Car review: Kia Cerato Koup T-GDi
At the beginning of last year we gave you a driving impression on the then new Kia Cerato Koup. Nothing has changed, but we got to drive this good looking fella for a week recently and so wanted to bring your attention back to it, just in case you had forgotten about it.
Just as the car has not changed since our last review, so my opinion if it hasn’t changed either. It is still a great looking car and there is something to be said about a car that can still look good more than a year after its launch. Sure, it might not be that long ago, but in terms of car design and with what feels like a gazillion new car launches every week, it’s actually a rather impressive feat.
It has oversized, swept-back headlamps and detailed foglamps and sits on 18-inch allow wheels. The side mirrors and door handles are black because “the notion of colour coded bumpers etc is outdated,” says Kia South Africa Marketing Manager, David Sieff.
Step inside and you are met with quality cabin finishes. It has black monotone leather seats with an array of standard features that include cruise control, smart entry and start, electric folding side mirrors, rear-ventilation, chilled glove box, electric front windows, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth and a 4.3-inch colour touch-screen audio system (radio/CD/MP3) with six speakers. The seatbelt extension guide ensures you don’t pull a muscle trying to reach for your seatbelt. Something Kia can really boast about with this coupé is the space in the rear, it has more than most of its competitors.
This C-segment competitor sees Kia’s first turbocharged petrol engine enter the South African market. The 1,6 GDi turbocharged four-cylinder engine is far punchier than its predecessor. It has more than enough oomph and if you don’t mind the high revving engine sound as you put your foot down to overtake someone, then fine, I just felt like they may feel like I was being over aggressive. My own hangups really!
This car should have changed your perception of the Kia brand. Kia has been changing perceptions for a while now and if you haven’t already changed yours then get with the times people! The manual costs R363 995 while the automatic will set you back R376 995. You will get a 5 years/ 90 000 km service plan and 5 years/ 150 000 km warranty at this price.
If you want to have a bit of fun, log on to the Kia site where you can build your own Koup and see exactly what it will cost you.