Kia Cerato TD (2009-2013)

2011 2.0 SLI manual model – I purchased this car back in 2019. Odometer was about 72,000km. I used the vehicle for Uber 2years. And now it has 190,000km. i had one issue in steering wheel motor. It is called MDPS. There is small circle rubber in the motor. and that was worn out. This is common problem happened on some hyundai model. Since I bougth the vehicle, I maintained… Read more

by myself. I just replaced ingintion coils, spark plugs, engine oil&filter, brake pads, coolant. That’s all. I have never had any big issue. Very reliable. I need to sell the car and buy newer one. I am worried that i can find one as good as mine. Since 8 months ago i can hear noise when I go over speedbump.

I believe it comes from rubber bushing in suspension as it gets old.

And Surprisingly, I have never replaced drive belts and water pump and clutch which is good to know the truth that mechanic rips people off. That why i dont bring to mechanic.

Car not roadworthy – Was looking for a new car. Any make any model. Was going to get rid of hyundai excell . Ended upnat dealership in Mornington victoria. (Think it was ford ). Test drove a cerato. Said ok, they had a demo model at frankston victoria (10 klms apart). Had a car to trade in worth nothing. Was a saturday afternoon. They said car will be in tuesday… Read more

morning. Left tradein car there. Came back tuesday to pay for car and take home. Am a mature driver over 50. First had to do payment. Young guy wanted car on a payment plan. Told him once we cash. Again he demanded we put car on payment plan. 2nd time we told him paying cash outright. Then he demanded to know where came from. Politely told him none of hi s business. He demanded to know where the money came from. This time,we told him, none of your business, and told him we will not buy the car if he insisted on his line of questining. (Over 50 and had saved the money!) Ok finally paid for car. Salesman got car to the front. Drove car home (maybe 15klms). Stormed on the way home. Put lights on car and wipers. Wipers worked ok on front. On back *hatchback)Lights DID NOT. Got home. Lights in left side front car NO BULBS at all. Rear wiper not working at all. Went thru car, in glovebox was the origanal check papers on the car. Was dated from day of acceptance at previous deaslership. Lighting box was ticked all working. Rear wiper was ticked working. Rang mornington to say we were bringing car back. Asked fir full on service for car to see if anythint was missing. They stated we would have to pay. Politely told them no payment was coming ftom us, was either going to do for free or we were quite happy to report them. As we had the paperwork saying nothing wrong with the car, so they were in a pickle. Took the car back for a service. Picked car up, they admitted builbs missing. Admitted wiring for rear wiper was not conected. They asked again for payment. Again said NO Had half a dozen phone calls and emails from Kia Australia, with many apologies. Nothing more from car yard. WILL NEVER BUY A KIA AGAIN

Great little car – This is a great little car. Mine is 6 speed manual, hatch back Cerato year 2010.Zippy little car has lots of guts and I get high 500's in kms in Winter but that drops dramatically to high 300's in kms in Summer when the air conditioner is on all the time (Perth climate). I use it mainly for shops and school runs and do a fair few kms in a week -… Read more

over 250km. Compared to my last car which was an SUV, this is a gem on the fuel and is much more fun to drive.

The most annoying thing about this car, and omg, it is SO ANNOYING, is the automatic locking of the doors once you start driving. I think it's dangerous, no doubt in my mind. And it is so inconvenient. Picture this scenario (and it happens every single day). I arrive at the first kid's school for drop off. I park the car. The keys are still in the ignition because I'm not stopping, I'm just parking to get him out. I walk to the boot. It's locked. Kids can't get out of the car when the keys are still in the ignition half the time. If I go to the shops and leave my kids in the car (they're teenagers so stop freaking out and I leave the air con on for them anyway), unless I remember to manually unlock all of the doors, if that car started rolling backwards or they needed to get out of the car, it's locked! Stupid stupid thing and it will totally put me off buying a car with this feature in the future. It should be an option you can turn on if you want it, not a permanent setting. This is a Kia for goodness sake, not a porsche, and I'm in Perth not New York so the chance of me being carjacked is pretty tiny.

Perfect – Very easy to drive and comfortable for long distance... save on petrol...easy to park and this is my second Kia cerato..lots of space and can carry a lot of stuff...anyway it's a good lookin car..never had any problem with my previous one and now my son is still driving it...  Show details

love my Kia Cerato Koup – Great first car, very fuel efficient and has a little bit of power when you want it. i only wish it was rear wheel drive. other then then im really happy with the car. servicing costs are not that dear and the tyres are not to pricey either. definitely recommend it.  Show details

124K and Big End Bearing Failed – Kia Cerato Koup TD MY11 brought at 58000km Used as a commuter/daily been a great car and a joy to drive, serviced regularly due to being used as a daily commuter to work. Firstly the seats soo comfortable, plenty of room for 4 tall adults head room including, ergonomically nothing is out of reach, steering is sharp and on point, best to fit a… Read more

sportier tyre (they sure do make a difference) vision is great but the passenger side pillar is a bit of a blind spot, aircon falls short due to lack of air flow especially on Australias 40+ days an absolute fantastic daily drive no doubt.

But...

Now the vehicle has had its 8th birthday the end is near, for the last couple of weeks it has been making a knocking noise in the bottom end, it has only clocked 123,000km which is causing a rough idle and a slight stutter on acceleration. As I love this car amd have had it parked up for a week I finally got it checked into the dealership today and have been given the unfortunate news that the cause is a big end bearing. A common issue for the Thea II engine as I have found out...

Cost for a replacement engine is around 6k installed. As to say I am very disappointed with the Kia brand. Why build an amazing car aesthetically and ergonomically, only to give it an achilles heel in the way of a cheap, nasty unreliable engine. Life span should be around 250k and I haven't even got half that Not Happy

No amount of plastic, trim and buttons can make up for a poorly manufactured engine. Thus I would not recommend any Thea powered cars, do yourself a favour and Stay well away.

Car is great to drive but service and Kia warranty not all that it is cracked up to be – Driving cerato TD Koup. Car is great to drive and if looked after finish can be kept close to as new. My car does only outer urban drives. My Koup developed oil leaks at 15000 kilometres. I took it to dealer three times, first two times they said it was just the breaking down “protective grease” that is applied for shipping. Third time found sump… Read more

and block had uneven fitment and seal to gear box was leaking which in turn had significantly corroded drive shaft and contaminated clutch assembly. The car was kept off road at dealer for 10 weeks whilst waiting for Kia warranty approval and parts to be delivered. Gear box got new seal, shaft and clutch assembly and sump was dealer recommend for patch up to contain leak. At 30000 the rear shocks failed. These took 3 weeks to rectify via warranty. During fixed price servicing events I arrived to pick up car and find that additional charges had been added for “wear and tear” items, for example the entire throttle body air intake assembly at 45000 kms, an item that usually has a minimum life of 160000 km in urban conditions. The dealer no doubt seeking a bit of extra $ on the parts. Or being charged $50 above the fixed price for standard servicing. On both occasions I challenge the costs and they were reversed but I do question a car manufacturers value set when these things happen. More recently and while the car was under warranty a slight squeal could be heard from front of car whilst under acceleration. This was reported twice to dealer service. On first time the dealer said they thought it tyre noise and on replacing tyres said they didn’t know. On last servicing car the dealer says the idler pulley and tensioner is faulty ( that was the squeal) and that sump leaked patched up in 2014 which may have been leaking for a couple of years needs fixing. Car out of 5 year warranty by a year so expectation is that owner pays $2000 I contacted Kia customer service who advised its too bad and my problem.

So here is my suggestion when buying a Kia. Get it in writing that warranty repairs will be completed within a fixed timeframe. One week is more than sufficient. When getting the car serviced and when reporting warranty items, demand that the service receipt clearly states the warranty issue reported and that Kia service document exactly what they have done to rectify. Be prepared to argue that warranty items are not wear and tear. For example my shock aborbers failed at 30000 and the dealer first argued it was wear and tear. Don’t agree to patch ups. If a fault should be fixed with new parts then demand that new parts are used. I should have done this with sump leak and now Kia and dealer say repairs are covered for one year only. Know that parts have a life range, low to high. My experience is that Kia parts on my car have failed at the lower end of the range.

Ok, but thirsty – My 2009 Sli was comfortable, beautiful and well finished, but the car was very thirsty. Also, some little weird noises, and little issues, like: it blows the headlight bulbs a lot. I also had to replace parts more often then my Japanese cars. Show details

Reliable car. Cheap to run – My husband bought as a family car in 2015 (car was less than 3 years old and had done about 25kms). Such a good car, no issues whatsoever. My husband loves it. It’s a reliable car, very basic (it doesn’t have reverse camera or many features) but we haven’t had to spend much on it. Show details

Weird Problems – My Kia has blown a ridiculous number of headlight bulbs since purchase. I've become quiet good at pulling out the front end and replacing blubs. I asked for this problem to be fixed under warranty and left the car for a day. When I returned I was told there is nothing wrong with the electrics and was charged for the labour for wasting their… Read more

time. And so I continue to blow one bulb after the other. NOT HAPPY.

I have also had the 'safety' feature disabled which allows the car to lock you out while it is sitting with the engine running. Living on a property out west I have to open gates before getting onto public roads. More than once I had my door blow shut, the car lock itself, and I've been left to walk back to the house for a spare key. My handbag and phone were inside the car of course, and it was several miles in the middle of summer. I'm 60 and not well. NOT HAPPY.

I won't even start on the boot that rarely opens or the windscreen wipers that only kind of work. Won't buy another. Warranty doesn't mean much. But it IS good on fuel.

$5.00 plastic mpsd disintegrated! – Love my Kia bought demo was promised new car warranty on book, my steering started to wander & clunk not under warranty no extended warranty because I didn't use kia for services as they over charged & didn't finish tightening bolts on fuel rail. Now $570 later my steering is safe no thanks to Kia. Ended up getting my mechanic to fix it ( at least… Read more

I can trust them) kia will not honour warranty and failed to inform me how dangerous this was as the cog was for the steering! Apparently they have repaired overseas for this substandard part but not here? Kia Mackay's service manager was late for the meeting arranged for him and wouldn't touch the car, just claimed was warranty work but would not book in to fix! Head office customer service just kept saying not their problem talk to dealer, will have to take them to qcat! The part apparently fails in heat and humidity? I live central qld why can they get away with it

I Think I Got The Lemon – It Drives Great, But 1st 12 months it went back to Kia many times, sounded like a diesel and it was petrol, they said it was the fuel I was using I went to 98 for 1 month, still the same problem. After many months 26,000 Klms and many more trips Kia, they realised it was the Engine...they then replaced it. No problem since, economical to run and very comfy ride  Show details

DONT BUY A KIA VEHICLE – I am experiencing a LOT of stupid problems with my Kia Cerato that I should NOT be paying to get fixed! These are NOT mechanical problems but problems caused by the 'cheapness' of the product. I am on a Disability Pension after two major spinal surgeries. I now have 20 pieces of metal in my back! A few months ago, BOTH the keys I had been supplied… Read more

with my Kia Cerato hatch had the rubber disintegrate on ALL THREE AREAS despite my hardly using the vehicle because of my spinal surgeries and long time in hospital and hardly driving and also the other key had NEVER been used. I could not 'unlock' & 'lock' the car. Kia DID come to the rescue & supplied two new keys at no cost, but this was after much 'haggling' and many phone calls to the company. Now I cannot open my boot! My daughter tried to get her suitcase out of the boot at the airport where it is only a quick 'drop off' point & we couldn't open the boot. I had the car serviced today at a cost of $252.00. They told me that it was 'just the rubber' on the outside of the boot opener but I need to buy an ENTIRE NEW OPENER at a cost of $285.00! That's half my week's rent which I can't afford. I then found out that the 'Control Arm Bushes' at the bottom of the steering have 'cracked & torn'! This will cost $645.00 to replace! i tried to phone the Kia Sydney head office for Australia. Some foreign woman answered the phone at reception. I couldn't understand a word she was saying. I asked for a 'senior mgr' to speak to, NOT someone just in 'Customer Service' as I wanted to lodge a formal complaint & speak to someone who could make a decision. I'M A VERY UNHAPPY CUSTOMER WHO WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA! SHOCKING public relations. TOTALLY NON EXISTENT!

This car is a good small car – Car it self is damm good in performance, fuel economy, abit noisy on certain rd survaces and this is caused by low profile tyres inside is ok for this type of car running costs lwork on 60 dollares afortnight lservice car at every 10,000 ks handling good plus l use nitrogen in tyres for coolness of tyres plus gettilng better fuel economy, plus… Read more ·  1

better wear on tyres lhave had car 6.5 years only problem know is me and my wife are finding getting ln and out harder .

update review kia cerato td my13 – the car has just passed 50,000 ks and almost 4 years of ownership , still drive the same as new ! been using premium petrol since bought. no issues whatsoever! it has been so reliable and cheap to maintain ! will definitely consider buying another kia for the next purchase .  Show details

stalling problem – I have had issues with my 09 KIA cerato sli it stalls on start up, any idea what this could be? I've been told it the ECU and it will cost $4000 roughly to replace no way in hell an I paying that. Once I can get it started it runs fine but it is the question on weather I can or not that annoys me.  Show details

Don't buy a kia - warranty is worthless in my case – Engine documented burning 1 litre oil every 3000km. Kia's warranty will not repair unless you burn 1 Litre every 1500 km's. (that's 10 litres between 15, 000km scheduled servicing). Using correct oil. Problem started 60-70,000 km. Lots of tappet like noise also. My opinion-their 7 (mine is 5) year new car warranty is worthless and a false sense… Read more

of security. Buyer be wary! Engine has been thoroughly examined by local dealer. Car has been serviced more than required

Surprised at how good it is – Our Kia is now almost 5 years old and has done 98000 kms. Pros - excellent fuel economy (average on highway/city driving 7.0lts /100kms) only using premium fuel. and very easy to drive long distance as far as comfort and noise levels. Handling is excellent but the trade off maybe suspension is quite firm at slower speeds around town due to low… Read more

profile 17" wheels. Only had two warranty issues that were relatively minor. Engine timing cover seal was repaired and key fob needed replacing. Original tyres did 80000 kms and that was the only extra expense apart from normal servicing.

Cons - clutch is hard to use smoothly from standing start.

Resale value is pretty poor!

Every now and then A/C auto temp selection seems to be out but then it comes good very quickly but haven't found cause.

My Kia Cerato Koup Is A Pleasure To Drive – I also own a Kia Sorento, which I also love very much, but it was an automatic and I missed having a manual transmission. I didn't want a hairy-chested super-car, which for me would just be frightening to drive, but something that had bright performance and was a pleasure to drive. The 2L Cerato Koup fills the bill perfectly for me. The clutch… Read more

and gearbox are light and a pleasure to operate. The performance from the 129kW 2L engine is quite satisfying. The ride is firm without being harsh, and the handling and cornering are more than adequate for me. The tyres just roll around the corners, there is no scrubbing at speeds I have tried. I doubt my ability to drive the car hard enough to find the limits of handling, which in any case would probably require a racetrack and probably with someone like "The Stig" as the driver. :) I think the power steering on the Kia Sorento is nicer than the power steering on the Kia Cerato, but I'm still fine with the Kia Cerato steering.

I'm 195cm tall and I fit in both the front and back seats. The steering wheel, etc. adjust to suit me perfectly. I have ample head-room in the front seats, and just enough headroom in the back seats. The back seats are quite roomy. The boot is quite handy-sized without being huge. The back seats fold down to give more carrying space if required and this can be done from the boot with remote seat releases.

Kia sells this car more as grand tourer than as a hot performance car, but I think it is quite sporty and I think the styling is pretty cool looking, as do most of my friends. I find the car a real pleasure to drive. I particularly like the instantaneous fuel economy read-out on the dash. I also like the rear-view camera and proximity parking sensors, which make close-in maneuvering a doddle.

My car is still quite new, so I don't know how reliable it is yet. I'll probably report on that issue as a comment in a couple of years time. I'm not expecting any trouble. So far it is turning about 8L/100Km fuel economy (which is only two fills so far), which for the power and weight of the car I think is really very good. This fuel economy is outer-suburban running without stop-start traffic, and I think it would easily get 7L/100Km on a long trip.

Annoying Problem Easily Fixed – In reply to your problem with the the inability to take off from a stationary position on acceleration and having a sensation of the fuel being being cut off,maybe due to a faulty transmission inhibitor switch.It can be replaced easily and would be free whilst on warranty.I had this problem with my Hyundai Santa Fe 2012.It took 3 visits plus two overnight stays with the technicians to sort it out.  Show details

Motor blew at 67,000 – In the beginning the car drove ok, a little noisy. Motor was quite ratly, 3 years later and 67,000 kms the motor snapped a crankshaft. Took it to the dealer and was told that the oil pan showed some signs of sludge and this voided the warranty. Engine still had oil in it, never got any warning signs or temp rises. Just think the engine finally… Read more

gave way and now it's my fault apparently because the service was a few thousand past recommended. I think it proves just how poorly built the vehicles are compared to other brands. I won't make the same mistake again please make sure you have a long think about it as no matter how long they offer a warranty for the proof is when it comes time to make a claim.

Don't buy Kia

The best car you can get for money – When buying a Korean car you have to understand a few things: - First of all they do not have local warehouse for keeping spare parts. Everytime you have a failure or car accident you have to wait 4-6 weeks for spare part being delivered from South Korea. - Secondly it is not the strongest car in the world. The base of this car will give you… Read more

enough safety to survive minor or major car accidents, but the covering metal is softer than Audi or BMW have.

These are the only "negative" things I could see so far. Now about good parts.

Buy this car! This is the greatest car for this money. Very comfy, powerful, safe, full of features and great looking.

Cheap and capped price for service. Very low failure rates for parts. You buy and drive. Do not think about anything else.

Huge boot and the best wind screen wipers!

I really enjoy this car. When I made a decision on which car to buy I fully understood both "negative" things and believe me, it worth it!

Small advice to all who is about to buy it or already got one. Buy a better air filter. This model has a pretty good air filter, but there are some better ones on the market.

I bought Si in Red color in April 2013 from a Dealer. So far had 0 issues.

The warranty is excellent and the car not bad at all – We purchased a Kia Cerato Si new in February 2012. The car has now travelled 65,000 k's and has never let us down. The fuel consumption is on the higher side for this size vehicle, but it only uses regular and get's pushed around with 2 children all the time. We had it serviced every 15,000's at the local Kia dealer and only had a minor issue… Read more

with the gearbox, when we couldn't select the reverse gear once or twice.

The cabin starts to squeak a little now, but overall a good little car with great resale value.

I would purchase another Kia Cerato (the new model is really nice).

Average vehicle allround. Ordinary paint finish. Noisy rattly engine. Would not recommend to anyone – Engine sounds like an old chaff cutter. The sound when cold is embarrassing. Heavy gudgeon type sound or very tinny marbles in a tin can. Cannot in all honesty recommend Kia to anyone. Will never consider again. Off to the dealers and get what I should have in the first place, a Holden Cruze.  Show details

Not exactly happy with my KIA Cerato – I just bought a 2nd hand Kia Cerato hatch 2012 model from a dealer in Hornsby, I will never go to them again. At the time of buying the car it was only 18 months old, they lead me to believe the car had 43,000k's on the clock. Upon inspecting the car on day of purchase they tell me it had 53,000k's on the clock, between the time of first phone… Read more

call to organise to see the car and actual test drive (1 week had passed) that's ample time for them to have told me the truth that it had 10,000k's on the clock MORE than they first told me and the car had 2 bald tyres and actually needed 3 new ones. We tried to get a discount on the car they said no. We asked for 3 new tyres, they gave me 1 and my partner had to hand over cash to cover the other 2 new tyres. We asked for a complimentary service then to allow for my disappointment, they said ok.

2 months after owning the car I was spending money on it getting things fixed that should have been done at the 40,000k service. These things would have actually been done if the service had been carried out like the dealer said it would be. I found out later when I complained about the bad service their guys did, the dealer replied "we did not authorise a service for your car and if one was done then it was done in ERROR".

I am now without my car for a time so Kia can sort out what the running issues are. I had a wiring issue which seems to have been fixed but I still have the idle issue which is when my car is in idle mode it goes to stall even when it's warm.

My partner asked the dealer about the history of the car if it had been a company or demo car and he said no. We found out the car was actually an ex-rental from AVIS, the dealer not only lied to us about the k's on the clock etc but to top it all off he was one very rude man to deal with, which to me shows he was hiding more than the extra k's on the clock. I am over my car and want a full refund. To date my car has cost me over $1,000 and it was only 18 months old and I have owned it for now 8 months. I am just wondering if I will be left without a car if Kia can't say for sure what the issue is so therefore won't be able to fix it, it's still under warranty so also wondering at what point in time does that require me to be given a replacement car, under warranty?

But then I'm not sure I would get another Kia after this debacle. It's been one problem after another for the last 8 months. If we had been told the truth at the start about the car being an ex rental we would not have handed over the money to this shonkie dealer in Sydney, very very expensive lesson learned.

I wouldn't buy Kia ever again! – Poor interior quality, after 25000 km's looks like 10yr's old car! Never buy on again. Coolant started to leak after 25000 km, front tyres worn out after 20000 km.  Show details

Could be better – I purchased my 2012 Kia Cerato Hatch last week, the only thing I am not happy about is the USB plug. I tried to put my iPhone cord into it and it wouldn't work, after contacting the dealer who I bought is through and now Kia I have found out that the USB will only read Kia cord connections. After speaking to a Kia worker, they have explained that… Read more

the system will only read connection that are from Kia and that no other connection will work, they have told me the connection is $85! I am pretty upset that they haven't even made a connection for the iPhone 5's and they only have connections for iPhone 4's, they also said that they don't have any plans of yet to make the connection for the 5's. Now, I have to go back to the old way and purchase a port to go into my cigarette lighter and run my cord through that. I would think for a car that is only 2 years old, there shouldn't be any sort of problems with this and for the 'Kia connection' it is just a way to make more money.

If I knew this about the car I would have never of purchased it!

Very Impressed by this little Koup – I purchased the 2010 model with auto transmission second hand with low km. and the remainder of a 5 year manufacturers warranty. This is my first badged KIA and I am impressed by how well it is screwed together and how well it drives/ handles. Despite being nearly 4 years old and a country car (rough roads) there are no rattles or squeaks. I like… Read more ·  1

its design and while not a sports car its engine seems plenty powerful enough for me. The 4 speed auto shifts very smoothly with the nice touch of having the engaged gear shown on the instrument cluster. The car is also economical (I only do country driving) and regularly achieve 6.4 lt / per 100 km. The seats are comfortable and there is plenty of front seat leg room and adjustment in the steering wheel. As it is a coupe the rear access is via front folding seat which operates well and there was ample room for relatively tall passengers in the rear. The darkish interior is highlighted by red stitching on the seats and steering wheel which adds a bit of class in what is essentially a cheap vehicle. The sound system is also good but I miss not having bluetooth connectivity for my phone. The rear roof pillars block vision slightly when reversing but the reversing sensors which at first I thought were a gimmick work very well and the large outside mirrors provide good vision although I would have liked them to fold electronically for parking. The car is lower to the ground than my previous Hyundai i20 and this 60 year old does struggle at times to get in and out smoothly especially when the vehicle is on a slope but the doors open wide which allows plenty of room. While the doors are large and do not have window frames I was surprised by how solid they feel and the windows do not rattle through the lack of a solid frame. There is a proper spare tyre and the boot space is quite large with the ability to fold the rear seats down for longer items.

Overall very pleased with this car and would certainly consider replacing it with a new model in the future. I suspect the new 1.6 litre Turbo model would add some real zing to the drive but at the moment I happy with this older model as I got it at a very good price. The way it drives and the exterior styling. Looks great with the wide alloy wheels . Just a little low for me which makes entry and exit a little difficult for this older driver.

Feels like a Euro – A competent and well specced car, powerful 2 litre engine matched with a very smooth 6 speed auto. I have no trouble with the power of this car, it's right at the top of it's class and gets of the line like a scolded cat. It gets harsh when pushed, but in normal driving, it's fine. Climbing the hills out of town is a breeze, a quick push of the… Read more ·  2

throttle will drop one cog and away she goes.

Fuel economy (when driven in no rush to get to the next red light) is excellent and I find with good traffic on 60km/h city roads and heading home on the highway it's giving up to 16km/L, so I'd love to see what it does on a nice freeway and long distance open road run...

It's roomy and reasonably comfy without being luxurious (I'm over 6 foot). The cabin noise is ok, but road noise on coarse chip is not great (better sound dampening here Kia please). The interior is well laid out and we have Bluetooth and cruise control which are easy to use.

Now, the steering I find to be beautifully weighted, quite possibly one of my favourite ever cars. A nice solid German feel and firms up on the open road, but light at low speeds and maneuvering.

The boot space on the sedan is large and rear seat room is adequate for a fairly small looking car. The styling is excellent and the sedan is my personal preference with a nice rear end. High beam in the country is on the decent side.

An all round very competent, solid, economical and enjoyable drive.

Addendum: Several months later, very, very happy. The day to day use of this car is a joy. It's just an easy car to live with. I have found with 91/95 octane in summer months with aircon use, the fuel economy suffers a little and hard pressed to get close to 16km/litre use out of a tank. However, with 98, little aircon and suitable cruising speeds under 110Kph, we have recorded 17.2km/l or 5.8l/100km. It just goes and goes and goes without any hassle. I have to take back the road noise issue, coarse chip roads are just that and little can be done to help other than drive an old Jag !!! Generally good all round. I also have a 2012 1.6 Ford Focus Ambiente and the Kia is the preferred car by far. Overall economy is about the same for general use uphills and highways and town, the Ford DSG gearbox is pretty horrible and requires a certain driving style to get smoothness. My Ford being a 1.6 is way under powered. Head lights for rural driving again the Kia wins by a fair margin. This is a good compromise between a Aussie 6 cyl and a small runabout. Most definitely look at a Kia again for next car if the breed keeps improving. Steering feel, solid, great styling, fuel economy, room, power, smooth auto, features, high beam Re sale value? Road noise on coarse chip

2011 Kia Cerato Koup – I bought my Cerato new in December 2011. I only needed something to get me from A to B, but this is one comfy and stylish car. Mine is an auto and I really can't fault it in any way. I've taken it on a few long distance trips and found it to be a dream. The leather seats and internal trimmings are great quality and add to it's style. I haven't had… Read more

a Kia before and wouldn't hesitate to buy one again after this experience. Stylish, sporty and affordable More a two person car but got the extra room for passengers if needed.

Good for it's intended purpose but not great – I have owned my Koup since Feb 2010 and to be fair I feel the above review is pretty harsh. For all intents and purposes the Koup does a great job of what it's made to do - it looks good, is reliable, has good fuel economy and has a good interior with lots of features for the price. In the 3 years I have owned it, I haven't had any issues except… Read more

the release bearing on the clutch started squeaking when the clutch was depressed and that was promptly fixed by KIA under warranty.

The biggest downside to this car is the clutch feel and lack of torque from the engine. I will agree with the previous review that the clutch is probably the worst I have ever used... it is too springy and lacks feel which makes the car hard to drive smoothly. This coupled with the low torque output of the car means you have to rev it a fair bit to get it to move. Definitely go for the automatic gearbox instead.

The other shortfall would be the level of road noise (although you can't expect too much sound deadening in a car at this price point).

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another KIA after this one but I think I would forgo a bit of fuel economy just to get something with a bit more torque so you could get off the line easier. Looks great, price, great safety features, 5 year warranty, good interior Engine lacks torque, poor clutch feel, road noise

Reasonably happy – Have had two wiper arms replaced cracked, window trims replaced on both sides twice and 13 headlight globes blown in 18 months. Everything replaced under warranty, however electrical fault not found for globes still investigating. Given the price I cant complain... while it's under warranty. There is some rust pitting in the paintwork after 18 months as well. Price Some poor build quality Show details

Been a great car – I bought my SLI Cerato Sedan in 2009 from new and still have this car. I was one of those people that used to say "I will never buy a Kia". That was until I went on a trip to Korea and I saw heaps of these cars driving around. I fell in love with its body shape. As soon as I came back home, I went to Kia to trade in my dead Mitsubishi. I… Read more

bought my car from Eagers KIA at Kedron QLD.

The first week I had the car I felt like there was something broken in the steering wheel. I took it to the dealer and they said there was a manufacturing problem with my car. They ordered a part from Korea and replaced the broken part no charge under warranty. This was a surprise to me as I'm used to being blamed by the dealer for warranty work.

Since then I had no problems with car except for the tyres. I've almost done 50,000 on these tyres so I can't complain about their longevity. But they seem to have flat spots on them, I've been to my local tyre shop and they say that small cars with large wheels often have this problem, they recommend rotating the wheels and balancing them every 10,000km - something I didn't do. So I can't blame the car for this flatspot problem.

Oh, I have the manual 5 speed and I find that sometimes it is difficult to make smooth changes. Mostly when the gearbox is cold. I have not driven the 6 speed gearbox model, so I can't say if that one is any different. One positive is that I'm a much better driver since I owned this car..

I really love the handling of this car, believe it or not she loves to corner. Quite flat in the corners. This is no sports car, but at least I can have fun in it when I'm in the mood (or in a hurry LOL).

The engine revs smoothly and has great acceleration when your in the right gear. This car loves driving on the highway. On long trips I've received just over 6L/100km while driving at little bit more than the speed limits. On dark highways the headlights are bright and work great.

In the cabin the seat are comfortable, the suspension is a little firm but it doesn't crash over bumps. Back seat has heaps of legroom, you can really fit 4 adults in this car.

Overall I love this car and the great thing is that I still have more than 1 year of warranty left. This car changed my perception of Kia, and I would buy another Kia.

PS: One of my favourite things is the dash at nightime..it looks so cool. They made an effort to make it fun. I think that's what was missing from older Kia's. From the Cerato they put fun and style into their cars. Good price, heaps of equipment, Nice interior, Comfortable, Fuel Efficient Manual gearbox is difficult to drive smoothly

Great package, great price, only two little clitches – Upon buying our Cerato, while I can't complain about the service we received upon the delivery of the vehicle, the vehicles standard features are great. We have had a rattle in the dashboard since the first day we picked the car up. Upon notifying the salesman in regards to the dash rattle he told us they would look at it upon its first 1000kms… Read more ·  1

service. And in short, as the typical way things go when you go to your mechanic, the rattle isn't there and returns when you leave. The rattle is behind the passengers side airbag.

Other than that the Cerato's fuel economy around town is a little heavier than what Kia's figures say, maybe that's Melbourne heavy traffic conditions. Blind spots from the two front windscreen pillars and rear window view is not that good because of the head rests. Positives are great cabin space for passengers great boot space the Kia is very easy to drive for the price range and a vehicle that carries a 5 year warranty. I give our Cerato a 7.5 out of 10 all round.

Bang for your bucks!!! – Good looks, good handling, good value, 8 years warranty, 5 years roadside assistance, capped price servicing, I'm happy with the purchase. Although the car is cheap, it feels expensive inside and out, the quality of the materials used is on par or better than its predecessor. I just got back from Melbourne with this car and the ride comfort was… Read more

awesome, very quite engine, and probably the most relax trip I've done. I did the Mornington peninsula and the great ocean road and the car handled every road with ease, going back to Sydney and yet no signs of wear. The car is is due for its 3,000 k service and it's free of charge, well done Kia. Everything The badge