The
Kia Spectra or
Kia Cerato is a
compact carA compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
/ small family car produced by the Korean automaker
Kia MotorsKia Motors , is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, owned by the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Its CEO is Chung Eui-sun. The American arm is Kia Motors America. On October 20, 2006, Kia Motors America formally hosted a groundbreaking...
since 2000, originally sold only as a
hatchbackHatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window...
. When the car was redesigned in 2004-05, it later became Kia's top-selling vehicle in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which it remains.
When introduced for the 2000 model year for
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was a hatchback version of the
Kia SephiaThe Kia Sephia was a compact car / small family car manufactured by the Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1994 to 2004. It was the marque's venture into low cost family cars for the overseas market and was sold as either a hatchback or a sedan...
and
Kia Shuma (pronounced Shü-mä´), and replaced the
SephiaThe Kia Sephia was a compact car / small family car manufactured by the Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1994 to 2004. It was the marque's venture into low cost family cars for the overseas market and was sold as either a hatchback or a sedan...
.
The
Kia Spectra or
Kia Cerato is a
compact carA compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
/ small family car produced by the Korean automaker
Kia MotorsKia Motors , is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, owned by the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Its CEO is Chung Eui-sun. The American arm is Kia Motors America. On October 20, 2006, Kia Motors America formally hosted a groundbreaking...
since 2000, originally sold only as a
hatchbackHatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window...
. When the car was redesigned in 2004-05, it later became Kia's top-selling vehicle in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which it remains.
First generation (2000-2004)
When introduced for the 2000 model year for
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was a hatchback version of the
Kia SephiaThe Kia Sephia was a compact car / small family car manufactured by the Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1994 to 2004. It was the marque's venture into low cost family cars for the overseas market and was sold as either a hatchback or a sedan...
and
Kia Shuma (pronounced Shü-mä´), and replaced the
SephiaThe Kia Sephia was a compact car / small family car manufactured by the Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1994 to 2004. It was the marque's venture into low cost family cars for the overseas market and was sold as either a hatchback or a sedan...
. It was developed from Kia's previous hatchback, the Mentor (Sephia Leo). Several years later, Kia reveals the minor redesigned model. Renamed as Spectra Wing / Shuma II. Its successor is also the
Kia CeratoThe Kia Cerato is a compact car sold with two origins for the model:*For the first generation Cerato sold in Republic of Korea, Europe, and Australia from 2004-2009, see Kia Spectra.*For the second generation Cerato sold in Australia, see Kia Forte...
as the Spectra / Sephia II models. The Shuma was powered 1.5 L and 1.8 L fuel injected
four-cylinderThe inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
petrol
enginesThe internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine the expansion of the high temperature and pressure gases, which are produced by the combustion, directly applies force to a movable...
and its
£The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
8,500 starting price was £3,000 less than the approximately equivalent
Ford FocusThe Ford Focus is a small family car manufactured by Ford and marketed globally since its introduction in 1998 in Europe, 2000 in North America, and 2002 in Australia. First generation models continued in production in North America through 2007 and remain in production currently in South America...
. In 2002 it replaced the Sephia and Shuma completely, though it was the same vehicle. In Russia production of first-gen Spectra is continued by
Izh-AvtoIzhevsk Mechanical Works or IZHMASH is a weapons manufacturer based in Izhevsk, founded in 1807 at the decree of Tsar Alexander I, and is now one of the largest corporations in its field. It makes the famous Kalashnikov series of assault rifle, along with a host of other Russian arms, including...
.
- Kia Shuma/Spectra 2000-2004 performance:
- 1.6L DOHC engine 107 hp 0-100 km/h: 11 sec., top speed: MT
- 1.6L DOHC engine 107 hp 0-100 km/h: 13 sec., top speed: 111 mph (178 km/h) AT
- 1.8L DOHC engine 125 hp 0.100 km/h: 9.8 sec., top speed: MT
- 1.8L DOHC engine 125 hp 0.100 km/h: 10.9 sec., top speed: AT
- 2.0L DOHC engine 132 hp 0.100 km/h: 8.9 sec., top speed: MT
- 2.0L DOHC engine 132 hp 0-100 km/h: 10.0 sec., top speed: AT
Three trim levels were available: an entry level
S, slightly upgraded
SX, and the top-of-the-range
GSX.
Second generation (2004-2009)
The 2004 redesign shares the platform of the
Hyundai ElantraThe Hyundai Elantra , or Hyundai Avante in South Korea, is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea launched in 1991.The Elantra was formerly sold as the Lantra and the Avante in Australia and some European markets...
. The hatchback version is called the
Spectra5, and is known as the
Kia Cerato in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
,
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The car is offered in the
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
n market,but no longer in the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an and
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
markets where the Kia Ceed has replaced it, and has a wide range of engines: four for Europe and two for the other markets. Is also sold in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
.
The 2004 model uses Hyundai's Beta II G4GC (CVVT-enabled) engine (see
Hyundai Beta engineThe Hyundai Beta engine is a 1.6 L to 2.0 L straight-4 built in Ulsan, South Korea. All Beta engines are DOHC designs.-1.6:The G4GR is a 1.6 L DOHC engine. Output is 116 hp at 6000 rpm and 106 ft·lbf at 4900 rpm...
).
- Kia cerato 2004-2006 performance
- 1.6L DOHC engine 105 hp 0-100 km/h: 10.8 sec., top speed: for Manual transmission.
- 1.6L DOHC engine 105 hp 0-100 km/h: 12.3 sec., top speed: for Automatic transmission.
Also consider the Kia cerato (2005,2006) Gulf edition(KSA,UAE and Kuwait):
- 1.6L DOHC engine 114 hp (wider air intake) 0-100/km: 10.3 sec., top speed: MT
- 2.0L DOHC engine 138 hp 0-100 km/h: 8.5 sec., top speed: for Manual transmission.
- 2.0L DOHC engine 138 hp 0-100 km/h: 9.7 sec., top speed: for Automatic transmission.
*Kia cerato 2007 performance
- 1.6L DOHC engine 122 hp 0-100 km/h: 10.6 sec., top speed: for Manual transmission
A manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
- 1.6L DOHC engine 122 hp 0-100 km/h: 12.1 sec., top speed: for Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
.
- 1.6L DOHC diesel engine 117 hp 0-100 km/h: 10.4 sec., top speed: for Manual transmission
A manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
Also consider the Kia Cerato (2007) Gulf edition GLUF-DM(KSA,UAE and Kuwait):
- 1.6L DOHC engine 128 hp (wider air intake) 0-100/km: 9.8 sec., top speed:
- 2.0L DOHC engine 143 hp 0-100 km/h: 8.1 sec., top speed: for manual transmission
A manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
- 2.0L DOHC engine 143 hp 0-100 km/h: 9.3 sec., top speed: for automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
.
The Cerato is no longer on sale in the UK as the Cee´d has replaced it.
Kia UK website
It was famously used on
Top Gear'sTop Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...
caravan challenge.
Mid-generation facelift
In 2007 the U.S Kia Spectra received a mid-generation facelift and GEMA engines. Gone are the two awkward spaces between the grille and left/right headlamp area and in its place is grille and headlamp flushed out. The bumper, as well as the headlamps, has lost their pronounced crease near the grille area. The restyled bumper and headlamp assembly now has a smoothed appearance. The rear of the Spectra also received a cosmetic change. Included in the change is a departure of a crease on the trunk lid, in favor of a rounded lid. The taillamp assembly received a minor change which entails the stop lamps being moved from the bottom half of the assembly to the top part of the assembly with the directional/back-up lamps being relocated vice-versa with the stop lamps. The facelift gives the Kia Spectra a more modern look in keeping up with styling trends of its competitors.
Forte/Cerato (Successor)
The new Kia Cerato marked its debut at the 2009
Chicago Auto ShowThe Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Placeconvention complex. At , with over 1,000 vehicles on display, it is the largest auto show in North America and the third largest in the world .The event, first produced in 1901, has been staged more times than any other...
as Kia Forte. It is similar to the
Kia Cee'dThe Kia cee'd is a small family car released in the European market by the Korean manufacturer Kia Motors in December 2006, and was a replacement for the poorly selling Kia Cerato...
but unlike the Cee'd which targeted at the European market, the Forte will be targeted globally. The car is based on the
Kia KOUPThe Kia Forte Koup is a compact coupe and the first coupe from Kia Motors in America, that was unveiled in production form at the 2009 New York International Auto Show. The car was originally unveiled as a concept car as the Kia Koup on 20 March, 2008 at the New York International Auto Show...
concept which is a 2-door
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
but the car will be offered a 4-door sedan version and the coupé version will come shortly after.
The new Cerato is released in Singapore on
FebruaryFebruary is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 29 days in leap years, when the year number is divisible by four...
2009 as Kia Cerato Forte.
External links