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

Is it so cheap and how nice?

The Russian market presents three modern models of golf class of Korean origin. Which one to prefer?
 



A reason for dating
Suppose you decided to buy a new golf-class car. At the same time, a vase has grown out and you can afford a more modern, comfortable and safe machine. However, your budget is designed literally to the ruble, so spending many hundreds, not to mention thousands of. e. For such ephemeral for the utilitarian means of transportation of your family from point A to point B of the concept, as a solid image or fashion design, you do not intend to.
 

In this case, your choice is not so great. If you immediately place a pensioner for a pensioner, our attention switches to the second and third winners on the most cheap pedestal in golf class. These are the Korean hand-entrav and chevrolet-rackets: from $ 13,790 and $ 13,800, respectively.
 

An attractive price is a great occasion for a closer acquaintance, right? We called two of the above models to the barrier, adding to them a slightly more expensive ($ 15,370) kia-tweak. Well, how is her advantages out of such a significant difference? We compared all three machines in the most popular version: the most Russian sedan body and the optimal 1.6 liter motor for a golf class with 5-speed mechanics.
 

Well, what do you know, gentlemen Koreans?
 



Slowly but surely
They look quite good. No, we will not become, contrary to the principles, to give grades for the exterior. But it should be noted that the design of Korean machines with each new generation is increasingly pleasing to the eye. Will the tongue turn to call, say, Cherato tasteless and gray? Kia, overflowing in the sun of dazzling blue metallic, is easy to take for something French or Italian. Not bad in his solid strict Lacetti conservatism in small doses only to the hand of a classic sedan. For me, in this neat three-bobiluet, even something German is visible. Elantra, the main old man at the party, and he is not a mistake. The predatory grille of the radiator seemed to get a modest sedan from some aggressive sports compartment. And the headlights, that the raised eyebrows of the dark -skinned macho. Such impudent physiognomy in the golf class is still looking for.
 

Interiors also make a completely decent impression. The main thing that the future buyer needs to know in terms of convenience of using both Hyunde, Chevrolet, and Kia nothing to blame. The governing bodies are logically grouped, the readability of the devices is optimal, the icons of buttons and switches at the central console are not secret. The general remark is only one inexpensive finishing materials, which is quite excusable for golf class budget machines.

 
Kia Cerato
 

 
 
A very decent CD magnet is included in the basic equipment
     
 
There is something sports in the design of a well-readable dashboard

Round button on top of the speaker (shown by an arrow) opens the lid of the trunk
 
 
Pockets on the left sidewall of a passenger chair not so much for a mobile phone as for road maps

A simple but convenient remote control of the music center on the left.
 


In addition, in the Elanger, gray design is disappointed in every way. Gray plastic, gray fabric, the gray style of boredom. In the CHERTO, by the way, it is full of details borrowed from the Elantra, the cars are just built on the same chassis, but at the same time there is no mention of cheapness here.

 
Hyundai Elantra
 

 

Assessoir of class above a folding armrest with a box for small things
  
Full electric package in Hyunde begins with GLS execution
 
 
The air conditioner panel does not affect stylish solutions. It is just convenient

In the afternoon, the readability of the tidy does not raise questions, in the evening it is spoiled by lilac backlight
 
 
Makeup mirror, a glass and lamps for reading in coziness there are no trifles

Two flyers on the side of the chair regulate not only the height of the pillow, but also the angle of inclination


Kia pleases the homemade, light in class with the color scheme of the interior. I surprised the giant speedometer as if specifically for those who do not even see arshin Sh and B. Why such a scope in the vision table of vision? Lacetti is disappointed with very long and fuzzy moves of the gearbox lever. But Chevrolet has a trump card adjustment of the steering column both in length and in the corner of inclination. Inexpensive Koreans did not have this yet. For innovation, an additional half a bell.

 
Chevrolet Lacetti


   

 
There are a lot of space for small things in the bowels of the front armrest
 
   
Climate control and looks elegant, and is easily controlled
 
Today, even in an inexpensive sedan, you will meet the heating of the seats, the anti -wings system and the hydraulic tankor
 
   
In the door pocket there is a recess for bottles

The back of the sofa can be folded directly from the trunk using this button

Not the best solution by changing the height of the pillow, while changing the angle of inclination


The question of the approach
If a spacious salon is a priority article for you when choosing a car, then ask yourself how many people will really drive on the back sofa? Two or three?
 

In the first case, the back row of any of the Korean golfs is suitable optimally. In each of them, without trouble, I myself sat behind me that, taking into account my height of 1 m 85 cm, a very worthy result.
 

Three healthy people wished to ride on the couch? In this case, Cherato looks less preferable. And the sofa pillow is noticeably shorter, and the Kia roof is littered on the sides. Sitting along the edges will surely polish the light upholstery of the ceiling with a hairstyle. Of course, five hockey players rarely drive a golf class family car, but the reserve does not pull a pocket. Right?

 
   
Hyunde's convenient salon spoils the only banal interior design too much

The steering wheel adjustment along the length and angle of inclination plus chevrolet, fuzzy and long moves of the gearbox annoying minus

Rarely on the inexpensive models of a golf class you will meet such a joyfully bright interior decoration
 
   
Elantra, despite age, is a quite spacious car both in front and behind

Spacious sofa and fabric resembling expensive velor will delight Lacetti passengers

Chemoto sofa has the shortest pillow, and the reserve for the head of the rear passengers is very small
 
        


But in terms of comfortable placement at the wheel there are no complaints. Everything is in order here: a complete set of adjustments and tenacious upholstery fabric.


Where to load something?
The trunk is somewhat akin to thinking about him only when he is not enough. Of course, with a modern level of service, specially trained people will have to carry TVs and refrigerators from the store. Well, what to do with such things as a baby stroller, which is ordered to take the cottage? Order a cargo taxi?!
 

And nothing ridiculous, after all, in one of the three sedans, this vehicle will not fit. Anyway, it is easier to say that the trunk of Korean sedans will be accepted. A couple of large road suitcases and a box with tools or a subwoofer. But not one and the other together. For all for three, one trouble with a folded back of the sofa of access to the salon limits the technological arch. And here is a narrow opening, a large loading height, that is, everything that complicates, and does not make life easier. In a word, despite the minimum difference in volumes, Kia, Hende and Chevrolet, they receive three for the carrying capacity.

 
   
The trunks of all three cars do not differ in convenience, but differ slightly. Elantra has the widest opening

Chevrolet has a slightly smaller loading height

And Cherato wins a little in the interior space of the cargo compartment


Those who do not want to put up with such a state of things are strongly recommended to take a closer look at the hatchbacks, especially since all three have such a body in our market. Moreover, 5-door Kia and Chevrolet are even cheaper than a 4-door model, and the hand-begging Hyunde at the same price with a sedan.




Deceptive feelings
This often happens that one car seems faster than another, but in fact it goes in the same way, if not slower. Everyone who was driving Cheratto was unanimous: Kia quickly than its competitors, especially in the city cycle. It seems that it is this Korean that is the richest, burdened bottom, that is why he shoots so briskly from traffic lights. But why, then, Elantra and Lacetti, who seemed to be not so temperamental, are not far behind? Yes, just the dynamics of three cars are approximately the same, as they say, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe pharmaceutical error.
 

Identical to the last cube and gear ratio of the power units of Hende and Kia are really richer below. Touching in in the second gear and weaving in traffic jams is easier. But on the highway to twist the motor above 4000 rpm does not make sense of noise, but a little sense.
 

Lacetti, on the contrary, prefers high speed. On the bottoms of its engine, you need to twist it so that the car does not sour when switching. But on the highway behind the threshold of 35004000 rpm, Chevy pamper a pleasant pickup. Hence the minimum gain in acceleration to hundreds. And the poor bottom compensate for the stretched gear ratio of the transmission, which can reduce the number of switches. Say, on the third lace confidently and clearly lucky from 30 to 120 km/h. Perhaps not perfect, but quite acceptable city version.
 

The even accelerated dynamics of Korean sedans is only emphasized by even brake data. Note that all three are equipped with discs in front and behind, which is especially true at full load at high speed. We had no complaints about the convenience of managing the slowdown and work ABS.

 



Easy, elegant, reliably
There is nothing to blame for the road habits of the car. And Elantra, and Lacetti, and Cerato are well adapted to highway. All three confidently hold on on the road, even when the speedometer arrow begins to approach 180 km/h: there is no frightening scanning, the suspension is quite tolerably practicing unevenness, avoiding swing, the steering wheel does not strain excessive sensitivity. In a word, not bad.
 

The behavior of cars in turns deserves the same worthy assessment. Koreans, of course, are not so filigreely writing an arc as a focus, golf and 307th, but it is clear that they are trying. The nature of their controllability is not gambling, but predictable. The steering wheel tells the driver the optimum information about the direction of the wheels in the bend, and the whistle of the tires on the bends is distributed earlier than the cars begin to threateningly roll. However, the latter not only praise the chassis to the chassis, but also a stone in the garden of Korean tires, into which all participants in the dough were shod. They do not shine with coupling qualities.




Concert for four cylinders
Say without hiding, noise insulation is the main disappointment of the whole trinity. To admit that Europeans and Japanese do not allow themselves to be so noisy engines in the class of class below. In Lacetti, you will have to get used to the supra -musical and non -musical metal rod of the engine. Usually, behind the threshold of 120130 km/h, the engine accompaniment is inferior to aerodynamic noises, but there is no Chevrolet manage to buzz in the entire range of revolutions from the idle to the red zone. But under the hood, as befits a modern car, a noise -absorbing screen is fixed.
 

Elantra is also not quiet. A particularly monotonous thawing of the 105-horsepower in-line four is felt when you twist the motor when touched to the hill. But with an increase in speed, the whistle of wind around the racks becomes the main source of noise. At least everything is logical here.
 

Chemoto against such a background is quiet from Tikhon. The noble muttering of the motor seems to be a purple of a cat who licked the sour cream. And somewhere, even the noble baritone of Kia accompanies the arrow of the tachometer almost to the red zone. True, here you need to take into account one moment. Kia at our disposal in the most advanced configuration of its factory code 0806. In addition, we managed to travel by car in the basic version. So, with all responsibility, we declare: in terms of sound insulation, these are two big differences. Without a protective screen, 4 cylinders and 16 valves of the basic charte will get you no less than the Hyunda or Chevrolet engines.
 

In the nomination, the smoothness of the course was obviously more comfortable Elantra and CHERETO BUBLE, their suspension is exactly the same. Almost not noticing small irregularities, Hende and Kia are very successfully withstanding more complex tests, such as a sharp spurt along the tram tracks. Tricks of rubber here are all that gives out the change in the nature of the coating. It is a pity that the suspension of these machines is not pleased with the energy intensity. Do not freeze in one of the pits that did not amaze the imagination in size, the Entrar clanged so much the move limiters that the wheel seemed to remain there for a second.
 

Lacetti handed over the same penalty test without moving. In general, Chevrolet gives the impression of a slightly more rigid, but more car collected on our roads. The smaller level of comfort in comparison with competitors, in our opinion, is a good margin of strength.
 





Missed exam
Safety is another aspect, the views on which engineers, and most importantly, marketers in Europe and Korea diverge. Look, in other French or German firms, the Euroncap crash tests pass all without exception of the model. Moreover, the results are published before the start of official sales! None of the Korean golf-class sedans, with the exception of the prerestyled Elantra, did not defeat Euroncap experts. Well, what are they to bet for this?
 

Perhaps more than three Hyunde will not pull in any case. Indeed, in the basic configuration of Elantra there are front -line pillows of the driver’s safety, but there is no ABS. Even taking into account the budget nature of the contestants, in today's times it is simply not solid. Like it or not, the front pillows and ABS, like that of Lacetti and Cherato, should be included in the base of any golf class model.


On the verge of reasonable
Price List Hende is simply nice to read. As we have already noticed, the basic Elantra costs only $ 13,790. Just do not rejoice ahead of time. Yes, of course, in the initial performance of Elantra-GL it is not just a body with a motor and seats, but even somewhere frankly budget, but still a modern car. After all, the 1.6-liter motor is quite competent, and the air conditioner is available, and the front windows. Another thing is that GL does not include ABS. And the rear brakes on this version are drum. Anyway, studying the list of equipment more expensive GLS equipment, I just want to pay a little. There is already a central castle, and a folding back of the sofa, and not at all obligatory, but such comfortable armrests in front and behind. So a full -fledged Elantra is GLS for $ 15,390. How! Another hundred bucks, and you are driving a similarly equipped with a 1.6-liter Lancer ... It’s even embarrassing to remember Hende with a volume of 1.8 and 2.0 liters, who are trying to play in the same league with Corolla, Megan and Astra at a price . In a word, the availability of this hande, as they say, are on the verge.
 

Like Lacetti. Yes, its basic price is also very appetizing. But the set X for $ 13,800 is a machine with a minimum of equipment, and even with a 1.4-liter engine. A 109-horsepower SX who visited our test costs $ 15,690 and, in addition to the air conditioner, frontal AIR-begs and ABS, includes CD, electric package, and fog. Do not even think to reach for the CDX version ($ 17,490) with side pillows, cast discs, and track control. Why, you already know.
 

Kia is even more expensive than brothers in arms. A 1.6-liter charte is offered to customers in four trim levels. But even the basic costs 15,100. E., what is in terms of dollars is about $ 15,370. But who will buy a car without electric windows? And the base+electric package will pull $ 15,560. The optimal equipment for Chemoto (code 0798) is $ 16,080. For a golf class budget machine, this is overkill. Alas, Cerato does not even have a bright base price of thirteen with something thousand, which attracts buyers in show rooms with a magnet.
    
We decided:

The consumer qualities of Elantra, Lacetti and Cerato are the final assessments of this confirmation are very close. With each new generation, the distance between Korean and European-Japanese classmates is reduced. And now she is shorter than ever.
 

Subjectively Elantra (, the average rating of 3.8) liked a little less rivals. Age still takes its own, and today the Hende salon looks obsolete. Other disadvantages of a noisy motor and not too energy -intensive suspension are at least not striking.
 

CHERETO (, the average rating of 3.8), albeit built on the platform of the same Elantra, feelings, the car is noticeably more modern. This is true both in relation to the design and the richer at the means of safety of the basic configuration.
 

Thus, Chevrole-RaChatti (, the average rating of 3.9) wins the Korean confrontation. The only serious minus is a very noisy engine. But the practicality of the machine in the budget category has no analogues: spacious, dynamic, with a reliable, energy -intensive suspension and in a configuration that does not require apology.
 

And finally, I need to say this. The most affordable at first glance, the golf-class models seemed to us ... quite expensive. After all, it is worth the buyer to take one step up from the optimal variants of the Elantra and Lacetti, like the whole undertaking with the purchase of an inexpensive Korean loses its meaning. For 1617 thousand there are more interesting cars. Perhaps this is the reason for relatively modest sales. According to the results of the first quarter of 2005, the best of the trio, the hander, only the fifth in the list of the most popular. Chevrolet Lacetti is content with the eighth place, and Kia-Kelato is the 14th.

But a new focus will appear on the market ...
 

Mikhail Medvedev, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 

A source: Magazine buy a car [10/2005]