The Koup (short for “Kia coupe”) is touted as Kia’s first-ever coupe, but there was another 2-door that came before this.
Remember the Kia Elan from over a decade ago?
As its name implies, this was a licence-built version of the Lotus roadster, but it used Kia’s own 1.8-litre engine in place of the original Isuzu 1.6 turbo unit.
The Kia Elan was only sold in South Korea.
But one unit made it to Singapore, brought in by the old Kia agent for obscure marketing reasons.
A handful of local motoring journalists, including this writer, even took the left-hand drive car for a spin.
Unlike the Kia Elan of yore, the new Cerato Koup is a bona fide export model, which builds on the success of the Cerato Forte.
Forte-based interior sports unique touches in the form of red decor panels, better seats and “disco light” hi-fi speakers.
The Forte is still the flavour of the month in Singapore, where budget-c0nscious motorists continue to “buy” the saloon’s compelling combination of value, style and practicality.
The Koup, in town by the time you read this story, aims to be as value-packed and practical as the Forte, but it will do so with even more style.
The Koup is indeed a looker.
It shares the same platform as the Forte, but conscientious redesign of the exterior, which includes changing every body panel bar the bonnet, has created a car with a lot more styling flair.
That pert rear, for example, with its slick tail lights and sweeping edges, makes the back end of the Forte look dumpy suddenly.
The Cerato’s stance, too, has been changed for the better, with the car sitting a little closer to the road and its roof lying a lot lower.
That four-square stance is accentuated by the reduced body length (50mm shorter than the Forte from bumper to bumper) and those nicely “blistered” fenders, which wrap around sizeable 17-inch rims.
The wheels in question are a bespoke design exclusive to the Koup, but they also fit the Forte if you wish.
Much harder to redeploy is the special paint job reserved for the Koup, a gaga green shade called Lime Twist that brings to mind the Volkswagen Scirocco’s signature Viper Green.
By the way, we wonder why the Koup buyer needs to choose from two shades of silver (Bright or Titanium) and two tones of red (Racing or Spicy).
Racing Red, by the way, is also a Koup-only colour. It’s closer to Chinese New Year than Spicy Red, if you get what I mean.
Rounding off the Koup’s good looks are an aggressive front airdam and a realistic looking rear diffuser.
The grille and headlights are identical to the Forte’s, but the bumper elements are much more in your face, especially when seen from the rear-view mirror of the car in front.
As for the diffuser beneath the rear bumper, its Formula 1 inspiration is clear but its actual contribution to the car’s high-speed aerodynamics is unclear.
Thankfully, the part doesn’t look too tacky, because it sits well with the black lower bumper garnish.
Poking out from the right-most duct is a pair of “baby bazookas”.
Rounder, larger and also louder (especially on a full-throttle drive past) than the tame single affair on the Forte, the Koup’s twin tailpipes are par for the coupe course.
The engine at the other end, however, could be more exciting. It’s the same 2-litre employed in the Forte, hooked up to the same 4-speed automatic.
Power output is still healthy at 156bhp, but this figure somehow looks less powerful when installed in the sporty shell of the Koup.
We asked Kia’s product planners at the media test-drive event why the Hyundai Genesis Coupe’s 2-litre turbo unit isn’t offered.
The reason they gave is that the Koup is designed for economy-conscious drivers.
Koup gets its own alloy wheel design, which looks suitably busy, and shows off the brakes.
Which is why the other engine available for the car is the existing 124bhp 1.6-litre, while the US market Koup runs a 174bhp 2.4-litre.
The good news is that Kia is working on a turbocharged 1.6-litre for the Koup (pushing 200bhp, according to a well-placed Korean manager we spoke to), with the whole Cerato range also slated to receive upgraded 6-speed gearboxes next year.
For now, the Koup for Singapore is available with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto.
The ratios are the same as the saloon’s, but Kia took the trouble to tweak the drivetrain just for the Koup.
Throttle response feels a tad sharper, gear kick-down is discernibly faster, and upshifts happen later by default in D.
“Adding” and “subtracting” your way through the transmission feels more immediate, too.
Helping the car to get a move on is its lighter weight versus the Forte – variant for variant, some 20kg less.
The Koup handles well.
It still rides on firm Forte suspension, but it has been lowered by 10mm and made stiffer, so much so that the car crashes into potholes now.
The chassis stays resolute, though, with only the dashboard slightly shaken.
Structural rigidity is impressive, benefitting from the inherently greater tightness of a 2-door vis-a-vis a 4-door.
Body roll is well controlled, and the hydraulic power steering is both accurate and well weighted.
Even on Kumho general purpose tyres as tested, the Koup tackles corners with confidence and a certain element of fun that encourages you to keep playing the same game.
If only the Kia had more kimchi in its belly to string the said bends “nearer” together.
Cruising is a comfortable affair in the Koup.
Wind noise at high speed can be heard, but it’s never excessive.
At 80km/h, the typical speed limit on South Korean highways, the Koup is just getting into stride.
We took it to 120km/h where permitted (by a lack of police speed cameras) and the car still feels planted on the tarmac, tracking true.
The front seats are great for long, lickety-split journeys like these.
Shapely and supportive, the Koup’s chairs are almost semi-buckets compared to the standard seats in the family-oriented Forte.
The “dropped” roof comes complete with an electric pane overhead that impedes further on headroom, but space otherwise is decent.
In fact, Kia claims that the Koup offers a smidgen more front room for legs and hips than the Forte.
The driver also enjoys a nice, big alloy foot rest, but right-hand drive cars won’t have this because their footwell is more cramped.
Apparently, it has something to do with the ancillaries between the bulkhead and the centre console.
The F1-inspired rear diffuser looks good, but its functionality on the road is at best obscure.
The rest of the “Koup-pit” would be familiar to Forte SX drivers.
SX is the Cerato’s highest spec level, which features a so-called Super Vision instrument cluster (its centre meter is ringed with red light), a useful multi-function in-dash digital display, an excellent hi-fi system, and integral reverse parking assistance using a neat plan view graphic of the car.
The niceties unique to the Koup are red decor panels for the dashboard and doors (to be replicated locally for the 2-litre model), “Soul hip hop” front speakers with peripheral light-emitting diode lighting that pulsates in sync with the music (standard for all models here), and keyless entry that includes an engine start/stop button (standard for the automatic models from the second shipment onwards).
As for back seat space, the Koup is obviously less roomy than the Forte despite sharing its generous 2650mm wheelbase.
Taller passengers will rub their heads against the rear window, while fatter passengers will rub shoulders with each other.
“Normal” occupants who are neither tall nor fat will be quite all right back there.
Access to the rear is easy enough.
Boot space is a couple of cartons of canned drinks down on the Forte’s 415 litres, but the Koup’s 60/40 split-fold facility gives some load-carrying versatility for Coca-Cola and whatnot.
There you have it, the latest Korean drama courtesy of Kia.
Even though it’s not rear-wheel drive, turbocharged or brazenly racy (the three attributes that distinguish Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe), Kia’s new 2-door is still a job well done.
Whether viewed as a sports car on a shoestring or a grand tourer on the cheap, the Cerato Koup is pretty convincing.
Kia Koup 2.0 (A)
ENGINE
Capacity 1998cc
Type Inline-4, 16-valves
Bore x stroke 86mm x 86mm
Compression ratio 10.5:1
Max power 156bhp at 6200rpm
Max torque 194Nm at 4300rpm
Power to weight 121.1bhp per tonne
GEARBOX
Type 4-speed automatic with manual select
Driven wheels Front
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 10.5 seconds
Top speed 190km/h
Consumption 12.8km/L (combined)
SUSPENSION
Front MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Torsion beam, coil springs
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs / discs
TYRES
Type Kumho Solus KH17
Size 215/45 R17
SAFETY
Airbags 6
Traction aids ABS
MEASUREMENTS
Length 4480mm
Width 1765mm
Height 1400mm
Wheelbase 2650mm
Kerb weight 1288kg
Turning circle 10.8m
BUYING IT
Price To be advised
Warranty 3 years/100,000km
+ Handsome transformation from the Forte, noticeably nicer to drive than the Forte, will cost just a bit more than the Fort
– Cockpit looks too much like the Forte’s, engine performance could be punchier, ride feels too stiff over some roads
