Comments on: 2009 Kia Cerato here, Koup coming

By: Ronaldo

Ronaldo — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:16:06 +0000

I’m Going to have my 2010 Cerato Next Week.

Ebony Black with Full Option.

Please congratulate me.

By: Ikhide Andrew Anetor

Ikhide Andrew Anetor — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:44:11 +0000

I have a KIA RIO, and it is absolutely wonderful, fantastic, surprising and comfortable, just to mention a few.. I must confess that i would rather continue to buy a KIA instead of a TOYOTA or HONDA that have made their names and can afford to produce any spec, and sell in the market without minding Options and price.. I must confess that my country has a lot of bad roads, and i travelled with the RIO on one of the worst routes covering over 600km.. Surprisingly, the vehicle came back intact, without a need for wheel-balancing and alignment.. try that with a HONDA, and u’ll pay thru ur nose, especially if u were to take it to a service centre… I LOVE KIA.

The 2009 Cerato is a Marvel to the eyes.. I only have a problem with the lack of a temperature guage.. Or are they trying to give the impression that the car will never have cause for over-heating issues?

By: Ken D

Ken D — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:37:20 +0000

Andy of Melbourne, I too have a Magentis as my daily drive and I couldn’t be happier. I bought the top spec 2.4 EXL with leather etc and I too would much prefer to spend my money elsewhere. ie, mortgage, kids etc. I know people who upgrade cars regularly to “keep up with the Jones’s” while they struggle with the bare essentials like the mortgage.
My wife drives a 2006 Cerato Hatch and that too is a good car. Both my KIA’s have been trouble free and I will continue to buy KIA.
KIA make a good car but people just can’t accept that a company can make a good car cheaper than the main brands.
I have seen the new Cerato and it is a nice car. I personally like the SLI with the chrome grill and alloys.
To all those that think KIA are full of squeaks and rattles, let me tell you that both my cars have been lowered with firmer suspension and there is still no squeaks or rattles and nothing has fallen off. I drove my bosses VE Berlina to Newcastle from Sydney and was annoyed with the constant vibration of the dash at speeds above 100km’h. As I have said to many people before, go to the dealer and drive one. It won’t cost you anything and you will be surprised. If you want to continue shopping elsewhere, that’s your choice but you’ll either pay more or get a lower spec car for your troubles.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:04:13 +0000

Just test drove the Cerato S manual. Very nice road handling and an excellent transmission. Has far more power than other I’ve tested (City, Focus, Mazda 3). Interior quality feels solid, as does paint and panels. Plenty of top notch extras included as well such as 6 airbags on the base model. Definitely worth a look if your in the market.

By: Andy of Melbourne

Andy of Melbourne — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:22:12 +0000

I previous had a imported Skyline turbo, which was a great car but unfortuantely was not family friendly. When time came to upgrade, I checked out Kia and found the Magentis fitted the bill for what I wanted. After checking the quality at JD Power, I sceptically took a test drive. Surprisingly the Kias have come a long way in the last 3-5 years. In the end, although the Magentis is not the most powerful, the economy benefits and abiltiy to meet the requirements that I had of safety, space, comfort and quality were all ticked at a very afordable price.

I’m now a happy Kia driver, along with the rest of my family now and have no regrets about trusting Kia. I’m not one of the low-rent customers that some want to stereotype here, I’m a manager, with a CDB job in one of Australias largest companies, who prefers driving a KIA and paying off the mortgage rather than a BMW on hire purchase.

Whilst Kias may depreciate a little more than Japanese makes in terms of a % depreciation, the Magentis fares well in terms of real dollars lost over the life of the car compared to much more expensive similar offerings such as the Accord.

I often also drive the previous generation Cerato which is a great car. I’m sure the new model will be another real winner for Kia. It wasn’t too long ago when Japanese cars were considered rubbish. Times change, Kia has changed, suggest some people here smell the fresh coffee.

By: Costeffective

Costeffective — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:19:08 +0000

I just read most of the comments relating to this new car from KIA and it’s true for many people that branding, safety rating and affordablity are the main criteria for choosing what one likes. If you take your time to read more about the car reviews streaming on the net these days, you wil find we are witness a new begininng not just for the bigger companies, but also KIA for example to hit a milestone in their innovation in reshape their company’s reputation. Just look at the new Swift and Grand Vitara from Suzuki for example. Not too long ago, people were only shying away from it because of the it cheap looks and mechanism. Now,depending on what your needs are, you are getting a pretty good product. And the new Ceranto if by no means a lesser car than a new corolla considering they have to wait at least 1 to 2 years before they care about the commuter’s safety with bare essentials specification.

I say we just have to be patience and wait for good news and reviews on this one.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:35:21 +0000

Gawd I love this site!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I had the original Carnival with the 2.5 and luckily didn’t have any probs. For all its shortcoming I miss that car.

Towed a trailer fall of gear and seven people up and down the east cost on Holidays etc and didn’t miss a beat.
Now have a Kia Grand Carnival and I am very happy with it.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:26:34 +0000

Robj: your previous comment is quite interesting – you say that basic budget cars only appeal to pensioners and uneducated peoople from low socio economic backgrounds.. as they are simple easily distracted by shiny things and aren’t really demanding customers anyway

Yet if any demographic is more demanding its pensioners and those from low socio economic backgrounds.
They do a fair amount of research [more than most] into almost everything they buy be it a car television computer etc.
They are always on the lookout for something that is of reasonable quality reliable built to last and is what they beleive is the best value for money.
Unlike most people they tend to buy something that is practical veratile and most suitable to their needs… because they don’t have the money to replace a car every year…. they’re not out to impress anyone

All of which explains why the Yaris and Corolla are so popular doesn’t it?

By: Robj

Robj — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:33:15 +0000

I have no problem having views different to my own. Just don’t pretend KIA is anything but a budget brand aimed at the mass market whom care nothing about driving (pensioners & other low socio-economic groups). They are easy distracted by shiny trinkets and have very low demands as customers anyway. You can tell this if you step into a KIA showroom.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:26:08 +0000

Although they are a car manufacturer; Kia really aren’t in the same league as Toyota.. Just as Toyota aren’t in the same League as BMW.

It’s all relative – you have to consider the size of the company; the technology/resources they have access to the markets that they compete in etc..
When you do that you would have to Admit that Kia do a reasonable job – They must do.. how else do you explain the considerable number of Kia Rios Kia Carnivals that you see on the road.

If you look at things on an even basis you would see that a Kia rio for example is alot better than say a Daihatsu Charade or a Daewoo Viva and not really that much different to a Swift or a Yaris.. The main difference being the [perceived] reputationof of the manufacturer

I mean most people don’t know a great deal about Kia [as proven by Andy saying that KIA are Japanese].. mind you years ago people didn’t know that much about Lexus either did they?

The other thing is that Kia owns Hyundai; which over the years has improved the design and build quality of their cars [I can't wait for the new Hyundai Coupe] you’d expect that Kia will start to do the same.

As build quality reliability and value for money improves so to will Kias Popularity.