The latest Kia Cerato, sedan or hatch, delivers on value, style, quality and comfort.

We tested the EX 2.0 automatic sedan. It is a very pleasant car, which is easy to drive and to live with. It soaks up bumps in the road and goes around corners with assurance.

Standard equipment includes automatic light control, LED daytime running lights, fog lights, and electric windows and mirrors. Wheels have disc brakes, ABS, and other safety kit.

The Cerato’s interior is pleasant and a big step up from the previous model, but is still quite conservative. The car is really comprehensively equipped. It has everything from airconditioning, cruise control, electric chromic mirrors and rear view camera on the two top models. The leather steering wheel has remote controls and a matching gear knob.

The boot is big and deep; at 420 litres, it almost matches the Sentra and Jetta.

The exterior styling is a step up from the previous model. A complaint about previous Kias has been the dead steering. The cars felt disconnected from the road. This new generation largely fixes that.

Within a day or two, you get used to it and don’t notice it, which is a big improvement.

The EX and SX models have a setting where you can adjust the responsiveness of the steering.Build quality is good, resulting in a five-year warranty. This will give you peace of mind and should keep resale values high.

The in-line four cylinder 16-valve dual overhead cam and 2.0 litre engine produces 118 kW at 6 200 rpm and 194 Nm at 4 300 rpm. Top speed is 205 km per hour. 0 km to 100 km per hour is achieved in 9.3 seconds. Both manual and auto boxes are six-speed.

I think the 1.6 models may be a little lethargic on the Highveld, especially with four adults on board, but the 2.0 litre models are just right. Expect fuel consumption of around 7.5 litres per 100 km.

The price of the Cerato EX 2.0 automatic as tested is R259 995. The range starts at R219 995 for the 1.6 manual. The top model is the SX 2.0 automatic, at R289 995.

If interested in the Cerato, you may also want to look at the Nissan Sentra, VW Jetta, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruz, Hyundai Elantra and Honda Civic. My short list would be Civic, Focus, Sentra and Cerato.

The warranty is five years or 150 000 km, and the service plan is five years or 90 000 km.

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