NEWS: 2009 Kia Cerato is an Interesting Mish-Mash...
You may have seen it advertised on the Tennis, but now you get to see what it really looks like. It's the new Kia Cerato, and despite the fact that only cheapos will buy them, I thought I'd let you know what it's all about. Kia will tell you about how cutting edge their new car is, but it's only really a Hyundai Elantra - which arrived here for sale a whole two years ago. Nevertheless, it is here to persuade you that Kia definitely mean business. I'm not too sure it works, but on the other hand, I am sure that someone out there will really like this new Cerato.
The styling is somewhat of a departure from the looks of current Kias, and debuts what will become the new corporate face of Kia. The reason for the new design is that Kia have a new head designer, Peter Schreyer, who came to Kia from Volkswagen. The Cerato is an example of the apparently distinctive new "Schreyer Line" grille - which is as unremarkable as any other grille, just that it has two extra slithers of chrome near the Kia badge.
So anyway, the way it looks. The main influence here is clearly Honda, from the shape of headlights (which look interchangeable with the new Accord Euro) to the V-shaped face design, to the shape of the rear lights and boot (which screams "Civic" to me). But I still can't shake a little sense of Ford BF Falcon in the bonnet and the side profile, even though I very well know that Kia wouldn't be influenced by a large Australian sedan that is not sold anywhere else in the world.
So yes, I do believe it is be very derivative, but rather boring and safe nonetheless. Although having said that, the new Cerato is infinitely classier than the Elantra it is based upon, and although that doesn't say much, surely this can only help Kia in their quest to be perceived as a high quality car maker.
Less helpful is the design of the interior, which here is pictured in top spec SLi form (note the little bits of piano black finish, which is becoming more and more popular everywhere, it seems). While the centre console is rather nice, the overall impression of the interior is that it is very cheap. The fake metal finish just looks like silver plastic, and while the dark overall colour of the interior is meant to give the Cerato a European ambience, the overwhelming use of what I like to call "orange peel" plastics (you know, that rough dimply stuff that tells you it's a cheap car) spoils it. It also has probably the ugliest steering wheel design I've seen for quite a while.
But the Cerato will stay cheap, with a starting price of $18,990 - which becomes even more attractive with an optional $1,000 package that includes Stability Control, Traction Control, Cruise Control, and Audio Controls on the steering wheel. I call it... the control pack. Equally impressive is the new engine, still a 2.0 Litre, but with 115kW (making it the most powerful naturally aspirated 2.0 Litre in its class), and a tidy economy figure of 7.9L/100km. And with all six airbags as standard issue, the new Cerato suddenly sounds quite attractive.
In fact, Kia reckons that only prejudice will stop them selling a heap of Ceratos this year. They've set the target of 3,000 - but regardless, I'm starting to thing it might be worth a look for people who want conservative looks and a high level of features, without having to pay a high price.
DETROIT MOTOR SHOW 2009: Subaru Legacy Concept Points to the Future Liberty/Legacy
This is what I believe the next-gen Subaru Liberty (known as the Legacy elsewhere in the world) will look like, if you take away all the WRX-like bodykit and futuristic lights. It's letting us know that it is definitely still a Subaru, anyway: it's pretty ugly. But that's what Subaru are known for, and that's what they'll continue to be known for. Besides, I'm sure the car will be of exceptional quality and will handle beautifully. But it definitely won't be cool.
Actually, when the current Liberty was released in 2003, I quite liked it, and I thought it had a classy masculinity that was missing from the Accord Euro and Mazda6 - I thought that Subaru may have finally cracked it, when it comes to styling. It may have been somewhat bland, but at least it wasn't ugly, 
like the infamous bug-eyed Impreza of 2000. But alas, then they brought out the Tribeca, made the Forester ugly as well, and gave the Liberty a facelift that didn't really work. It looked worse than it did to start with!
I can see that this design is, in many ways, an evolution of the current Liberty, but far more agressive. I can't really tell you why it is so bad, but when I compare this this to a Mazda6, I just know that this new Liberty doesn't look quite right. I think the rear of the car is by far the most offensive area.
So get ready for a new Liberty, set to offer a third alternative to the brilliant Accord Euro and Mazda6. It'll turn up late this year or early next year (next year is 2010 now, remember).
