Kia Cerato YD (Hatchback) S Premium (2014-2017)

Not that happy – I bought this car brand new, and have not yet had a first service, in this time : The constant vibration noise from the hatch cover is very annoying, and has you asking yourself while driving ( what's that noise ) - The on road noise is awful compared to my previous RIO, it is very loud like being in an air craft cabin ( constantly looking for… Read more

noise cancelling headphones) I am not really happy with this car, I thought i would be from upgrading from a brand new RIO, thinking a Cerato would be even better then a model under... Well it is not... The RIO in my opinion, is much much much quieter car to drive with road noise, handles bumps on road better, and is in my opinion an overall better car then the Cerato... Would I put my name to suggesting anybody actually buy a Cerato = NO.... RIO = yes but Cerato =NO spend a little more and get a better car, I will be flipping this brand new Cerato very soon, as I am just not happy with the loud road noise ( especially on older roads ) as driving has to be pleasurable, and in the Cerato it is not...

Stacking up well – Very early thoughts - I've only had my S (AV) Hatchback for 5 days ! It looks good, is very quiet and drives perfectly. Everything about it seems positive and classy. The doors shut with a satisfying clunk. Everything works, no problems whatsoever. The only downside is the fact that the A pillars are rather thick and placed in… Read more

such a way that, for my driving position, the left side visibility is seriously impaired, creating a sizeable blind spot. I am going to have to be very careful at intersections.

I had seen lots of good reports about this car and it regularly rated well against similar cars ( Mazda 3, Ford Focus etc ). The clinchers were the very good price ( under 19K on road ), the 7 year warranty and a full sized spare wheel. I vowed never to buy a car with a space saver spare wheel - I consider them to be an abomination

So, all's well so far. I will submit an update in about 3 months.

OK, now 3 months later still very happy. Everything works and, considering how cheap it was to buy, is of good quality. I have done a couple of longish trips - 600kms over 2 days, and, using cruise control, I have got good fuel economy - 6.5L per 100kms. While it is not the sportiest of cars, I find the engine power and acceleration perfectly acceptable. It is also very quiet except when you plant your foot - it gets rather noisy then. A couple more minor downsides. The roofline is a bit too low for me. I am barely 1.8m tall but I still have to angle my head when getting in to the drivers seat. I reckon the roofline needs to be about 5cm higher. Also, no rear window washer on the hatch. In the past, I have often had station wagons and they always had rear window washers, so why not on hatchbacks - they are very similar to station wagons.

Value for money – I inherited this car from my late Dad, so it wouldn't have been my first choice as a purchase. After 2 months driving it I can see it's a good, comfortable runabout, with quality finishing and materials. With lots of goodies in it, it is good value for money. The car is surprisingly responsive although it does run out of puff if you try too hard.… Read more

A lot of rear legroom. Fuel economy isn't what you might hope for, sadly. The dealership isn't at all interested in you though. I was quoted a 2 month wait for a simple service, take it or leave it. They sold Dad a car with a 2014 sat nav from Motex, with whom Kia are now in dispute. The dealership was totally uninterested in updating the system and never returned my calls. If the dealer backup is so poor, why would you buy the car? I part exchanged the vehicle for something more suited to my own needs and the balance of the 7 year warranty was a help in getting a good price for it.

Kia Cerato S Premium - very happy – Had the car since new in Dec 2015, now done 38000km and am still very happy with it. Just the one issue - that I also see in some other reviews. The Media/GPS/DVD head unit started playing up - DVD would continue to eject even when no DVD present and screens would randomly jump around. Kia service team got the error codes out of it and replaced… Read more

it with a newer Carplay head unit, which has so far been great. Overall very happy with the Kia and very pleased about value for money...7 year warranty, bargain.

UPDATE -- June 2022. Now car has 174000 and still going great. Only had some high use plastics break - armrest latch break & fuel release lever cover/cap - all replaced under warranty. So, still very happy with the car.

UPDATE — Feb 2025, now done 253000km, still going strong. No major drama’s at all. Aircon re-gas, otherwise all standard maintenance and wear n tear. Great car.

Fixed at last – An almost 3 month wait to get a simple fault fixed. We found out that after three months a minor fault can be declared a major fault and we can claim a full purchase price refund under Australia consumer law (federal law ). Handy to know when negotiating with an intransigent manufacturer who is claiming supplier problems is the reason for not… Read more

repairing your car.The satnav rear camera and seat belt warning stopped working in our 2016 ( purchase date) plated 2015) We took it in to be looked at Feb. Finally in April the screen and radio was replaced but not before contacting business and consumer affairs.

Surprisingly BRILLIANT, Very Happy – Purchased new 10 months ago, now has 21,000 on the clock. I had never had a Kia before, and when looking for a small car, I researched and test drove Madza 3, Holden Cruze, VW Golf, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai I30 and Gulietta. Settled on a new YD Cerato S Premium 1.8L Hatch 2014, and I cannot believe how good it is. The hi specs - sat nav, cruise… Read more ·  3

control, reverse sensors, front sensors, bluetooth, reversing camera, comfy interior, alloys, 8 years warranty (5+3), capped price servicing, free roadside assist 5 years... all for 22K. At that time, to get these hi specs, all other competitors were $4000-9,000 more expensive and in many ways they were STILL lacking.

Power is great, comfort VERY good, economy is good, very reliable, and it's fun to drive. Not too hard on the eye either, the hatch is actually pretty smart looking.

After 21,000km it has averaged 6.9 L/100km which is 2/3 highway and 1/3 town driving.

Thank goodness for cruise control, as when I first got it, hopped on the highway and before you know it easily wants to go 140kph, and at 110kph you are kind of holding it back.

We chose it above all other vehicles because as an overall package with all those specs it was easily the best. As a bonus, it just happened to be one of the least expensive. Not often that happens in life!

By the way, those slide out side sunvisors are BRILLIANT when driving to and from work up the east coast, and NONE of the other competitors had them, not even the VW Golf. Even my mate with a little audi was impressed.

Any faults? I can honestly say, I haven't had one issue with it.

Is there anything which could be better?

Maybe a central front parking sensor (has corner sensors on the front) but would be good to have one in the centre) and the front windscreen demisting is a tad slower than I have seen in previous vehicles.

Ah yes, one criticism, the auto door lock! After 10-15 secs when you hop in and take off, the car locks all the doors. I know it is a safety feature against car jacking, etc. BUT when you hop out of the car and leave it running and close the door to keep the aircon going on a hot day while talking to someone briefly, or getting the mail out of the mailbox, after 10-15 secs it goes "click", and guess what, you can't get back in your own car! Easy fix, there is a setting that can be easily altered and the dealers did that on the first complimentary service. Be fore-warned of this and get the setting changed if you are, like me, likely to get caught.

Customer service at Sunshine Kia (Gold Coast) seems good. They give you a free loaner car too, but you need to book way in advance to secure it.

Overall for 2014 Cerato S-Premium: I think one of the other reviewers ([name removed]) put it succinctly... "Just wow"

I agree wholeheartedly, well done Kia.

UPDATE: Oct 2015.

14 months old @ 31,000 km and problem-free motoring, no recalls, no issues what so ever. So far, a brilliant car, zippy, economical, comfortable and way in front of competitors with high specs. Still averaging 6.9 L/100km with mix highway and town driving. Everyone who drives or get in it is still soooo surprised it is a Kia, they don't expect this level of quality and performance from this brand nor at this price.

The capped price servicing is appreciated as there are never any invoice surprises at servicing.

I'll give another update on it @ 50,000Km.