The 2015 Kia Cerato is one of the best value compact cars around. It is largely similar to the 2014 models, but offers some significant upgrades.
The Cerato is a vehicle that is produced by the South Korean car manufacturer Kia. Classified as a compact vehicle, the Cerato was introduced in the year 2003 as one of the more high end vehicles in Kia’s lineup.
After undergoing a major facelift about three years after it was first introduced, the Kia Cerato saw a boost in its popularity and became widely known as a competitive entry into the compact vehicle market.
Kia seems to be looking to take their competitors head on with the 2015 Kia Cerato, having included several upgrades to the overall design of the vehicle. Note that the Kia Cerato is known as Kia Forte in some countries, though the Cerato name is retained in Nigeria and the rest of Africa and a few other countries.
The Exterior
The 2015 Kia Cerato is available in three different styles, though all styles may not be available in all markets. The first of these styles is the standard sedan for which there are two trim levels of any of the combination: LX, EX or SX (may be known by different names in some markets).
The other two styles are the two door Coup (a.k.a Cerato Koup) and the four door hatchback, both of which are available in two different trims: EX or SX.
The exterior of the vehicle is not exactly stylish, but then again this was never meant to be a stylish car. Simplicity and solidity is what the 2015 Kia Cerato is all about and it shows in the way the exterior of this vehicle has been designed.
The wheels of the vehicle depend on what trim level you choose to purchase. In the LX trim level (not in all markets), the wheels are made of steel and measure at about 15 inches. You get a slight size boost as well as a material upgrade in the 2015 Kia Cerato EX, with the wheels at this trim level being about sixteen inches and are made of alloy.
Getting the SX trim will get you an upgrade in the size department from the EX, with 18 inchers, but the material is the same alloy.
The Interior
Despite the fact that the Cerato is widely considered to be the stodgy, practical economy car with cluttered cabins in order to facilitate easy access to all of the controls, the interior cabin of the 2015 Kia Cerato is actually quite good looking, with the materials used being of a surprisingly high quality.
In fact, the materials used in the interior cabin of the higher end trim levels are bordering on premium, and would give most vehicles made by high end car manufacturers a run for their money for sure.
The touchscreen interface of the 2015 Kia Cerato is well positioned and easy to use, something that can’t be said for a lot of the vehicles that are coming out these days that are unable to successfully incorporate technology into the interior design of their vehicles without making the cabin seem clunky.
The interior cabin also has plenty of room, with enough room in the back for even larger adults which no one expected from a vehicle in this size subtype. The sedan offers about 15 cubic feet of storage capacity whereas the hatchback offers around 23 cubic feet.
Safety
The 2015 model of the Kia Cerato comes with all of the safety bells and whistles that one would expect from a vehicle produced by a manufacturer with the reputation that Kia has.
These safety features include antilock disc brakes along with traction and stability control, as well as a full set of airbags. A rearview camera is also available as an optional safety feature.
Additional optional premium safety features in the 2015 Kia Cerato include roadside assistance and emergency crash notifications as well as secondary driver monitoring that you can use to make sure that your children don’t stay out past their curfew among other things.
In brake tests performed on the vehicle, the 2015 Kia Cerato came to a complete stop from sixty miles per hour after 121 feet which is better than average for vehicles in its class.
The vehicle also did extremely well in crash tests conducted by the government, scoring five out of a possible five stars indicating a perfect score.
In tests conducted by the United States based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2015 Kia Cerato (Forte) also did very well, being given the highest possible rating of “Good” in all of the tests that were conducted except for the small overlap frontal offset test in which it scored the second lowest rating of “Marginal”.
Note all tests quoted were taken on the 2015 Kia Forte, which is the United States equivalent of the 2015 Kia Cerato
Performance
Kia certainly didn’t skimp out on engine quality in the 2015 Kia Cerato. The 2.0 litre, four cylinder 118 kilowatt engine of this vehicle is one of the most powerful engines available in this class.
However, the acceleration is surprisingly sluggish for its capacity, even though to be fair the vehicle is quicker in general than other vehicles in its class. A downside of an engine this powerful is that it is quite noisy.
The 2015 Kia Cerato also offers a 1.6 litre 95.3 kilowatt engine or a 1.8 liter 108 kilowatt engine (in some markets), which is limited to the EX trims.
The gear changes are smooth, the vehicle downshifts almost intuitively as the situation demands it and the six speed manual variant of this vehicle is also a lot of fun to drive if you are so inclined.
However, for all of these great features regarding the performance of the vehicle, the 2015 Kia Cerato lags behind its competitors wherever rough surfaces come into play.
Conclusion
The 2015 Kia Cerato is a vehicle that is both solid and simple. With easy to use controls as well as a spacious interior everything about this vehicle seems to emanate a sense of practicality and pragmatism except, however, the fuel economy.
The below average fuel efficiency and a ride that is sometimes less than refined may be an issue, but the 2015 Kia Cerato does make a good impression and can potentially serve you well and should at least make your list of potential cars.
Pricing and availability
The 2015 Kia Cerato is available in Nigeria. You can buy Kia Cerato at Kia Dealer outlets near you as well as on Konga.com. 2015 Kia Rio price in Nigeria is expected to range from N4,100,000 to 9,000,000 NGN.
2015 Kia Cerato Specs
Here are a few specs of the 2015 Kia Cerato Compact Sedan:
Exterior
- Beam Headlights: Yes, HID Xenon Headlamps with Front Fog lights
- Power Mirrors: Yes, with Turn Signal Indicator
- Power Moonroof: No, Optional in 2.0 Litre models
- Power Liftgates: Not Necessary
- Steel Wheels: Yes, 15-inches Wheels (LX trims only)
- Alloy Wheels: Yes, 16-inch Wheels (EX trims), 17-inch Wheels (SX trims), 16-inch Wheels (optional for LX trims)
- HSEA Glass: Yes
- Rear spoiler: Yes (SX trims)
- Chrome-tipped exhaust: Yes (EX and SX trims)
- Grille: Yes
Interior
- Air Conditioning: Yes, SX trims add Automatic
- Media Player: Yes, AM/FM CD player, MP3/WMA playback
- Speakers: 4 Speaker System or 6 Speaker System (dependent on trim level or market)
- Audio Jack: Yes
- USB Port: Yes, with iPod connectivity
- Voice Recognition: No, optional on SX trims
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Wireless Charging: No
- Display: Yes, Infotainment System
- Backup Camera: Yes
- Satelite Radio: –
- Run Apps: No
- Remote Keyless Entry System: Yes
- Fabric Seats: Yes (LX and EX)
- Leather Seats: Yes (SX trims and models with 2.0 Litre Engines)
- 60/40 split fold-down: Yes (Hatchback only)
- Cruise Control: Yes (EX and SX)
- Steering Wheel: Yes, Power Steering (Tilt/Telescopic)
- Power Doors: Yes
- Modes: –
- Power Windows: Yes
Safety
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC): Yes (with Vehicle Stability Management (VSM))
- Traction Control (TRAC): Yes
- Anti-lock Brake System (ABS): Yes
- Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD): Yes
- Brake Assist (BA): Yes
- Hill Start Assist Control (HAC): Yes
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW): –
- Airbags: Yes
- Seatbelts: Yes, 3-point seatbelt for all seats and LATCH for kids
- Side-impact door beams: Yes (with Front and Rear Crumple zones)
- Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS): Yes
- Engine Immobilizer: Yes (with central lock)
- Anti-theft System with alarm: Yes
Engine System
- Engine Type: 2.0-Litre In-line 4-Cylinder, 16-Valve DOHC Dual-CVVT Engine, 1.8-Litre In-line 4-Cylinder, 16-Valve DOHC Dual-CVVT Engine, or 1.6-Litre In-line 4-Cylinder, 16-Valve DOHC Dual CVVT Engine
- Engine Power: 118 KW @ 6200 rpm (for 2.0 Litre engine), 108 KW @ 6,500 rpm (for 1.8 Litre engine), 95.3 KW @ 6,300 rpm (for 1.6 Litre Engine)
- Engine Torque: 194.2 Nm @ 4,300 rpm (for 1.4 Litre engine), 176 Nm @ 4,700 rpm (for 1.8 Litre engine), 157 Nm @ 4,850 rpm (for 1.6 Litre engine)
- Ignition System: Direct Ignition System (GDI) (Multi-Point Injection (MPI) in some trims in some markets)
- Transmission: 6-Speed Manual or 6-speed Automatic
- Drivetrain: Front Wheel Drive
- Brakes: All Disc Brakes
- Mileage estimates (mpg city/highway/combined): 25/37/30 mpg (6-speed Manual) or 26/39/31 mpg (6-Speed Automatic)
- Emmission Rating: –
Exterior Measurement
- Width: 1,780 mm
- Length: 4 560 mm
- Height: 1,455 mm
- Wheelbase: 2700 mm
- Ground Clearance: 150 mm (minimum)
Interior Measurement
- Shoulder Room (Front/Rear): 1424 / 1394 mm
- Hip Room (Front/Rear): 1366 / 1348 mm
- Leg Room (Front/Rear): 1071 / 911 mm
- Head Room (Front/Rear): 993 / 947 mm
Weight & Capacity
- Curb Weight: 1221 to 1319 (depends on trim levels)
- Cargo Room (rear seat up/down): 0.482 cubic-metre (Sedan)
- Fuel Tank: 50 Litres
- Seating Capacity: 5
- Towing Capacity: 610 to 2100 kg
- Warranty: 5 Year / 100000 km
