Kia ceed CRDi Diesel Range

Kia makes a massive step forward with the ceed. Steve Ghosley takes a look at the CRDi diesel version

It probably wont come as a shock to many of you that a good proportion of readers will have switched off already. Theyll have seen the word Kia at the top of the page and moved on, figuring that buying a Kia was akin to shopping at Iceland or booking a holiday to Faliraki; not something that discerning, quality conscious buyers would do. The trouble with looking to badges as exemplars of brand equity is that badges stay the same but products change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Mercedes traded on its badge for a long time in the nineties, turning out some surprisingly second-rate products they were able to charge big premiums for, solely on the strength of the perceived cachet of the three-pointed star.

Just as Mercedes buyers were not quite getting what they expected, so the casual bargain seeker may well do the same, lucking into something quite beyond the normal if they buy a Kia ceed. Yes, the name is awful, ceed coming from Community Europe and Europe Design. The Community of Europe is usually signified as CEE but no one at Kia could say what the other e stood for. Therefore Kia was left with three es and hence the apostrophe.

Build
Comfort
Depreciation
Economy
Equipment
Handling
Insurance
Performance
Styling
Value

Two diesel engines are offered, both based around the same 1.6-litre direct injection common-rail 16v architecture. Choose either the 90bhp version or the more satisfying 115bhp variant. Both are more relaxing to drive than the breathy petrol units 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. The ceed corners well with well-suppressed lateral roll and even when provoked, steadfastly refuses to do anything unexpected. The long wheelbase helps ride quality with only lumpy B-roads showing up any flaws in deportment. Performance is fair, the 90bhp unit getting to 60mph in 13.

5 seconds and the 115bhp model 11.2 seconds, the respective top speeds being 106 and 116mph.

"This Kia is a good car, full stop"

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 are pulling no punches and that much is evident the very first time you clap eyes on a ceed. I challenge you to name one Korean car to date 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 has 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 wonder whether they might be on the way to achieving it. 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. There are still some improvements that need to be made.

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. Up against the likes of the Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Astra, the ceed needs to be extravagantly talented to even have a sniff of getting near Kias modest target of two percent of total segment sales which, in real terms, equates to about 10,000 cars per year. Three-door and estate models will help those figures but its still a stretching aspiration.

Pricing that starts at £12,295 for the 90bhp CRDi S is obviously going to help, and the GS model only weighs in at £13,045. The 115bhp LS is pitched at £14,295, these prices tending to be around £1,000 less per model than something like a Focus. The SW estate bodystyle commands a £700 premium model for model. Equipment levels are noteworthy, the entry-level car getting air-conditioning, an MP3-compatible CD stereo, front seats with height and lumbar adjustment to complement a rake and reach adjustable steering column, electric front windows and six airbags.

Highlights of the GS model include 16-inch alloys, heated and electrically-adjustable door mirrors, remote central locking and a stereo with USB and auxiliary inputs. Finally, the LS gets half-leather trim, climate control, electric rear windows and front fog lights amongst its list of toys. There are no problems when it comes to fuel economy with either of the CRDi diesel engines, the 90bhp model returning an average figure of 60.1mpg and the 115bhp version matching that figure to the tenth.

Emissions are also quoted as the same for each powerplant, the stated figure being 125g/km. The only blot on the copybook in this regard is the lack of a diesel particulate filter. Used values will doubtless be propped up quite nicely by Kias excellent warranty arrangement. Buyers get full cover for seven-years or 100,000 miles.

Its about as good as the industry can offer and puts mainstream rivals like Ford and Vauxhall in the shade. This promise of trouble free motoring will be enough to tip the balance for many potential customers. Insurance ratings also look very reasonable, predicated upon a low cost of repair, a generally mature buyer profile and excellent safety provision. Choosing a Kia ceed CRDi diesel is a bold decision.

There will be those who choose rationally, noting that the pence per mile figures, the warranty details and the interior dimensions all mark the ceed down as one of the best cars in its class. Then there will be a rarer breed of customer, those who chance upon the car and like it because of the more intangible criteria. Theyll like the way the car feels extremely well bolted together, theyll like the supple ride and the hunkered down shape. The banner price that drew them to the car in the first place becomes a secondary concern.

Of the two cars offered, the 115bhp version is more fun to drive, but Kia has been rather greedy, making this model available only in the top LS trim level. If they could offer a lower spec version with the higher power engine it would get a solid five star recommendation but as it stands, four nevertheless represents a big thumbs up for the ceed CRDi.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Kia ceed CRDi diesel range
PRICES: £12,295-£14,295 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4E-6E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 125g/km
PERFORMANCE: [115bhp] 0-60mph 11.2s / Max Speed 116mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [115bhp] (combined) 60.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ISOFIX child seat mounts / active headrests, airbag cutout / ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4235/1790/1480mm