2019 Kia Cerato spied in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Once again the 2019 Kia Cerato has been spotted running across the Malaysian roads. The 3rd-gen C-segment Kia sedan was first seen locally at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show held in November last year.

The car spied this time around was wrapped in full camouflage with cutouts for black plastic bits and lamps. The car was seen running in relatively small turbine-style 16-inch alloy units with high profile tyres.

The all-new Cerato features more dynamic design, and it takes cues from the Kia Stinger sports sedan. At the front, the car features a slim ‘tiger-nose’ grille, sweptback headlights, and longer bonnet. The side gets ORVMs with turn signals and sweeping glasshouse. Also, it features a short tail giving it that fastback look and feel. On the inside, the sedan features a horizontal dashboard layout with round air vents and a familiar floating infotainment screen.

Dimension-wise the 2019 Cerato measures 4,640 mm in length (80 mm more), 1,800 in width (20 mm wider), and 1,440 mm in height (5 mm higher). The wheelbase remains the same as before at 2,700 mm. As per the company, the enhanced dimension leads to improved leg and headroom. Also, the boot capacity has been increased to 502-litre from the earlier 482-litre.

The sedan’s structure now features 54 percent advanced high-strength steel content and additional hot-stamped components. Also, the 2019 Cerato features five times more structural adhesive at 105 meters. On the suspension front, it gets MacPherson strut and a torsion beam at the front and rear end, respectively.

Under the hood, we are expecting the Malaysian-spec model to feature a 2.0-litre Nu naturally-aspirated petrol powerplant that offers 150 hp of power and 192 Nm of torque. The mill is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission unit. It is the same engine that powers the Australian-spec model, however, in a few markets, the sedan is powered by the same motor but with a few tweaks and an Intelligent Variable Transmission CVT.

Once here in the Malaysian market, the new Kia Cerato will rival the likes of Mazda 3, Honda Civic, and new Toyota Corolla Altis (coming soon in the country).

Also Read:- 2019 Kia Cerato - Details we know so far