As Toyota SA prepares to run out the current version of its top-selling family saloon in 2013, Kia will launch an all-new, super sleek Corolla competitor. We know it as a Cerato, but the attendees of this week’s LA Auto Show call it a Forte!
Given the positive public receptions that the Kia Optima and Rio saloons garnered in the past year, at least for the newcomers’ high specifications and strong aesthetic appeal, some local enthusiasts might expect that the middle child in the Korean manufacturer’s 4-door product line-up won’t quite strike a fine balance between the Rio’s cuteness and the Optima’s serenity.
As it turns out, Kia seems to have emulated Sebastian Vettel’s momentous feat of three consecutive F1 driver’s titles by conjuring a hat trick of handsome saloons out of Peter Schreyer’s studio! Sitting on an all-new platform that’s longer, wider and lower than that of the current car, the third-generation Cerato looks bang up to date and should be available in South Africa in May, with a hatchback following later in the year. Designed at Kia’s American Design Center in California, the newcomer is purposefully slippery, courtesy of a broad, but low-slung stance and a sharply raked windshield. Sweptback head lamp clusters with LEDs tie the grille and front bumper together; and while the flanks are conventional apart from an ascending beltline, the Cerato’s rear-end looks tapered and neat by virtue of the large tail lights that wrap around the edges of the fenders and a kicked-up boot lid edge.
As is the case with Optima and to a lesser extent the Rio four-door, the design and execution of the new Cerato’s interior does not quite match the flair of the exterior sheet metal. Nevertheless, the newcomer’s facia is tilted towards the driver by approximately 10 degrees and feels reassuringly solid (if less than soft-touch) upon initial inspection and naturally Kia is more than likely to dish up a long list of standard features that will please thrifty family men- and women.
The cars on display in Los Angeles were equipped with practically everything that Kia could engineer into the new Cerato. A multi-function steering wheel, Bluetooth-equipped audio system with auxiliary input ports, electric windows, air conditioning, heated exterior mirrors, a sliding front armrest and a cooled glove box were all expected fair. Leather trim with a heated and 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control, LEDs on both ends of the car and HID headlamps, keyless entry and push-button start and dual-zone climate control might be offered on higher-spec models. It remains to be seen whether a 4.2-inch monitor complemented by a reverse camera view, Start/Stop technology and rear seat ventilation will make it to South Africa.
Although models on the North American market will be offered with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions and with 1,8- and 2,0-litre petrol motors, the South African line-up will probably be similar to what’s currently on offer. Meanwhile, the Cerato rides on a McPherson strut- and a coupled torsion beam rear suspension. In addition to a revised front suspension geometry, the newcomer will also be offered with an Optional Flex Steer function varies steering effort at the touch of a button.
