Kia Cerato K3

The cabin of the Kia Cerato K3 retains the layout of the pre-facelift model but has been refreshed with new dual-tone black and tan leather upholstery and a new roof liner. The layout of the dashboard remains unchanged but still has a contemporary vibe, with a proportionate design and a decent set of features.

The traditional three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel of the Kia Cerato K3 has a comprehensive but old-school analogue instrument console with an LCD MID, which is informative but looks a bit outdated in this updated sedan. The upper part of the centre console is dominated by the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with the dashboard having rounded AC vents with silver surrounds on its corners.

The lower centre console is separated by the upper layer with a contrast silver accent line while having trapezoidal AC vents in the upper housing and a hexagonal housing for the automatic climate control buttons in the lower housing. The central transmission tunnel has satin silver accents on the transmission lever and buttons for the electronic parking brake and other functions.

The cabin of the Kia Cerato K3 was updated with more comfort and convenience features in the facelifted version, with the sedan now having features like heated and ventilated front seats, wireless charger, sunroof, powered driver’s seat with memory function, powered tailgate and 60:40 split rear seats.

In the most recent facelift, the Kia Cerato K3 received a few tweaks to its front and rear profiles that have made the car look fresher, even though the base design is not more than half a decade old. With the inclusion of new LED elements in the front and rear lights and the new bumpers, the new Kia Cerato K3 now looks more eye-catching than before. 

The front profile of the Kia Cerato K3 has a well-contoured bonnet with multiple curves flowing towards the fascia, which has a sleek appearance. The trademark ‘tiger-nose’ grille in the middle has a chrome finish in its lower edges and is flanked by sweptback headlamps with tapered inner edges and curved outer edges.

These headlamps were tweaked with an all-new full-LED arrangement in the most recent facelift, with the upper and lower edges of these headlamps having a segmented design for the daytime running LEDs. The revised front bumper of the Kia Cerato K3 has a scooped boomerang-like appearance for the air vents on the sides and a trapezoidal air dam in the middle with slanted LED fog lamps on its edges. 

The side profile of the Kia Cerato K3 also looks dynamic, with a hint of coupe-ish essence in its slightly rounded roofline and a smooth curve that flows from the top edge through the entire side body. Below the rounded wheel arches, the Kia Cerato K3 gets classy-looking multi-spoke 17-inch machined alloy wheels. The Cerato K3 also gets body-coloured door handles and rearview mirrors, along with chrome surrounds for the side window panels.

At the rear, the Kia Cerato K3 gets more changes in the form of revised LED inserts for the trapezoidal combination tail lamps with curved outer edges. These tail lamps are now connected with an LED light bar that also has the same LED inserts as those in the tail lamps. The trapezoidal license plate housing is below it in the middle of the boot lid.

With a Macpherson strut setup at the front and a multi-link independent setup at the rear for suspension, the Kia Cerato K3 has a sport-tuned setup for agility and precision in its driving dynamics, thus matching the dynamism of the overall design. The Malaysian-spec Cerato K3 also comes with Eco, Normal and Sport driving modes and paddle shifters for an even more enhanced driving experience.

The only variant of the Kia Cerato K3 is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which also powers a few other compact offerings from Hyundai and Kia. Available with a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard, this powertrain churns out a maximum power output of 128 PS and a peak torque output of 155 Nm.

The Kia Cerato K3 gets several modern safety features such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, hill hold assist, reverse parking sensors and camera, rear cross-traffic collision warning, forward collision avoidance assist, blind spot collision warning and blind spot collision avoidance assist.

The Kia Cerato K3 manages to keep the enthusiasm for sedans intact with its dynamic styling, premium cabin with upmarket appeal and features and a powerful engine that matches the sportiness of the suspension tune-up for it.