Kia ceed Range
Some years ago, I once had the pleasure of driving with a top factory test driver at a famous race track. I remember his time around the circuit to this day. Each successive year Ive been back and Ive been chipping away at that time. At first, whole minutes came away, then tens of seconds, then the odd second here and there.
Now, Im improving in tenths. Each tenth of a second gets harder and harder to claw back. What does this have to do with a Kia hatchback? Its simple. As a manufacturer, Kia has made a lot of the big, easy gains.
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Lets get the big news out there first. The ceed is a car designed by Europeans for Europeans. Its built in Europe in Zilina, Slovakia 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. 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. The usual Kia attributes of the excellent seven-year warranty will still apply but a big leap forward is needed. To extend our earlier analogy, Kia needs to find another five seconds a lap from somewhere.
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. Soft touch plastics, quality fabrics and thoughtful approach to design make the ceed a landmark Korean car. Lets not be patronising and proclaim it as a lot of metal for your money or any other such bunk.
This model is a good car, full stop.
"This model is a good car, full stop."
British customers get a choice of either a 108bhp 14-litre unit, a 120bhp 1.6-litre thats set to be the most popular petrol engine and a hale 141bhp 2.0-litre powerplant. Diesel customers get the choice of either a 89 or 114bhp variant of the 1.
6-litre direct injection common-rail 16v engine. All engines bar the 2.0-litre units get a five-speed manual gearbox, the bigger engines getting a six-speeder. The 1.
6 also has the option of 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 was a little resonant when extended but in normal use is adequately refined. Itll make sixty in 10.8 seconds and reach 119mph and if driven a bit less maniacally, will return an average of 44.1mpg.
The ceed is available in five-door hatch and SW estate bodystyles. 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 (as many will) 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 TS takes a slightly sportier tack with 17-inch rims, ESP, sports seats, a drilled pedal set and a six-CD autochanger.
Whichever trim level you choose, the interior of the ceed is an impressive piece of design. Its 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 which function best and in this regard, the ceed scores a bullseye.
To drive its there or thereabouts too. 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. Benchmarking at work again.
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 ceed is a genuine revelation. The sole thing that stands in its way is the limitation of its badge equity. In a blind test, its one of the best two or three family hatches sensible money can buy.
Kia has found that extra few seconds per lap from somewhere.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Kia ceed range
PRICES: £10,995-£14,295 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 152g/km [1.6]
PERFORMANCE: [1.6 petrol] 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 119mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6 petrol] (combined) 44.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4235/1790/1480mm
