Hi Cerato owners...

Some opinions needed...

I've had a Forte 1.6SX for 7 years... trouble-free ownership generally... only issues not of my doing were a faulty fuel pump sensor few months ago (replaced in a few days), faulty driver door button a year-plus back (also replaced in a few days after I ordered part) and a tendency for a headlamp bulb to blow once in a year or two. Otherwise, been a smooth ride thus far... used to service at Puchong initially, which was ok, then moved to Glenmarie SC, which is very efficient and organised.

So, no issues on after-sales or car itself... I average about 9.5l per 100km, city driving.

The thought of changing car this year has crossed my mind - either the K3 or Hyundai Ionic.

Worry is that if I keep the Forte too long, won't get much on resale... at least now, I can expect arnd RM25k...

Any Cerato K3 issues I should be aware of...?

Thanks for your feedback...

Thank you... don't get me wrong... my forte was no trouble at all... just in very tiny phases. this is the longest i've kept a car, my previous honda city was more headache.

the only times i couldn't get the Forte on the road was when battery died. i'm very happy with it - but just a nagging feeling now about its age, wear-and-tear parts that will need replacing and resale if i keep it too long.

The boot space of the Ionic bothers me too. But I'm confident about Hyundai after sales as my wife has had an i10 for more than 5 years... no issues.

Which year and model was your Forte?

How's the Cerato so far..?

Good to know... I'm also toying with the idea of the 2.0

Effy92 - thanks for the feedback. New Cerato only in 2019, yes... I think price by then would also go up with new features and engine. I also hear the Elantra is going to have a turbo engine, which I'm not so keen on. Anyway, next few weeks will be spent testing. The Ionic makes a lot of sense, just a thought that not many on the road yet... Cheers!

That guaranteed trade-in value for Kia is a good hook, plus the 1.6 K3 is more loaded with specs than my Forte; Naza also throwing in free insurance and RT for first year apart from a 7k discount and 3 years free service. Going to test drive it soon to see how much of a difference the drive is. The other option is to shell out a bit more for long-term fuel economy with the Hyundai Ionic.

I probably can get the 1.6 K3 for 90k, gotta see what that package includes... tempting, just wondering if it will be like driving the Forte all over again, haha... well, I'll find out this weekend...

I will indeed!

Thanks for your impressions... yes, 1.6 is a good option in terms of road tax, but will test drive the 2.0 also...

But if I can go for the 2.0, may as well settle for the Hyundai Ionic... around same price for the top range as 2.0 with discounts...

Space not an issue... I'm not tall, and it's only me and the wife... Cerato has 7k discount from its 124k+ tag

So I test drove the Kia Cerato K3 1.6 (the 2.0 not available for test drive) and Hyundai Ionic this morning at Glenmarie.

The Ionic is loaded with features and new technology, but the ride didn't impress me and the engine seemed a bit rough when I stepped on the gas. It has decent pickup in Sports mode.

The Cerato was a smoother drive and ride, cabin seemed classier and both ride and drive felt a few steps up from my Forte. Both the wife and I preferred it to the Ionic.

Now the wife says, you've had 1.6 so far, why not go for the 2.0 - the price is RM110k+ - after knocking off the discount, the free insurance/RT by Kia and taking the RM3k rebate over the free 3 years of service. The 1.6 is RM93k+ after all the rebates.

Just a matter of when the deal is done and colour option now...

This post has been edited by Bassraptor: May 28 2017, 02:22 PM

The funny thing is... up until a day ago, based on paper specs, I thought the Ionic would be my choice....

Honestly, the cabin space factor wasn't the deal-breaker for me... it was the drive and ride...

No I didn't as I wasn't interested in anything other than these 2 brands.

1. Price.

2. Both Kia and Hyundai are the devils I know... 7 years of generally smooth Kia ownership and for my wife, close to 6 years of smooth Hyundai ownership. After-sales more important to me. I can't wait one month for service appt - my friend who owned a Mazda 3 for 6 years had this experience. I'm happy with Kia after-sales.

3. I had a Honda City from 2004 to 2010. Sent my car in for service one day, they asked to collect at 5pm, so I did. Half an hour later, they call to say they actually forgot to service my car, had to send in again next day. They asked to service aircon after 4 years which I did with them - next day whole lot of white power when I switched on aircon. Inside of the car looked like crap after a year, so cheap were the plastics used. My Forte, the salesmen at Kia and Hyundai can't believe it's already 7 years.

4. I tested VW Jetta and Passat... impressed with Passat, would have settled for Jetta. But my good friend, who is VW diehard, told me to stay away as after-sales still sucks.

5. If I have any issue with Kia or Hyundai cars, I know how to settle it...


So that's why...

Go for the SX... I believe KX doesn't have stability control features... put safety first. Also, officially, KX being discontinued. And read the VW thread re after sales before going down that road. I tested Jetta against Cerato SX... felt the Kia was classier.

So I got my Cerato 2.0 a week ago. My previous Forte 1.6SX seems almost basic in features in comparison, although I know the Forte broke new ground when it first came out. Enjoying my Cerato drive so far, going to get window tint done next week and after that, hopefully can find a decently priced detailing/coating service.

I will, hope others do as well. Right now, I feel car is pampering me a lot...

Mine is the facelifted current model, doubt you will get a used one at this point, yes, I bought new.

FC appears to be comparable to my previous 1.6 4-speed, but I will have a better idea in a few months. The new car has 3 modes - normal, sports and eco, so if FC is important, you know what to opt for...

Ride is comfortable, and the steering is effortless (since it is electronic, unlike the motor-assisted previous one)

Let me run in the first 1,000km before I gun the gas, haha...

Not within budget. Would have gone for Civic turbo otherwise... for that kinda money

They would be the same colour, yes, but you still can make them out...