Comparison of Kia Cerato, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla: Two Bestsellers vs. Corolla
First, some more statistics. As we have said, sales in its segment Octavia out of competition. The closest pursuer is Kia Cerato: last year these sedans sold just over 11,000 units. Yes, the gap is great, but do not forget that in 2018 cerate survived the change of generations. Toyota was in the same situation with its Corolla – a new generation model appeared only this year, and in the past only 5,199 cars were sold. Will the current Corolla nerves best-sellers of the market – Octavia and cerate?
The lowest base cost is at Skoda. Octavia on the “mechanics” in the “base” can be bought for 1 109 000 rubles, with the “automatic” – 80 000 more expensive. Our car in the version of Hockey Edition is estimated at 1 390 000 rubles. Kia Cerato on the “handle” costs at least 1,134,900 rubles. The test sedan in the top-end Prestige package cost 1,284,900 rubles. Corolla is the most expensive and in the “base” (from 1 173 000 rubles), and as a result the test car in the Prestige Safety version costs as much as 1 717 000 rubles
Skoda Octavia – great original. The Czechs are the only ones in Russia who offer cars in a rare liftback body. And the possibility of such a choice is due to a number of advantages. Firstly, all Skoda models traditionally have huge luggage racks. Octavia is no exception: go look for a classmate with 580 liters of usable volume. Not every crossover or executive class sedant can boast such a capacity! Secondly, only in Skoda you can comfortably transport lengthy and bulky items like cabinets or refrigerators. Thirdly, the Octavia is very similar to the sedans so beloved in Russia, although the rear door rises with the glass, which opens up additional possibilities for transformation and loading: you can load more than a cubic meter to the Skoda roof. Well, in the fourth, none of the competitors offers such a wealth of choice of engines and gearboxes.
The new fourth-generation Kia Cerato has matured, it has become more solid. Front appeared impressive size “mouth” of the air intake in the entire width of the body, and behind – LED lights and moved to the bumper “turn signals” and reversing lights
For example, the same Cerato can be bought in Russia with only two engines – 1.6 liters (128 hp) and 2.0 liters (150 hp) – and two types of gearboxes – “mechanics” and 6 -step “automatic”. The Corolla buyer has no choice at all: only the 1.6-liter engine (122 hp) is paired with a stepless variator. Skoda dealers can offer you a combination for every taste: the 1.6-liter atmospheric unit (110 hp) on the “handle” or with the classic “automatic”, the 1.4-liter turbo engine (150 hp) in combination with “Mechanics” or “robot” DSG, as well as the top engine 1.8 TSI (180 hp) with DSG. It is easy to assume that we were forced to “dance” from the Corolla, so for our test we chose cars with 1.6-liter engines. By the way, it is the 1.6-liter Octavia modifications that are the most popular in our market. But with Cerate, the situation is the opposite: the 2.0-liter versions sell more – from 60% last year to 70% in this.
During the last restyling of 2017, Octavia received very controversial twin headlights, to which, however, we already had time to get used. But behind the car after the upgrade almost did not change
The choice of buyers in relation to Cerato is not surprising: the 150-strong modification in the “top” is more expensive than the “our” 1.6-liter for just 160,000 rubles (1,444,900 against 1,284,900 rubles). For the same reason, Russians prefer the 1.6-liter Octavia. Even our “packaged” equipment, which is far from being in full, has pulled 1,390,000 rubles. Almost as much, by the way, is the “minimal” Octavia with a 150-horsepower engine and a DSG “robot”. Toyota not only does not provide a choice of modifications, but also stands in the version with a variator from 1,318,000 rubles. The Prestige Safety test sedan, stuffed with options to the eyeballs (combined seat trim, 17-inch wheels, keyless entry, LED optics, adaptive cruise, active safety systems), is estimated at … 1,717,000 rubles!
Corolla continues to bend the design line set by Prius, C-HR and Camry: catchy, stylish, youth. In our trinity, precisely at Toyota, the most impetuous silhouette, the most daring design of the front part and the most beautiful rear lights connected by an elegant chrome strip
The amount, of course, is exorbitant, but it is necessary to recognize that its appearance and the salon of the new Corolla are working out it completely. The new “spiky” design of toyotovts extrapolated now to their smallest sedan, and did not miss. Corolla – the only car from this trio, which turn around on the street. It looks really bright, even in such a nondescript color, and the car has not had time to become familiar: apparently, there are not so many people willing to spend a fortune on the Corolla (this year only 935 copies were sold by May).