Heads will turn and people will stare at Kia’s success story, the Cerato. This name has lasted through two generations of models and withstood the hard times where other Kia models have failed.

The new Kia Cerato is a revised model of the sedan that was revealed two years ago. However, now there is a new hatchback model that is also available. There are two models suitable for small car buyers, yet there are definite quality differences. The entry level Si variant is good value; however the SLi has more features and is unmistakably better, but it will cost an extra $6000.

The alloy wheels take up a large portion of this difference alone – almost $4000. However, the six speed auto box runs extremely well for a small car.

The manual SLi comes with climate control air conditioning, leather steering wheel, good seat trim and a trip computer. Although both the automatic and manual drive well, due to past cases, the automatic is a better choice as the manual does not always have slick shifting. The automatic runs smoothly and is more appealing.

The quality of the manual’s shift is quite good and the détente does have foolproof shift. It is the clutch takeup that affects the ease of launching, making it difficult to take full advantage of the manual system. For a small, two-litre hatch the engine is not extremely powerful and it’s also louder than others in its class as the rev range is higher.

The engine gives great performance across the rev range and in order to make the drive home in traffic easier the engine develops torque.

This car is able to stroll along at 3000rpm before moving up to the next gear. At 1500rpm there is no vibration or unnecessary effort. Therefore it is a great choice for those who enjoy an easy trip in a manual vehicle. The Cerato manual is quite fuel efficient with a fuel usage rate of about 8.9L/100km in city areas and just 6.6L/100 in more open areas. This car almost acts like a diesel engine instead of a petrol-guzzling machine.

Driver enthusiasts must remember to disengage the stability control before pushing their car and driving hard as the traction control takes longer to ease up when the stability control has been activated. The brakes are fairly sensitive and respond quickly. However, in wet weather, the manual model can sometimes create torque steer. All in all, this car may drive well, but these elements do not make for a fun-filled car.

Despite being a small car, the inside is very spacious. The rear-seat legroom is large enough for average-sized adults and the boot space was surprisingly deceiving as a lot more could fit in than looked possible. Unfortunately the seats were not very soft or supportive; however they would be acceptable for day-to-day driving.

The Cerato is a great small car to use every day and could even be used as a family car. The fuel efficiency, reasonable price and excellent automatic transmission make this car a great choice.