Kia ceed (2007 - To Date) : KIAS CEEDS OF SUCCESS
Wednesday July 16
Models covered: (5dr hatchback 1.4, 1.6 petrol, 1.6, 2.
0 diesel [S, GS, SR, LS, Sport])
BY STEVE WALKER
Until early 2007, Kia had shown glimpses of ambition but ultimately, glimpses were all they were. Cars like the Sedona, Picanto and Sorento had led commentators to speculate on what the marque might be capable of but it wasnt until the arrival of the ceed family hatchback that any cast-iron evidence was forthcoming. The ceed was the first car to really showcase Kias potential to rise above the bargain basement territory where the Southeast Asian marques had traditionally held sway with their low prices and high equipment levels. Finally, here was a Kia with the quality to challenge the European and Japanese brands on a level playing field.
On the used market, the ceed might even make more sense than it did new.
The ceed is a car designed by Europeans for Europeans. Its built in Europe in Slovenia to be exact and the man behind the design project, Peter Schreyer, was once head of design for Volkswagen Group. The Koreans pulled no punches with this design and that much is evident the very first time you clap eyes on a ceed. We challenge you to name one Korean car before this one that hasnt had at least one gratuitously odd styling feature.
Think of even the better-looking South-East Asian cars and there will be some jarring detail youll be able to nominate fairly easily. With the ceed, Kia aimed for a more mature design. Not mature as in the demographic of the target market. Rather the design output of a company that doesnt need to fall back on gimmickry and ostentation to get noticed.
Sit inside the ceed and youll be impressed. Schreyer and his team benchmarked the best European cars in order to give Kia something substantive to aim at and when it came to interiors, he was able to share a little of what he knew of his ex-employers best practice. Quality fabrics, doors that thunk shut and thoughtful approach to design make the ceed a landmark Korean car. The plastics quality is still a little hit and miss and the orange dash lighting isnt overly easy on the eye but lets not be patronising and proclaim the car as a lot of metal for your money or any other such bunk.
This Kia is a good car, full stop. The ceed is available in five-door hatch and SW estate bodystyles. If you want a 3-door youll need the sportier pro_ceed model. Trim levels open with the S models which feature air conditioning, six airbags, a stereo that can accept MP3 file inputs from the CD, a trip computer and 15-inch steel wheels.
Step up to the GS model and youll get 16-inch alloy wheels, a better stereo with an auxiliary socket for docking your iPod to, remote locking and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors. The plush LS adds climate control, part leather upholstery and front fog lamps, while the Sport takes a slightly sportier tack with 17-inch rims, sports seats and black bezel headlamps.
From new, prices for the Ceed were pitched a little higher than buyers had become used to paying for Kia products. This reflected Kias confidence in the ceeds qualities and on a purely objective level, youd have to say this faith was justified. The problem is that the used markets perception of the Kia brand was always going to take a while to catch up with the product and as a result, the ceed does depreciate more sharply than the sectors big hitters that it now battles against. This can be great news for used buyers as the ceed drops sharply in value over the first two years and nearly new models can be picked up very reasonably as a result.
Also counting massively in the ceeds favour is the industry-leading 7-year warranty package that Kia offered with the car. This is transferable from owner to owner until it expires and is another reason why a pre-owned ceed is such a cost-effective choice.
The plusher LS and GS models will be more desirable on the used market so these models are worth seeking out and the same goes for the Sport. Kias reliability record is strong and at this relatively early stage, there are no skeletons in the ceeds closet that buyers need to be aware of.
(Estimated prices, based on a 2007 1.4 S) Kia spares prices have gained an enviable reputation for good value, and replacement parts for the ceed are no exception. A clutch assembly is around £150, whilst front brake pads weigh in at around £40. An alternator will cost around £130, and for a starter motor youll be looking at £120.
The Kia ceed offers buyers a choice of either a 108bhp 14-litre unit, a 120bhp 1.6-litre thats the most popular petrol engine and a 141bhp 2.0-litre powerplant. Diesel customers get the choice of 89 or 114bhp variants of the 1.
6-litre direct injection common-rail 16v engine or a 138bhp 2.0-litre. All engines bar the 2.0-litre units get a five-speed manual gearbox, the bigger engines getting a six-speeder.
The 1.6 was also offered with a four-speed auto. None of the cars are what youd call quick but by the same token, none, except perhaps for the 1.4-litre petrol, are signally lacking in poke.
The 1.6-litre petrol is a little resonant when extended but in normal use is adequately refined. Itll make sixty in 10.8 seconds and reach 119mph.
To drive, the ceed is there or thereabouts. The steering lacks a little of the polish of some of the very best contenders, although were talking about tiny percentage differences. Theres certainly very little in it when it comes to ride quality, the Kia adopting much the same MacPherson strut front suspension and five-link independent rear setup as the best of its rivals. Next time you see clusters of suited Oriental gentlemen obsessing over a rival cars door pulls or switches or some other apparently trivial detail at an international motor show, youll know the score.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine does reasonably well at the fuel pumps, returning an average of 44.1mpg. The continuously-variable valve timing helps efficiency and also means that the engine is good on emissions, something that hasnt always been the case with South-East Asian powerplants.
At around 152g/km, the ceed is better than, say, a Peugeot 308 1.6 which emits 159g/km.
The ceed is a breakthrough car for Kia with levels of quality that stand comparison with the very best family hatchbacks around. Perhaps it lacks some of the design flare of the best European models and performance from the engines isnt particularly brisk but on almost every other criteria this is a family hatchback product thats worthy of mainstream billing and consideration by all of the sectors buyers. Perhaps the best news from a used car buyers point of view is that the Kia brand still has some way to go to boost its profile up to the level that products like the ceed now deserve. Kias are still viewed with some suspicion on the used market and thats where buyers in the know can step in and take advantage.
With a fully transferable seven-year warranty to sweeten the deal, the ceed makes a compelling pre-owned proposition but word of its quality is spreading fast so now could be the opportune time to strike.
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