Test drive Kia Cerato (Spectra) Sedan 2004 - 2007 sedan

In the company of Cosmopolitan

In the company of Cosmopolitan
Kia Cerato debuted in January 2004 in Brussels, first as a four -door sedan, and a couple of months later in Geneva they showed a five -door hatchback.
Gasoline engines 1.6 liters, 77 kW/105 liters. With. and 2.0 l, 105 kW/143 l. p., as well as a 2-liter turbodiesel 82 kW/112 l. C. Diesel modifications are equipped with only a five -speed manual gearbox, gasoline is also a four -speed automatic.
The price in Europe is from $ 16,000 to 21,000 depending on the power unit and configuration (LX or EX). The start of sales in Russia is expected in mid -summer.

We did not go to get acquainted with the new representative of the Kia family, to neighboring Estonia. It was here that one of the first serial Cerato with the beloved sedan body and an equally unloved diesel engine in our country: a two -liter with a turbocharged capacity of 112 liters. With. Well, we will postpone the acquaintance with the gasoline version to the imminent premiere in Russia, but for now we will take a closer look at the newcomer as a whole.
The class of class with Tserato was replaced by the Sephy/Noise II family. Agree, the debutant looks brighter than its predecessor, and small air intakes on the sides of the radiator grate give him even some aggressiveness. And the acute edge of the trunk, reminiscent of an anti -wing, is also a hint of sports. In general, a completely European car without pronounced national signs. While considering the car, the formalities with the documents were settled, and for a couple of days I became the owner of a pretty silver sedan.
The weather in the morning turned out to be typically Baltic from the sea by sharp gusts of wind, from the sky, charges of fine rain. Beating his teeth, climbed into the salon and first installed on the climate installation display + 22C. In less than ten minutes, life improved. I adjusted the seat and my steering wheel 173 cm chose the ranges exactly half, the dashboard fell exactly in the lumen of the bagels. They burned the electricrope, the left leg itself rested on the large platform everything, you can go.
The two -lane highway leads from Tallinn, Kia sometimes scoures on the ruts on paved ruts at least often than on the Moscow Ring Road. Up to one and a half thousand revolutions per minute, the diesel diesel is half a day, then the turbine is felt an intense pickup. But the sound accompaniment does not change, the isolation of the motor compartment here is excellent. Only 120 km/h begin to hear the growl of wind in the area of \u200b\u200bthe front racks. However, it is hard to travel in Estonia quickly, huge fines for excess speed will cool the hottest head: for the extra 20 km/h, you can pay (in terms of) 15 thousand rubles! We are going further: the roads went to excellent quality and purity, but in the repair areas the body responds to the work of pendants with rings of the removing thunder in the wheel arches would not have prevented noise insulation.
A rather long base and moderately rigid suspension with reptile stability stabilizers provide a combination of high smoothness with good controllability. The car does not swing on gentle waves and does not heal much in corners. A relatively narrow working range of diesel makes it more often than usual to play transmissions. However, this does not cause annoyance, rather, they even switch the delicious, with relish, clearly fixing the lever at the end of the move. Yes, and a large knight, covered with leather, is where the hand is lowered.
Having rolled out plenty, I go to the shore of the Gulf of Finland, you can rest, wander around the car, arrange a picky examination for it. Very bad: the coincidence of body panels can be checked with a ruler, gaps with a caliber. And the interior details are driven into the best traditions of more eminent brands. The feeling of spaciousness and air in the cabin enhances the light material of the upholstery. Want the music? Please, the branded audio system in a double slot with six speakers allows you to lose both cassettes and CDs. According to packaging, many classmates can envy Cerato: windows and electric mirrors, four seat pillows, belt-to-labels, heating seats, ABS and an anti-wings system, not to mention such banal things as a central castle and various baches-bars-bars. However, this machine in the top configuration ex and therefore stands in Estonia at all a dumping $ 20 thousand. A more modest LX version will cost four thousand cheaper.
The capacity of the rear seat was checked the next day: Estonians are rarely found in small stature, and here there are three of them. Not to say that there is, of course, it presses in the shoulders, but the legs do not rest on the front backs. In a word, it is quite possible to go. Traveling from behind is more comfortable together, leaning on a wide armrest. By the way, there is no average headrest, although there is a third seat belt.
The trunk of an average capacity of 345 liters, but with a large opening, a grid on the floor to fix small luggage and a full -sized stock under it.
After two days of communication with Kia Cerato, there was a feeling that we did not tell each other yet. There are cars roll on them and there is nothing to remember about. There was a desire to continue communication. There are talk about possible assembly in Izhevsk; If this happens, all the more interesting it will be again met with this machine, already carrying the domestic VIN.

SUMMARY
Kia Cerato breaks the established ideas about Korean cars, modern international appearance and excellent quality of manufacture.
+ Modern design, high smoothness, good handling, clear work of the gearbox, excellent fitting of body parts and interior.
- aerodynamic noise at high speeds, the delay in the amplifier during a quick rotation of the steering wheel.
 

Sergey Klochkov. Photo by the author and kia

Source: The magazine "Driving"