Both the Sedona people carrier and the Sorento 4x4 have found plenty of aspirational buyers, who knew more well-established makes were out of reach, price-wise, but were determined to go down the MPV or four-wheel-drive route.
At the other end of the scale, the diminutive Picanto is also showing up in ever-increasing numbers on our roads, thanks to the lowest of price tags allied with a high specification. But what about the middle ground, much of which is occupied by the medium-sized hatchback? If Kia is really going to do the business in Britain, it will have to slug it out with big hitters like the Vauxhall Astra and the Ford Focus.
Enter the Cerato, pulling on the gloves and stepping into the ring in a bid to give its powerful rivals a bloody nose. Such is Kia's confidence in the car that it offered yours truly a long-term road test, rather than the seven days we are normally given. So, five weeks in the company of a Cerato LX CRDi... plenty of time to come to love or loathe the car.
I did have a little prior knowledge of the motor, having attended the Cerato's European launch in France last year, but my driving was limited to less than a day in the petrol-powered saloon version. I came away with a favourable impression, but the car on my drive for a few weeks was the diesel-powered hatchback variant - would my initial view hold firm?
The answer has to be yes. You will find more refined mid-size diesel hatchbacks, but not for the kind of money (£10,995) Kia are asking.
Equipment levels are high, and the 1.5-litre engine - about 400cc smaller than most of its rivals - certainly doesn't lack for power. There are also nice touches throughout - like the luggage net for the boot floor - which often come as extra on other makes.
My first impressions of the five-door Cerato hatch came on a long haul, from London to Manchester, and, as the miles ticked on, I discovered the only thing to annoy me about the car - lack of thigh-support in the seats, which makes for a leg-numbing sensation on lengthy journeys.
Over the five-week timespan, commuting was a doddle - the long-legged, low-revving characteristics of the economical diesel being ideal for both loping along the motorway and the sapping stop-start of city traffic.
Controls fall easily to hand and foot, with a light clutch and positive, although long-throw, gearchange. Steering proved precise enough, if a little lacking in feel, and handling was steady and confidence-inspiring. Barring the long-haul front-seat niggle, accommodation was excellent, having plenty of room for rear-seat passengers without sacrificing loadspace. My wife drove three colleagues to a conference in the midlands, and each of the passengers commented on the car's roominess.
Instruments were clear and logically set out in an attractive dash that sported the now obligatory brushed steel trim, and toys included air conditioning and a CD player. The indicator stalk is on the opposite side to almost every other car, and that took a little getting used to, but it was a minor niggle in a car with a wholly dependable character.
Exterior styling has something of the Honda Civic about it, with a smattering of Toyota Corolla about the rear, and is far more European-ised than earlier South Korean efforts.
Five weeks and almost 4,000 miles on, I was sorry to see the Kia go. The badge-conscious motorists among us will probably have a little laugh at that statement, but the Cerato diesel is a liveable-with car, displaying no discernible vices and whole lot of virtues. The short name proved to be long on satisfaction.
