Good Update, Good Upgrade

Kia’s recently updated K3 is an even more desirable option in the ultra-competitive mid-sized family sedan segment.

- Azfar Hashim

It’s true, sedans can be equally stylish without costing a bomb. Banish the family-carriage-with no-character image and instead, just think of Kia’s Cerato nameplate if you need a prime example.

Meant to replace the typical-family man image of the Cerato from 2004, it was given an entirely new skin five years later since then, every single heartlander wants the 1.6-litre variant while the careful spenders opted for the 2.0-liter instead. Like an overnight sensation, the Kia Cerato Forte became one of the best selling sedans in Singapore.

And it is no mind-boggling fact why it became so: The new style was a key factor. Then it was simply down to the facts; it has everything every family can ever want; practicality, good performance figures, that killer styling never seen in this segment before, apart from the Civic, and it undercuts the Civic’s prices, making it a seriously affordable proposition.

As a matter of fact, Kia won both repeat customers and new owners. Kia has been on a roll, with so many willing to pay for it, the Koreans have found a winning formula.

The new Cerato Forte K3 carries on that ethos. Although the current exterior has a classier vibe to it, you cannot help but wonder how the next one will look like.Judging at how well its sales figures are, Kia obviously figured, ‘why rock the boat?’

So instead of scurrying for an all-new car, Kia gave their staple Cerato Forte K3 some light touches and improvements.

That said however, we do not blame you if you cannot seem to tell the difference between a MY2015 Forte K3 and MY2016 one. It is so subtle you need to have really sharp eyes to differentiate the old from the new.