Mit Lancer 1.6 (M) vs Kia Cerato 1.6 (M)
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Hi folks,
Need actual opinions of fellow forummers who own either cars, as I'm torn between the two. I'm comparing the "sports version" of the 2 so that to give equal footing. Note that the "sports version" of both cars have nothing to do with engine, performance, or other internal parts; they're just a collection of external accessories for the car to look "sportier".
I'm actually looking at the Hatchback version of the Cerato. Next shipment is only due come April '05.
I've test driven both cars, and the following is wat i've found:
Built
I must say that the Cerato's built is impressive! Unlike older Kia's where u'll have to worry abt closing the doors too tightly (lest the hinges and windows fall off), the Cerato closes with a solid "thump". I guess Kia has made significant improvements, among other things?
Interior
Honestly, the interior of the standard "stock" version of Cerato is very, very, very, very bland. One look at it and I dun want to even get in. However, for $3k more, you'll get a "Premium Edition" with Sports Rims, Leather Interior and Touchscreen DVD player. Defi. worth the money if u ask me.
Having said that, I still prefer the interior of the "sports version" of the lancer. The overall "feeling" when i'm at the driver's seat beats the Cerato.
Specs
Specs and BHP-wise, both cars are very similiar, except that Lancer uses SOHC, Cerato uses DOHC. The Cerato though, has a bigger and roomier interior, and lots of legspace for rear passengers. The rear passengers seats of the hatchback can be folded down for added storage space.
Price
Currently, the price difference between the two is about $10k (estimated).
Cerato
(Like)
- Shape (Hatchback)
- Quality of built
- Features (foldable seats, little pockets of storage space here and there etc)
(Dislike)
- Brandname (kia
)
- Probable poor resale value
- Reliability issue (korean vs japanese technology and reliability)
Lancer
(Like)
- Very sporty shape
- Probable higher resale value
- Nice and solid interior
(Dislike)
- Price
Questions
1) One thing i'm not sure is fuel consumption, as Korean cars are never known to be fuel-friendly. Any one got any feedback on FC for both cars?
2) What's the difference between DOHC and SOHC engines? Is the difference noticeable in everyday driving?
3) Are Korean cars really as bad as the market makes it out to be? I've heard horror stories of Korean cars falling to pieces after 3,4 years of driving, even with decent maintenance. I'm no car expert, and I don't know the internal circuitry or engineering underneath the hood of the Cerato, but it certainly feels solid enough to warrant a serious consideration.
Any further comments from actual owners of the above 2 cars? Any comments will be appreciated. Any at all.
Thanks in advance! -
from what you have posted above, i can honestly say i think you should decide on which car to get based on your priorities.
the lancer. sporty, more expensive, less economical. but hey you're a young guy (i think) and if you have the cash to go for it by all means go ahead! the lancer is indeed a fun car to drive no doubt.
the kia on the other hand. this i'd have to say is a more "family" car. more economical, quieter, tamer, and cheaper of course. but i'm rather sure not as much fun as the lancer.
so we come back to the point of why are you getting this car? for the love of driving? to get from point A to point B quicker than taking a bus?
think about what you really need/want and base your decision on that. anyhow, no matter what decision you make, both are great cars and you can't go too wrong.
btw i have write-up on my site on the cerato which you might want to take a look at. ARTICLE LINK HERE
good luck. -
lancer !
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Thanks, but your single reply of "lancer!" doesn't help very much.
Anyway, this might be old news to regular forummers, but there's a local Kia users club @ www.sgkiaclub.com. Tons of useful feedback from actual Kia users. Potential Kia buyers should check it out before making decisions.
I did.
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Lancer! take the manual gear, 1 ltr can go about 13-14 km.... auto gear is known to be faulty... nice leather interior, dash board, sporty look...
the rest of the specs i'm not too sure but I know Korean Cars are also known to be high in consumption of fuel, guranteed "problems" after 3yrs...
Or you want to be on the safer side, go test drive Toyato.. Vios... take manual gear, not too bad. Auto gear pick up darm slow.... Honda Jazz/ Fit...
all can travel 1ltr: 13- 16km (depending on how you drive also)... -
Go for the lancer if u have the $$ bro... for kia, i have a neighbour who keeps complaining abt his cerato abt the fuel consumptions which he just bought it for abt 2 months ago. For lancer, i admit its handling wise is far much more better than kia and it last longer for lancer. Kia is more like a family like car. Korean car not that reliable to me lah...Trust me...its more fun to drive a japanese car...
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i m drivin a manual sports n i will say that i love the feel of my car.it really gives me the feel of a sports car.like me i have done mod to the car outlook it really make heads turn to look.come on la kia how gd it looks also it does not have the feel.anyway i dun think kia has proven itself n yes resale value too.if u buy sports lancer it will definately have better resale value.fc depends on yr drivin if u floor the acc of coz its higher.mayb travel at 80km/hr will get u 13km plus la.its sound system is also good with kenwood player n all e surround speakers r gd too.so choose well n enjoy yr car.
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i m drivin a manual sports n i will say that i love the feel of my car.it really gives me the feel of a sports car.like me i have done mod to the car outlook it really make heads turn to look.come on la kia how gd it looks also it does not have the feel.anyway i dun think kia has proven itself n yes resale value too.if u buy sports lancer it will definately have better resale value.fc depends on yr drivin if u floor the acc of coz its higher.mayb travel at 80km/hr will get u 13km plus la.its sound system is also good with kenwood player n all e surround speakers r gd too.so choose well n enjoy yr car.
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When I drove my Lancer at KL, heads turned. I didn't do anything to the car. Bought the 'sporty' look. Spoiler, full body kit, fog lamp, front grill all in already. Its not manual, cuz driving manual in Singapore really jialat, legs can cramp
Its not the newest Lancer but the model before that.
The problem I had wasn't with the car, but the service centre. Cycle and Carriage service centre sux big time. But I heard the same about other car service centres. -
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the comments!
Just browsed thru the SG KIA Club, and the main problem with the car seems to be FC. The Cerato drinks petrol as if the tanks leaking
, and the average, at best FC clocked is 10km/l?!?!
That's the figure for a MANUAL Cerato, with all the fuel saving, super light footing, constant RPM watching, on-off airconditioning, watch the limit kind of driving. Can't imagine what the FC figure will be like for normal driving without all these "techniques".
Could be due to the weight of the car, but I'm sure there are other factors too.
Seems like i gotta fork out a bit more the Lancer now. Probable higher resale value, and savings on fuel in the long run. -
I'm driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Sports 1.6 (M)... regarding fuel comsumption...
I clock around average of 14.8km/litre...
my best record... 16.3km/litre on the lancer....(but with no aircon)
I travel from home to school everyday from monday to friday (total for mon-fri is 56km++) and weekends will sometimes go town etc etc...
if there are not jam etc...15km/litre +++ is no problem.. -
Probable higher resale value, and savings on fuel in the long run.
Have you thought about how much fuel can you save in terms of $$ by buying a more expensive yet fuel saving lancer?
you spend $10k more on lancer to save fuel.So my question is, will you spend $10k of fuel if you drive korea car? You may spend more $ on fuel on a cheaper car but you also spend more on a lancer when you save on fuel.
So, it up to you to balance. -
Hello.
$10k for petrol may seem a lot, but i think it isn't? Let's take the following example:
Assuming
- driving both cars for full 10 years.
- both cars full tank capacity @ 50L
- Lancer FC @ 13km/l, Careto FC @ 10km/l
- Petrol price @ $1.40/l
- barring costs of maintenance, langar, road tax, insurance bla bla etc.
- interest @ 2.45% incurs additional cost of $2,450. total cost is $10k + $2,450 = $12,450.
If I divide $12,450 by 10 years and by 12 months, each month I'll be paying additional $100 (thereabouts) more for a Lancer instead of a Cerato.
At the cost of $70 full tank, a Lancer goes 650km while the Cerato goes only 500km. A couple more full tanks, and the cost petrol for the Cerato should be about the same as the additional price of $100 per month for a Lancer.
Since the additional cost of $100 of a Lancer is offset by potential fuel savings, I guess I'm paying nothing for Japanese handling, reliability and technology. Think so? -
if you are buying Lancer, think you should wait for Lancer to drop its price further. COE has dropped about 5k but Lancer has only dropped 2k. Really not a wise choice now, car dealers are holding back the diff which they should give back to buyers.
Whereas for other 1.6 cars, they have dropped about 4k. For new model Cerato, the diff is about 8k.