Kia's first ever two door coupe debuted as a concept car at the 2008 New York International Auto Show, just seventeen months later sees the production launch of the Kia Cerato Koup in Australia. Styled in California by Peter Schreyer and built in Korea, the 4 Speed Auto or 5 Speed Manual continues the trend of sensational looking and unique cars from Kia.
Based on the 4 door Cerato sedan but 20kgs lighter the all new Koup body has been built using only the bonnet as a shared body panel. From the front-end you see the Koup shares some DNA from Cerato sedan, but the Koup has a stronger, younger and more aggressive styling than its older sibling. These more youthful traits will only help its appeal to its intended audience. While closely related to the sedan, the two-door Kia Cerato Koup is 60mm lower, 10mm thinner it's also shorter than the sedan without comprising interior space.
The aggressive styling incorporates Kia's 'signature grille' which flows elegantly in to the four-light, black bezel headlamps and indicators. The Koup rides on a set of great looking 17-inch alloy wheels that come fitted as standard, keeping you on the road are low profile 215/45 R17. From the rear of the vehicle Kia continues with its aggressive theme with slim, wrapped tail lights and dual sports exhaust. The Koup will be sold in Australia with a choice of four colours Racing Red, Clear White, Ebony Black and Bright Silver.
Opening the frameless doors and stepping in to the Kia Koup you will find a spacious cabin which includes climate control, cruise control, auto headlights, 3 spoke leather wrapped steering wheel, MP3 CD player with 4 speak stereo plus the ability to connect your IPOD via USB or Aux inputs. The interior on the Koup only comes in black one-tone cloth which is finished off with sporty red stretching in the seats, door trims and steering wheel. Access to the rear seats is gained by a tilt and slide motion of the front seat using a lever on the located in the headrest and is simple to use, most buyers shouldn't have any trouble gaining access to the rear. Finding a suitable driving position in the Koup is easily managed via multi-adjustable seat and the tilt/reach adjustable steering wheel.
The Kia Koup is powered by a 2.0 litre Theta II CWT 4 cylinder engine that delivers 115kw of power at 6200rpm and 194Nm of Torque at 4,300rpm. Acceleration for 0 to 100kmh in 9.3 seconds isn't supercar like but still brisk enough for city driving. Braking is supplied via 280mm ventilated front discs, while the rear braking system features 262mm solid rear disc brakes. ABS anti-lock and EBD brake force distribution systems are standard. The 4 speed auto comes with sports mode that allows the driver to have clutch-less sequential manual gear changes.
The Koups front suspension employs MacPherson struts (like the Cerato sedan), but with wider 'L'-shaped lower-arms for enhanced high-speed stability and an increased castor angle for greater self-centring and a sharper steering 'feel' in city driving. The rear suspension features a coupled torsion beam axle (CTBA) layout whilst the dampers and coil springs are mounted separately allowing cabin and cargo space to be maximised with minimum intrusion. The Koup steering uses a speed-sensitive hydraulically power-assisted rack-and-pinion system, which enables only 2.60 turns of the wheel lock-to-lock and a turning circle of 10.78 metres.
It's also great to see a long list of safety features come as standard. Inside, the Koup is equipped with six airbags as standard. Dual front airbags, dual front side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags (linked to rollover sensors as well as impact sensors) offer maximum head protection to all occupants. Active head restraints also come standard for both front seats. Other safety features also include ESP (electronic stability program), TCS (Traction Control System), ABS anti-lock braking system and EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution). To round out the safety features the Koup is also fitted with RPAS (Rear Park Assist System)
The Cerato Koup is Kia's first foray in the sports segment in Australia. They have done themselves plenty of favours by only having one trim level, leaving the buyers only to choose a colour. With a sharp entry price of $23,690 for the manual (Auto $2,000 extra) and a long list of standard features plus Kia's usual unlimited kilometre / 5-year warranty for privately registered vehicles (130,000 kilometres / 5 years for business and commercial vehicles). CarShowroom expects to see a quite a few Kia Koups driving around town.
