Kia's hatchback sows the Cee'ds of success

Published on Tuesday 17 November 2009 21:18

IT WASN'T long ago that a Kia was something you bought on price. You'd really rather have had something else, but Kia did it for less.

Not quite as smartly and effectively perhaps, but you bought a Kia and you got the job done.

With the Cee'd, it's time to start looking at this Korean brand in a different way. Here is a car that is at least as good as the family hatchback class favourites – your Astras, Focuses and Mganes – but costs less to buy and to own. That works for me.

The reality of climbing aboard this Kia comes as something of a shock. From the moment the doors thunk shut to the dawning that some of the interior finishes are class-leading, the Cee'd has the capacity to surprise.

Even the base-spec 1.4-litre variant I tried carries the right stuff in its DNA.

It's not flashy. It won't be the darling of the style set but it's a whole lot more car than you could imagine at this price point of 11,445.

There's plenty of space in the rear and I had no problem lumping child seats in and out or piling in the weekly supermarket shopping.

The plastics seem pretty hard-wearing and the design seems as child-proof as it is possible to get at this price.

It's fair to say the 1.4-litre engine is probably the least impressive aspect of this car. If it was me, I'd find a little extra to get the equivalent 1.6-litre petrol variant with another 17bhp that makes it usefully more relaxed at motorway cruising speeds.

Still, the 1.4-litre model has a bit more go than you might imagine given the Cee'd's size. Conspicuously lacking the higher performance options offered by its rivals, the Cee'd concentrates on keeping costs manageable with a choice of this 1.4, plus a larger 1.6-litre petrol engine, along with a 1.6-litre CRDi diesel.

The petrol units are badged CVVT which stands for Continuously Variable Valve Timing and means that they can adapt their combustion cycles to optimise performance or economy as required.

The 1.4-litre unit manages 89bhp and an 11.2 second 0-60mph time, while the 1.6-litre engine has 124bhp getting it to 60mph in 10.4 seconds.

The diesel is the best Cee'd engine with its common-rail injection system, and is available in 89bhp or 113bhp guises.

The higher-powered model benefits from a variable geometry turbocharger and can cover the 0-60mph increment in 11.1 seconds.

Meanwhile, Kia has kept things simple by presenting buyers with a choice of Cee'd 1, Cee'd 2 and Cee'd 3 models.

Aside from that, there's the Cee'd 2 EcoDynamics, which incorporates a variety of features designed to improve efficiency. The Cee'd comes as a five-door hatchback or an SW estate. If you want a sporty three-door, there's the even more elaborately punctuated pro-Cee'd.

Crucially, and as any Kia dealer will be at pains to remind you, all Cee'ds come with Kia's excellent seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. As standard, Cee'd buyers get remote central locking, an MP3 compatable CD stereo with AUX/USB port, air-conditioning, a trip computer and airbags of the front, side and curtain varieties.

The Cee'd 2 adds heated electric mirrors, front fog lights, leather trim and 16in alloy wheels. Go for the range-topping Cee'd 3 and there are bigger alloys, a number of sporty styling enhancements, climate control and Kia's Vehicle Stability Management system. An automatic gearbox is available with the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines.

Whichever trim level you choose, the interior of the Cee'd is an impressive piece of design. It's a touch bigger in most of the key measurement criteria than a Focus without looking like an MPV in the process.

Where the car really succeeds is in resisting the temptation to once more lapse into wackiness, the controls being beautifully finished and resolutely straightforward to use without losing the focus on design elegance.

The best designs are those that function best and in this regard, the Cee'd scores a bullseye.

Some of the other cars in the sector feel slightly more sophisticated but the price saving and that achingly long warranty more than make up for that.

Here is a Kia that needs no apologies – a car that sells on quality as well as price. If you're buying a car in this sector, it's an alternative you can't afford to ignore.