I recently had a mainland trip with around 2 weeks in Perth WA and 3 days in Gippsland Victoria.
I did around 2000 kilometres in a current model 2.0 Petrol Hyundai i30 Go Auto from "No Birds/ Bayswater" Car rentals and then around 500 kilometres in a current base model 2.0 Petrol Kia Cerato Hatch from Thrifty car rentals.
The i30 had around 13,000 kilometres on the clock while the Cerato had around 34,000 kilometres on it. The Cerato was actually registered in NSW (not that that was significant, but though some eagle eyed reader might spot that in the photo)
Although they are quite similar being "cousins" with many shared components there are quite a few differences too.
Firstly the i30 Go. I was quite impressed how well the 2.0 Petrol with 6 speed Auto actually went. Had no real situations where I felt like I needed more performance even though I left it in normal mode most of the time. I didn't make detailed calculations of the fuel useage over the two weeks but going from the trip computer it did seem a bit thirstier around town than my SR 1.6T but gave similar results during highway cruising. So high 8's around the city and as low as mid 6's on a good flat highway run.
Ride, as expected on higher profile tires was more forgiving than my SR and tyre noise appeared to be slightly lower (probably because of slightly narrower tyres?
Apart from missing all the bells and whistles of my SR (Auto wipers, Auto Cruise, rear cross traffic alert, keyless entry and start, etc..) I was generally impressed and enjoyed driving it more than either the current model or previous model CVT Corolla hatches that I usually rent from the same company. Talking of No Birds/ Bayswater car rentals, they are brilliant compared to the bigger established rental companies. It is a shame they are only in WA and NSW. The i30 Go only cost me a bit over $500 for two weeks including an extra $100 for unlimited kilometres, $5 a day extra so Trish could drive if required (she didn't end up driving) and something like $98 extra for the Nil excess insurance cover. A similar deal with Hertz, Avis or anyone else would have been double that. For example 3 days for the Cerato from Thrifty in Victoria was around $300! With nil Excess.
Now the Cerato. When I first drove off in the Cerato I thought the handbrake was still on! Then I realised it was in Eco mode. Switched to normal mose and felt very similar to the i30 Go performance wise. Ride, handling and tyre noise are very similar too.
Trish and a friend sat in the back for around 200 kilometres on one day and both were amazed at how comfortable and roomy the Cerato was. I believe there is definitely more room in the back than the equivalent i30. Interestingly the boot is a very similar size to the i30 but seems wider but not as long front to back. Two large and two small cases fitted slightly better in the i30 boot than the Cerato. I had to slam the Cerato boot quite hard to get it to close with the 4 cases in it. They simply wouldn't have fitted in either of the Corollas I've previously rented without folding the seats down. A wheel chair for my Dad fitted much more easily in the i30 boot than in the previous Corollas I rented too.
The i30 Go and Cerato were extremely similar to drive although I don't like the red Led lettering and stuff that Kia use on the dash and prefer the layout of the i30 dash and controls in general (like the Cruise control buttons, etc.)
Fuel use also seemed very similar. Neither had any squeaks or rattles and felt well screwed together. I prefer the styling of the i30 Go but if you regularly cart large teenagers or adults in the back it might be worth checking out the Cerato.
