Kia cee'd

Expert Rating:

What is it?

It's the 2010 Kia cee'd, officially, although it's available from this month (September 2009) and isn't a great deal different from the cee'd we already know and quite like. Well, that's slightly unfair - Kia has done more than just give the cee'd a prettier face. As midlife refreshments go, this is the same as the time Fern Britton turned up on the This Morning sofa one day, having all of a sudden 'exercised' her way to slender attractiveness.

Is it any good?

It's better than the pre-facelift car, which makes it a success. More obvious measures include the grafting on of a new face, which now adopts the Kia family look (called the 'tiger nose', though we don't see the similarity) comprising a new grille and some sharply styled headlamps. At the back, the lights are re-sculpted and get the appearance of LEDs, though there aren't actually any of them. New colours and wheel designs are on the options list now too.

Inside, the cee'd retains its familiar layout, though the centre stack housing the stereo and fan controls is redesigned to make it clearer and prettier, and there's a pair of crossbars linking it to the centre console - much like those found in the first Audi TT. As is the facelift norm there are some new fabrics, and a selection of better quality trims to brighten things up - including this season's dash surface of choice, high gloss black.

But it doesn't stop there. Refinements to the chassis and engine line-up - including an all-new diesel unit - cumulatively serve to make the whole driving experience quieter, more refined and cheaper. That's the theory, anyway.

Should I call the bank manager?

The cee'd has always been a sensible choice, but the changes have made it so sensible that there's a good chance your bank manager will send you a Christmas card if you buy one of these. In a nutshell, it looks better, drives better and is cheaper to run model-for-model.

That is so because Kia has gone as far as altering the chassis to reduce noise and vibration, including filling the pillars with soundproof foam, and it's tweaked the suspension and steering to the benefit of comfort and driving dynamics. On the comfort front, the cee'd is as composed on knobbly surfaces as you could wish it to be, although it still couldn't be described as a driver's choice - there's an odd, 'artificial' feel to the turn in, as though an electronic resistance takes hold of the wheel.

The engine changes make the line-up around five percent more fuel and CO₂ efficient across the range, as does the use of low rolling resistance tyres and start/stop engine technology for three of the five engines (the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel units don't get the option). The main change is the addition of a new 1.6-litre diesel, which keeps the 'CRDi' badge but is named 'U2' by Kia. It performs slightly better than the current 1.6-litre, down to having slightly more pulling power at lower revs, but it's capable of 64.2mpg and a £35 per year VED tax qualifying 110g/km (with stop-start equipped). Like all these things, it will tell you via an arrow in the instrument binnacle when to change gear most efficiently.

It's an impressive unit in terms of everyday driving because its low end oomph makes it flexible, meaning you don't have to change gear all the time. However, it's gruff at higher revs and runs out of puff quickly. The six-speed gearbox means it cruises in top gear at low revs though, so it makes a decent, quiet motorway cruiser. Revving it's quite unpleasant though - it's growly, in a bad way.

Summary

Is the refreshed cee'd better? Certainly. Is it a revelation? Not really. That means it's still a solid purchase, but one that won't set your world alight. The quality of build and materials is notable, the refinement impressive, and the running costs cheap, but sadly it's still not that exciting. We like it a lot, and can definitely recommend it as a prudent buy (especially with that seven-year warranty), but it's still not a car for the driving enthusiast.

Mark Nichol