Vivang
It is a good car. Even for that price.
The problem is the spare parts and after sales service. Naza kills on the sapre parts. That is where users are not happy.
Very good writeup. Non biased and brand neutral. Totally agree with comments on focus and civic, for good or bad.
Agree that kia is too ambitious this time. Should have sold lower price than japs. Perception hard to change on Malaysia and ppl here like to stick with brands they used to trust(notice the past tense) . This is not US.
got to see the real car first…=)
kia may won on gadgetry but they still lost in ownership cost like spare parts,FC to their japanese rival..gadget alone wont sell
If I want a car to drive, not to play with gadget.
FC..really?…FC…current gen of Kia or Hyundai have really good FC and among the best in its class…u can simply google this…its not the best but its up there among them…i think rite now the only one who clearly ahead in FC is VW with that blue motion tech..or that 1 litre ford ecoboost which is not available here yet…for regular driver like most of us…korean car can do just fine…just test drive one and u ll see
currently this car is a winner (for a few months) before mazda3 arrives.
The only thing that flawed to me on this car is the center dashboard ! somehow it doesn’t blend in with the entire of the car !
Apparently, the designer claim the dashboard is inspired by clam design and thus, you can see the design flow on the dashboard and the inner door trim.
Although from the pic it looks funny, but do spend some time in it, and you will start to appreciate the design softness which blend with the shape of the car.
nampak menarik
brand acceptance still dictate buyers to buy Korean cars…
anyway, this car is competitively good at all angles… again, a potential kia’s best seller…
honestly from my POV, i need to test drive it first to give a fair comment. However I do feel that the car is a bit overpriced considering that it is still a korean, and I know Korean cars always show better no n stats, but in real life it didn’t perform as it claimed. I hope this one won’t disappoint me
why this one look so elantra lah…? the forte gives me great interest due to its look, price then gadgetary kits(what the heck…no seat belt also i will buy that one). but this Kia seratus-K (thanks, Karl!) car suddenly turn to become elantra face and…alamak…turn down lah…so the very very turning down. if this one is a hyundai then its different story.
Pricing? Yes, NAZA purposely price it at premium…so that prestige will come. Only peoples with money will buy this car. Like what has been done by mercedes and bmw.
I dont know but i got a sneaky feeling that every freaking review in Paultan is sponsored by the respective car manufacturer.
So Paultan is obligated to heap praises on the car.I read ur review when the old forte 1.6 was launched and found out that it was nothing like what u described.
So i reckon, if I go to test drive this Cerato 2.0, i will be truly disappointed. U said it will cruise without any problems at 130-140kmh.. Hello! Jap cars can cruise at 200kmh oso no problem especially civic 2.0.
So cruising at 130-140kmh is nothing new! Heck even my wifeys Polo TSI cruises at 180kmh without much problem!
And to add to the fact this cerato is labelled as a “C” segment car, it should be able to perform much better!
As far as I know, korean cars are only good at low speeds( below 110kmh). Anything above that, and the car will be all over the place like the latest hyundai Elantra 1.8 i had for a week.
Civic 2.0 at 200kmh is not cruising k. Cruising means your engine rpm is low, car is stable, not much noise and etc. Save yourself from the test drive, you can’t even hold a neutral judgement.
Another retard here. Hello friend, cruising speed is subjective . If a kancil was doing 200kmh, its called speeding!
If a BMW m5 is doing 200kmh, its called crusing! If its a civic at 200kmh, its called cruising! Why? Cause the engine is capable of reaching much higher speeds and still stay stable .
So to say a cerato cruises at 130-140kmh just shows how lousy this cerato is..
Moron, any car driving at 200KMPH is considered speeding.
200kmh cruising? lol. planet mane die ni.
planet of the Ap…
Bullshit civic 2.0 cruising at 200, I sold my brand new civic only 3 months after I bought it.
Moron car is what I called it. Wobbly at 180km/h on a dry and straight patch on NSH it gave me the scares. Worse still alternator failed only after 1 month, then the keyless operation failed, and u know what, the bullshit service men tells me sometimes it is like that….to hell with that. Enough is enough NO more Local or Thai made Japan cars for me, utterly unreliable.
Maybe I should take a look at this Kia.
You’ve encountered failure of electronics. But actually Korean electronics is trusty? Based on my personal experience, all my Korean electronics and cars failed after few years.
The experience I had with my kimchi is that the plastic parts in the engine compartment starts to become brital after 2 years.
Send back factory and the standard answer is, the plastic can be removed. Used for cold weather only. Retards
wow 200kmph is crusing meh…hahaha
lol..come on la dey..u wanna act smart also dont write stupid comment to make urself look idioitic la..LOL…m5 200km/h is crusing?..so veyron 400km/h is called cruising?..HAHAHHAHA…
Kau ni bodohla..
So i tapau new civic at 215kph at lekas hiway..it means that the civic was crusing la ye tambi..so what is the top speed for the 2L civic then? So u call us cruising at 215kph la eh??am i rite?
Hey, naming yourself maserati doesnt make you a maserati driver. Civic is still a civic, you bombarded the whole comment section with your 200KM/H civic makes me think : Do this moron ever own a car that able to reach 140km/h?
maserati pondan,
Still dare not take one of the forumner challenge to wage your golf gti vs korean car ? You claim korean car will fall apart going above 120km/h.
Come out and show your hairy balls lar.
I am sure a lot of paul tan readers will like to meet you in person ;)
I accepted the challenge. Up till now, no response! So go use ur small brain of urs to figure out whos the real pondan! Hahahaha
Yo must be a Saga owner who cant even afford a Vios.
Let meetup tonight pondan.
K5 gathering tt.
Awan besar r&r. 9.30pm
Just say u r maserati when u see a bunch of k5 owners.
Video, youtube, facebook. You know it.. let us see his face when he loses his ride. :D
Oh yeah, i am supposed to trust a small kiddo. Jeez! Why dont u come to vw gathering tomorrow night at giza kota damansara. See u there! Oh yeah, dont forget to bring ur junk too.
kimchi, you should go. Make sure you sell his ride for RM1 to his fellow vw “fren” when you win it.
Sorry vw group, such a pity that you have such egoistic ppl in your group. Memsiasuikan.
Can somebody with an account in VWclubmalaysia com expose this maserati for who he is.
I’m sure the ppl in that club is civilise enough to shun this guy due to his rudeness and just behaving in an unbelievable way in this forum.
kimchi, please make sure that you have the tow truck operator mobile no. programmed on your speedial
Hahahaha, a challenge to me is actually flattering. Its actually disgusting that u link cars with hairy balls.It is also fascinating that u noe my balls are hairy.People like u make malaysia a wonderful place to live in!
ahahaha masakroti serves you right!
if you think civic has superb handling at high speed, it’s joke of the year! even proton is much much much better, ahahahaha
your civic type r ke? See the gear ratio of that stupid 5 speed also know that the rpm is damn high at 200km/h lor. How to cruise? Buka cruise control means cruise ke?
Ahaks, 200Km/h itu cruising? Ko ingat ko ni Vanilla Ice ke? Rollin in my 5.0… kahkahkahkah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMbxOUgPDsI?w=300
What a load of hot air.
Civic 2.0 cruises at 200km/h?
I have out run civic 2.0 at 200 with my old satria 1.8 Sohc. It’s so bloody floaty past 180, that most owners won’t dare go over. Especially the Tg Malim to Sg Buloh bendy bits on the NKVE.
200 is speeding. Not cruising.
Not to rub it in, but even new protons handle better at speed compared to the civic.
my lovely A segment car protong savvy also can cruise 130-150 without any problem. can tapau Forte at long corner lagi..
Dey tambi….200kmh is not cruising la…it’s speeding….if the police stop u they give u speeding ticket or cruising ticket?????
that interior is hideous! and that exterior design isn’t gonna age well, even the forte doesn’t age well.
From what i see its very difficult to please everyone…its looks like a hefty price tag…but the toys ur getting i dont think any car in this segment offers that…good looks good engine…kia has proven in other markets its good enough to even make Japanese car owners switch to kia…its just in Malaysia people still have that in their mind honda n toyota is still better even priced almost 130k for 2.0…agree with most of them about the price but wen comparing toyota n honda i dont think its a bad option to get a kia…
oh i see… but fact is the whole world was stick with Toyota, Honda, Nissan… only minority with Hyundai, and kia was bottom… example USA car growth from today new… ford increase 14% Toyota 10$ Honda 10% Hyundai 2% kia drop 2%???
I doubt it. In Germany the Hyundai i30 outsells the competing Toyota Auris 5 to 1. That is probably going to continue, even as they raise the price. The cars are simply good enough.
The Koreans are simply doing what the Japanese did before to become successful.
We are talking abount KIA here, not Hyundai. If Hyundai I do agree but KIA is still a bit off from the mark
The problem is the Japs did what the Koreans are doing now 20 years ago!
So technically speaking,the Japs are 20 years ahead of the Koreans.How the hell u all can say the Koreans are catching up is beyond me.
The Koreans will always be 20 years behind the Japs no matter what!
The same goes to u being the same age gap between urself and ur parents.Sometimes cant believe how silly some Malaysians can be
lol..whole world?..get ur facts right la dey…
i like this car….but I need to drive it to confirm my judgement.
I drove the Hyundai Elantra for a week in Australia…but I found the instruments kinda cluttered and the display was to slanted upward making it hard to see during the day…and these are the things we can only know once we drove it for a while.
I guessed a lot of people commented here, dont have the oppurtunity yet to test drive the car but yet passed many negative comments based on their experience on other cars…
Anyway, I would like to highlight the new cerato simplicity on the cabin or instruments layout are a big welcome for me…as it remind me of the German car style….simple yet practical
I hope people shall test drive it and get back and comments rather than rely on assumptions…
Adios
You must be joking, right? When you mentioned that the interior of this Cerato reminds you of a German. i fail to see the similarities of the interior of the cheapest german make which is the VW Polo and that of the Cerato… I’m sorry.
Did I mentioned specifically “the interior”. No, I did not..I only mentioned about the instrumentation layout …
Here are the examples:
The buttons layout is similar to an Audi (location of RADIO,MEDIA and SETUP buttons) , This is one just one tiny similarity. But most importantly, the buttons are big and easy to operate while driving the car
Secondly, If you dig further, you can see the center display between the Odo and the spedo, has almost a similar menu type display…where you can setup many aspect and features of the car (my 2010 Honda Accord dont even has a fuel consumption computer, but look glamourous to the unknown). most VW group cars has these features…..now is Kia time!
and the last thing, is about the Steering variable mode…which is the Good, Normal and Sports! This feature actually taken from Audi variable drive mode, but KIa has a fraction of Audi mode! Audi did a lot more controls compared to what Kia has …(Audi control the suspension, throttle mapping and few more)
Lastly, just to remidn those who forgetting the fact that Peter Schreyer was an ex audi designer working for KIa long enough (since 2006 and now a president)may actually influence where Kia cars are advancing to better vehicles these days…
Kia May make another successful in this “seratus” but the failure fall at this price tag. Wrong strategy. It wont sell as good as Forte before
they will introduce KIA K2 @ rio sedan to fulfill the price gap leave by the Forte…since this Cerato have increased rm15k from Forte and became more expensive to us. wait n see
better buy vios la
By the way…can I start the car with my phone like what was advertised in the early commercials?
there is a Kia roadshow in 1U and you can take the Cerato for a spin.
i drove the 2.0. the car move when i step the pedal. i dun feel like there is a reluctance here. i dun feel the gearchange. floor the pedal and u start to hear roaring but its not something annoying. its actually a very nice place to be… esp with the vent seat. my butt does feel cold.
I wnet to 1U in a Passat CC and honestly, i dun feel the Cerato anymore noisier than the CC.
u know the price and badge. If you have issue with Korean and price, this wud be out of your radar 2 days ago. if you can have an open mind, this can be a welcome change to the usual Japs.
The sales and pricing strategist at NAZA are too high up in their ivory tower. No ears listening to the voices on the ground on what made the Forte a success.
They should have taken this massive opportunity to leverage on the success painstakingly built up by the Forte……. They have screwed this up big time in terms of building the brand image slowly and steadily IMHO. Instead, they took a leap too far and they will fall this time….
If Kia uses a multi-link rear suspension on Cerato, this car, with this price, would be a perfect value for money car of 2013.
Doesn’t matter what type of suspension if they can’t exploit it to good use.
They have multi-link on the Pro’Ceed GT but handling still falls short when compared to rivals.
Agree with you. This is where Korean cars lose out, heck even Proton has better ride handling. The Cerato may have copied the interior design and layout from continental cars but when it comes to ride handling, it is nothing like the continental cars, example Ford, etc.
On paper, multilink and others sounds good, but lack of proper tuning and engineering makes it terrible.
Aussies get 1.8 @ RM64k
Sooooo many KIAsi SC in here :D
Designs from hyundai and kia are very catchy (at the beginning), but will last in 3 years only. After that, it looks normal. But designs from toyota and honda, evergreen, will last in 20 years.
3 years? More like 3 weeks
Kia Cheroot
This car has already distanced itself from its potential supporters. It’s hard to changed Malaysians’ perception to compared openly on feature & value of new generation cars like the westerners. Lot of us has list of brands prioritized subconsciously in our mind base on past experience. The only way to reshuffle this list by convincing the crowd 1st bfr raising the price tag. Kia has improved definitely, but not to the extent where its resale values & other prospect to rival established jap brands. I would say the sales people in Naza is overwhelmed by the success & overestimate their fame.
with all the extra gadget , i wonder if naza mechanics could fix it… i could jsut imagine the cost of repairing the ventialted seats and all… they should really improve their service in order to compete with the more establish model.. most people would prefer less gadget that are useless like memory seats and ventilated seats , instead having a cheaper price…
I owe a Forte and is satisfied so far. Quite stable on highway at above 120kmh. If you dont plan to change car for the next 5 yrs, it will be a good buy because RV is lower than Jap cars. FC is slightly higher as the body weight is heavier than same segment Jp cars. Better body weight and safety features gave the Korean cars a competitive edge over Japs car in mature market like US. Elantra is selling much better than Civic in US. You decide, Price or Safety?
Is it me or does the rear portion of the car look similar to the present Ford Focus sedan?
Naza is a bit too ambitious with the price. Don’t forget, the Forte 2.0 was popular because it came with plenty of accessories too for less than RM100k. So, it’s a bit lame to say now that the Cerato has plenty of accessories so the price is justified. The success of the Forte was due to the attractive price compared to the Japanese rivals for a good amount of accessories. With the Cerato being priced at the same level as Japanese rivals, it will definitely fail just like the Elantra. The sales figures will be nowhere near the level of the Forte.
1 word, overpriced
the new Toyota Vios will be nothing near to this new Cerato…(or even the current civic)..
Car looks good, with loads of specs for its class and price. Based on Hafriz’ writeup, seems like a good ride too, but with average handling only. Problem is, there are so many competitors in that class. Its advantage is of course, specs, but even that seems to match the Hyundai Elantra, and not better it. Against the Japanese, the Japanese probably have better reliability and better resale value, but lower specs than the Koreans. Against Ford, the Kia also has about the same specs, but the Ford handles better. So on paper, looks like the Ford Focus is the better car, or probably even best in class (if you like your ride to handle sweetly & have good specs), at the moment anyway. But in reality, you dont see that many Focus on the road. So, in the end like Hafriz said, it all depends on the buyer. Many cars in the class with their own appeal, and many different buyer types who will buy based on what they want.
Those who perceive Korean cars as high maintenance should really check out the facts before bad mouthing away. I personally own 2 Korean cars and I totally disagree that they are more expensive to maintain. I’m happy at the lower cost of running these cars and am enjoying all the extra specs and gadgets in the process. My previous Japanese cars were at least 20% more expensive to maintain and there are just too many fake parts around to tell the difference. The demonizing campaign being carried out by those who are anti Korean cars are uncalled for and they can go ahead and carry on driving their redundant cars, where as we can enjoy our Korean cars knowing that we are driving a decent and up to date car(in terms of safety and performance features). My advise, go check out these cars personally or drive it before you go bad mouthing them.
For your info, there are now sufficient Korean car specialist out there and ample spare parts for the more popular Korean models. Parts and maintenance are now much cheaper and more accessible than ever before due to the increasing numbers of Korean cars on our roads and on roads all over the world for that matter. There has never been a better time to own a Korean car than now. Cheers!
agree with u! my next car is goin to be a korean too! they are actually cheap to mantain! they r not the old kimchi anymore! hate to see so many anti koreans
What you said is quite true for Hyundai but unfortunately not for KIA yet. How do I know? From my in law who owns a spare part shop. You must be a KIA SA
They all base on old experience & stories from their parents. If U inform the elders that you want to buy Kia they’d say no resale value, high fuel consumptions … etc.
Most old ppl don update themselves
I sold off my TA that gave me a fair bit of problems for Forte 2.0. I am absolutely happy with this car in term of FC, handling and the toys that come with it. Even maitenance cost is lower than TA. Now I am happily owning 2 Forte.
The only think where KIA loose out is their service center. Unless you get one that is reliable, T service center is still much better.
Many people who gave comments here are not objective but rather on bashing mode, having “this car is better than that car mentality”. One get the car they think that could serve their purpose and also to their liking. Just test the new car for yourself and decide on your own. As for thinking of RV before even buy a car, then better not get one because buying any car will make us loose money!
What’s with the complaint about the price? It is meant to ‘fight’ with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis; the price point would then certainly be at a more upmarket premium compared to the predecessor in the Forte it replaces which competed with the Honda City and Toyota Vios.
Many sing a sweet rhythm about the Jap’s despite the fact that the Korean is catching up in silent. One would wonder why is there a need to give warranty of up to 3 to 5 years if indeed their masterpieces are perfect, and this fact applies to all car makers. I am driving one of the Korean made and my family members having a T and a H (same segment). I do not find maintaining my Korean made more expensive than maintaining the T and H by my family members. RV wise, how could one tell the RV when the car is still fresh from the oven? You are prejudging if you can tell.
To me, the design was okay, the equips is walao ea. The price is…Okaylah….. After all…… It’s a big No to me….coz the LOGO BADGE is failed!!! Lol..
I guess everyone don’t see the reason why NAZA price the car at such a “high” price.
I would say they are doing a smart move, though not in the interest of buyer.
As this car will be selling for the next 5 years, there will be a time where NAZA have to reduce Cerato’s price in accordance with govt’s policy (definitely before next election).
If NAZA were to price this car too low now, they will have very limited margin for price adjustment.
Especially with the Japan-Malaysia FTA fully kick in by 2016, the percentage of price reduction for Japanese cars will be greater than cars from other country (partly attributable to the lower tax rate for car parts). Therefore, in order for NAZA to show similar price reduction in the future, they’ve price their latest model at “higher” price.
Do expect to see similar move from other brands that are targeting the mass market. However, those that are not targeting the mass market will launch their cars at lower price as the gap between mass and upper market are slowly getting closer as the premium status are less appealing now.
the price says it all. i must agree with Karl-this is simply kia seratus-k.
sometime back i had a kembara, full spec, later engine version which has dvvt and all. after a while i was caught with excitement that new model kembara will be coming soon with lots of ‘upgrade’. but to my disapointment, they brought in nautika (or shorter toyota rush, some would like to call it) – WITH THE HEFTIER price tag. claims of the lots in p2 were, they don’t wanna keep being ‘cheap’ car company only.
fine with the look and details of shorter-rush nautika, but nothing upsets me more when the price of a replacement model went leaps and bounds off the one it replaces. :-(
and the sale was badddddd
if you wanna buy cerato, just wait for another 1 year, be patient, cos u’ll get a lot of free stuff + rebate..confirm by SA
go check the fact la… in USA Civic sales 3 times than elantra…. brainwashing ppl
Reading the review’s comment on the fuel consumption, I just can’t help but arrived at the conclusion that the writer is being apologetic over the fuel consumption of the Cerato. It is a known fact that Korean cars, including the current Forte, Elantra, Sonata and Optima, does not offer the best in fuel consumption. I have asked several current owners, and they will tell you it’s okay only and points out that their other half’s Toyotas and Hondas of the same engine capacities are much better.
I recalled back in the early 90’s when getting a test drive is certainly hard to come by. I bought a Ford Hatchback based on a review by a renown Malaysian car reviewer. The car turns out to be a fraction of the superlatives written about it.
I am an avid reader of car magazines and this great website. I hope the reviewers would call a spade a spade in their review and provide us the readers and potential buyers of the makes under their review an informed choice when it comes to the crunch.
I am Forte 1.6 owner, 100% city drive will get about RM 0.20-0.22 per km (RM80 for 400km). If 100% highway at speed 120-140km/h, it is about 0.13 (RM80 for 600km). 50% city 50% highway then you can get around 450km (RM80) at least.
If you take a C-segment car compare to Vios or City then of course it is bad fuel consumption. But I can confirm Forte fuel consumption is definitely than Gen2 1.6 Auto (drove for 6 years) and Waja SOHC 1.6 Auto (drove for 2 years).
Korean car is not best in fuel consumption, that is the fact. But it neither considered as “very bad” fuel consumption. Modern Korean car has improved a lot compare to older model as old models are really bad in fuel consumption without any technology assist.
Certainly the case as it seems.
People are comparing cars based on price instead of the actual vehicle class/weight. The Vios get excellent fuel numbers because its damn light.
Even my “famously thirsty”, Citra with its older generation G4CS manages about 20-22c/km city driven (350-380km/$80 full tank), which is far from being a fuel guzzler since its a 1.4Tonne MPV with a 2.0L engine.
Modern Koreans are just as fuel efficient as thier japanese counterparts… its just that we don’t get their best engines. They still do not bring in their direct injection engines unfortunately, and if they did, their fuel number would be better than the Japanese.
Part costs are comparable if not cheaper than the japanese as there are more aftermarket parts available now. I have no problems getting competitive parts for my Citra so I really don’t know what the fuss is about. In fact, reliability isn’t a problem as well, my 6 year old Citra only had the radiator (arguably one of the 2 known problem on the Citra, the other being the shock absorbers) go in it, and thats only because the car was bottomed out on a bump cracking the plastic radiator caps.
There is a lot of bad press surrounding the older Koreans. Yes, they were pretty junk, and the resale issues are due to the massive price drops Naza threw out when they switched from CBU to CKD versions. I have been looking for a used Forte and I don’t see their resale/trade-in prices are any worst than the japanese.
LOL..people here..complaining tat is it expensive n dont worth it. but tell me, what other C-seg in MY offer same price with such long list of features huh? only the focus can match. but of coz servicing an american or european will oways be more expensive thn asian.
hmm….Honda City High spec[B-segment] cost RM93k++ wit 1.5, Kia Cerato [C-segment] cost RM99k wit 1.6 wit more gadgets….yes?? no?? up to u guys….anyway imo, the interior of the Cerato was abit disappointing…sigh…
Uhh, “visually offensive” Forte? Is this the same Forte that you guys were hailing as another example of Schreyer’s Audi-like design?
Oh dear, that should read as inoffensive, obviously. Apologies, it has been fixed.
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
Kalo macam tu, boleh kata sama jugak civic lama ngan civi baru. In this way Kia is on par with Honda. Kah kah kah
You sure the previous Civic interior is futuristic? To be honest, it looks more like the interior of a toy space craft we usually see in Ultraman movies. Go check out the updated interior of the Forte Sx 6 speed model with the navigation and multimedia display option and you will understand that it’s interior design is much more sophisicated than what you mentioned. Well, some of us like the design which is quite elegant and with a touch of minimalist. As of the exterior, the wedge like and geometrical lines do grow on you. But then again, some like toy cars design that features old drivetrain and gearboxes. Nothing wrong with that too, just don’t condemn the Forte like it was done by some cheapo designer as a lot of thought have been put into the project as the Koreans intended to use this model to contest the competitive C-Segment back in 2009. F.y.i, the Gamma 1.6 engine was named one of the top ten engines in 2012 and it’s design is also like by many that don’t share your sentiment. Just my 2 cents on the topic. Cheers!
2 year old Forte now trading in for 35% of purchase price
Kia’s RV is on par with other the great brands like Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, VW, Ford, Nissan, Mazda, Peugeot, etc!
RV is the key here!!!RV!!whenever buy a car…think RV!!!lmao
If think RV, then don’t ever buy any car!
Buy Toyota. RV will hold even after 5 years 100,000kms
maintaining the korean cars are ok la assuming there is no big issue. but claiming for warranties….haha….pray that ur cars are not one with problems else, u will curse till their ancestors jump out from the grave. and sending the cars to their sc is another story, work slow, taking long lunch break and u are lucky if they can fix a problem in half a day. i own a kia and peugeot…..sending them to workshop is a nightmare. i rather send them to my frens workshop which is nearby peugeot…and the best thing….even peugeot send their cars over to my frens workshop when they cant fix the problem.
i heard that the forte and cerato will be sold concurrently… meaning the forte would not be phased out… maybe that could explain the price increase to avoid competition with the forte… :)
ok so kimchi attacks the world from left right top bottom. it’s like the cellphone industry where they pawn many sizes of screen, 4 inches, 5 inches, even 6 like galaxy mega until it becomes phablet (huh?). they recycle the old high end cellphone into mid-ranger one like those with “plusses” and “minis”
Kimchis will attack sorhais only.
very charming exterior but in front of a panel as bland as no color tone. is good if a little chrome added color. In any case, I’m tempted to see this korean car sped on Malaysian roads
because of the her previous spectra5 serve her well, proudly to say my mom already book for 2 liter version, she drive it and what she said, for that amount of money, given spec its the most affordable choice even i try to convince here to take the focus.
I am 64. Sure, you young people would laugh. I have used the Forte 2.0 almost 2 years now. The price was RM97800. Never owned a Korean before and was a little apprehensive despite doing a fairly comprehensive research, especially on cost/value criteria. My experience then…no regrets. Although I may be older than most but still, don’t try to ‘cucuk’ my backside with your H & T coz you’ll regret it. PS3 shoes helps a bit too. NAZA’s response to complaints should be emulated by Proton. To future buyers…my advice is go sit and test drive the car first. If you are in the Ampang area, a word of advice..I had a bad experience with a salesman named Razak at the Ampang Point dealership. He sapu my booking fee money because his mother was sick (so they tell me).
a racer grandpa! beware!
Kia has grown with the time. From the days where Kia is bought mainly for its cheapness, today’s Kia is presentable and even looks prestigious when parked next to a higher priced car.
RV gap of Kia has definitely grown wider from 10 years back.
Used to depreciate by 25% within the 1st year. It is now easily 50%
really??are you sure it went down to 50%?? coz i can’t find any 3-yr old forte on the market that sell below 50k..
show us prove before your stinky thought spurts shit about anything..
we probably can guess u had bad experience with a korean car years back (maybe you got conned/or the car broke when you really really need to get somewhere/or people laughing at your 2002 spectra when it whirring like a bulldozer during 200km/h cruising (pun intended)/or probably your girlfriend left you when you went for a ride with her in the car)..we get that..but don’t you think you should move on, and get a new perspective that RV IS NOT ALL ABOUT A CAR?
I owned a kia forte 6 speed for 1 yrs already, i liked its very much nice to drive , if i had a chance to buy another car for sure my first choice will be kia cerato 2.0. Hopefully my dreams come true.
Please check the RV
I am curious, is this saloon Cee’d ? and whats the different between Cee’d and this Cerato ?
mind you people come to this site to learn cars, not english. lots of adjectives (unnecessary ones) injected and it made the whole article sound pompous. i don’t know about you but it feels like it’s written to impress than to express.
Since resale value and gossip plays an important role when owning a car, there will be a few, but loyal Korean drivers. Since my experienced with a Korean car was a good one (Naza Ria), I would go for this car, but my finances allow me to go a class below it, the Rio.
You gotta be joking. Naza Ria that sells for around RM100k will only fetch RM30k after a year.
Plus, it uses more petrol than a 4.7liter Toyota Cygnus.
aiya ppl!! haters will always hate! when u bash ppl that were bashing kia or hyundai.. why don u think and remember that you are also bashing toyota and honda too? what can you all get by bashing? 各有所长啦 just support the car that you chose and bought with your own money. you like toyota, you buy. you like kia, you buy. don bash.. its their own choice. don say people who bought kia stupid and don say people who bought toyota stubborn, its their own call.
my friend’s 2 1/2 years forte aircond compressor went kaput already…how reliable is dat?? hmmmmmm i wonder…..
great review hafriz….keep it up…i bet its a great car…despite all car reviews seems to be bribed by the car company :)) wink wink preve
my fren’s 2 years city gear box also went kaput already..how reliable is that?…hmmmmmmmmmmmm i wonder
Well i guess those who are anti-korean cars are those people has ZERO knowledge of car and the industry itself in Msia.
I can see people comparing K3 or Cerato with Vios/City which is comparing apple with rambutan, shows that they have zero knowledge.
Complaining K3 (Cerato) is much expensive with Naza (Kia Forte) shows that they do not understand the car industry in Malaysia. Forte is re-badge as Naza and thus enjoy lower sales tax/duty (local car), while K3 (Cerato)maintained as KIA.
In a nutshell, Malaysians like to give comment as they are the expert and conclude things based on hearsay/rumours and not facts!
It is a lousy Korean car, lousy quality, lousy technology, lousy buyer
helloo guys… firstly cr in not a investment..you buy watever car also price will decrease day by day,,, Buy car see the value for money…i have using kia rio for more than 3 mnths.. i feel totally satisfy and have no issue at all… then my car is more smoother acceleration then vios…
3 months?what the heck..wake me up when your rio reach 200000km (only if you still can drive it)..zzzz
It is over priced but let the market decides. End of the day if they can’t sell there will be a huge discount. Competition in stiff. Buyers have lots of choices.
pricey? Ppl still buy, thats their choice….VW many issue..ppl still buy..haha. end of story, thats your choice.
This Cerato build quality is better than the new UGLY CIVIC hahaha…. The new civic looks so dull it seems like it was released around 5-10 years ago… what a shame to Civic…i will choose this over Civic.
You sure you can afford sga flx player ?
the back lights look a lil’ more or less like ford mondeo
Any rattling sound on the dashboard and metal knocking sound from the door panel? No navi and reverse camera?
Yes, got reverse camera even on 1.6.
Aku rasa artikel ini ditulis dengan baik. Sama tahap dengan Top Gear and Car di luar negara. Tahniah kerana meningkatkan mutu penulisan di internet. Tabik!
I don’t know much about cars other than how it feels when behind the wheel and such. But I test drive the Cerato 1.6 and 2.0 a few days back. Almost everything was really good; except the middle back seat’s head rest and the acceleration.
The middle back seat’s head rest mimics that of the Focus, which pushes one’s head to the front a little; making it an uncomfortable ride.
The acceleration is the biggest surprise. It’s terrible! From 0-60km the RPMs went up until 6plus. I have a 18 years old Mazda, which has a much better acceleration than the 2.0 Cerato.
I’m unsure how can this be but even with these 2 cons, I will consider this car to buy. Just my 2 cents worth.
I won’t be suprised with the 1.6 Cerato…the 1.6cc Forte is also a slug fest. Totally underpowered (please don’t even argue otherwise). I haven’t test drive the Forte 2.0 but i am suprised even the 2.0 Cerato is slow on the acceleration. Maybe i will need to test drive it one of these days.
IMHO, looks r very subjective. So u cant really argue on that. Even i think that the new Cerato’s now quite nice lookin as the Forte, but thats juz my opinion so that go bombing me on thet front. But wat impresses bout this car is actually wat u get underneath. The drivetrain package is bang up 2 date, eventhough for our market we get the slightly detuned version of that engine (im guessin thats due 2 our shoddy fuel quality in our country). The gadgets we get is phenomenal, some even r not offered in cars costing double the price. 4 me, if im in the market 4 a c segment, this’ll definitely be in my shortlist.
value for money? 2.0L buy Inspira la :)
Do anyone know whats the service interval for this car please?
10K interval. Fully synthetic
Naza is getting greedy. The government is gradually reducing car prices. Naza instead of reducing, they increase the price. Cerato is replacement for Forte in other countries, but here they cannot clear their Forte stocks,they should at least sell Forte at discount and still make money. That way,they can clear Forte stocks fast. They forgot that they took years to clear Naza Citra stocks.Never learnt their lesson. They became greedy, they raise the replacement model (Cerato) higher than Forte.
i think we should encourage writer to use plain and simple english. i just couldnt continue reading. Even carbuyer reviews on youtube is a lot easier to understand.
I’m buying a car now and after searching around I find that Peugeot 408 2.0 offer better ride quality than any other car in this category (they’d offering more discount now OTR is only 98k). Although is less features but me & my family like it’s huge interior space, quietness & classy dashboard (not chunky/thousand buttons). To me, the quality comfort ride is most enjoyable driving than to have any other features in our M’sia bumpy rd & the car is capable at corner too.
I’m no salesman & just sharing. Cheers :D
I found Kia and Peugeot is a good car now a day , but Naza Services is suck
let say all the Cerato features is in honda city, toyota vios, civic or others Japanese car.. how much the price? i bet is much more than cerato price
majority commentator are rich man.make cerato to buy ikan at pasar malam
i still using my 2001 4g93 WAJA.;)
kia cerato like no alarm system…is it true?
Yes, No Alarm System.. Ha ha
Hi, I just bought a new cerato 2013. I’m facing 2 problem.
Central Lock
Once I locked the master central lock at the driver side, the co-driver and driver still can open the door by pulling the lever at their respective door. Even I set it to be auto lock when speed, but still can open the door by pulling the lever while the car is moving at high speed.
Power windows central lock
Once I locked the power window at the driver side (To lock all the windows) , my co-driver power window still can be opened.
Anyone experiencing this? Is this intended design? Please advise. Thanks
wow! impressive tech!
Bro, what kind of fuel you pump? RON95 / RON97
These are intended design, not quality issue. Only the front doors can be opened from the inside even when locked. Same as Hyundai. If the power window is locked, only the driver can still open/close any of the windows.
Mine is really a quality issue. The rattling sound inside the front passenger door has been there since the 2nd week of taking the car. Visited the SC weekly but until today, it is still not solved.
The service interval of 10000km/6 mths is also not making any sense. Naza Kia is forcing their customers to change the engine oil at least twice a year even if the mileage is less than 10000km, with fully synthetic oil in order to keep the 5 yrs warranty. This will make the maintenace very expensive. With semi-synthetic oil, the oil change would be every 3 mths. This does not make sense as the manufacturer of the engine oil has already stated clearly in their website that there is no problem changing the fully synthetic oil every 10000km regardless of how long it takes to achieve that mileage.
Looks like Naza Kia is trying to make squeeze more money out of their customers with hidden terms & conditions.
I’m looking for a car in this category, from the spac, I think Cerato 2.0 is very impressive and the price tag are lower than Civic 2.0 and Artis 2.0 … But the “Brand image” make me consider again and again … I do not know is the reliability of the Korean brand has been improved ? The problem facing by all the Kia Carnival owner has been resolved ?
With the petrol price keep on increasing, is the Civic Hybrid a good choice ?
Any news for the new Artis ?
This car is any time better than Sam Loo camry 2.0E that looks so stupid to the driver
hi guys,my principal is simple..WHAT YOU WHAT YOU GET..the product is changing BUT are the people are changing?there’s the question..no point for us to take the blame or condemn others model..U are making decision and you are paying installment monthly..if you ask Malaysian people regarding for technical part can they answer perfectly?..cause buying a car is not about rm 1 or 10..but HOW logically and mostly people don’t do the perfectly HOMEWORK for buying a car..like i as if you trust or belief any model or any LOGO..will buy the car?BUT how your knowledge about car..are still good enough?now days people looking forward tech,innovation to create emotion..think first before you buy to avoid cheating and misunderstanding regarding buying a car..thanks
hallo,if you’re can afford to buy this car,don’t say RV lal.then u better buy proton or perodua…
I sold my 2007 accard and boked the facelifted Optima K5!! Awesome car. Why should I believe that the T and H are better? The Japanee purposely priced their cars slightly higher than their fellow Koreans. Just look at how Samsung invades the world. You can condemn and talk lowly of their cars. They just don’t care. They keep on doing research and one day they will invade the automotive industry. Instead of criticising others we should improve ourselves. VIVA LA RASA!!! Hyundai-Kia!!!
Hi, Please let me know at Kuala Lumpur where can find accessories for KIA Cerato.
Thank you.
Is there any Bluetooth Music Streaming or I couldn’t find it?
There is nothing about BT music streaming!! Its more handy than Keyless entry/start!!
Test drove one today, the 1.6 version. I am quite please with the pickup and all (am a very conservative driver). But I think the steering feel quite weird. The Comfort setting is light, which is ok for certain types of driving, but it does feel a bit, well, artificial. The Normal and Sport seem, well, too heavy. I love the car, but now the steering wheel is holding me back from considering to buy it…
Better buy vw passat 115k
This entry in Mac 2019…
I’ve been using this cerato for more than 5yrs now…honestly, no major problem suffered, good aftersale service by Kia so far, and frankly it is a good value for money car…im a proud owner of cerato…only one downside ( expected) a sad resale value…otherwise good job Kia !