Review of the new Kia Ceed Range

Kia's effort in the family hatchback sector is worthy of consideration by most buyers. The cee'd has been improved in a number of key areas in its latest facelifted guise and a package that was almost there before is that bit closer to the class leaders. Sharper looks, enhanced dynamics and better economy are not to be sniffed at.

Reviews of Kia cars used to follow a familiar formula. An explanation of ways in which the vehicle fell short of the standards set by its mainstream rivals would be followed by praise of the low price and the amount of equipment it got you. At some point, however, Kia's top brass decided that the role of budget Korean also-ran wasn't for them. The cee'd family hatchback was the first model to trouble big names on level terms and just when we'd grown used to judging it as an equal of the Focus, Astra and others, Kia upgraded it.

Kia and its sister brand Hyundai are in no way lacking the financial muscle to compete with the world's top car brands. The main thing that was holding them back in Europe was a lack of perceived quality in their output. Designed and built in Europe, the cee'd changed that with its explicit focus on meeting European standards of materials and build quality. Buoyed by its success, Kia endowed this facelifted cee'd with a more confidently stylish design, mechanical improvements and enhanced environmental credentials.

Conspicuously lacking the higher performance options offered by its rivals, the cee'd concentrates on keeping costs manageable with a choice of 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines 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 a 11.2s 0-60mph time, while the 1.6 has 124bhp getting it to 60mph in 10.4s. 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 11.1s.

"Sharper looks, improved dynamics and greater efficiency all add to the car's burgeoning reputation ."

The cee'd has always been a competent, if somewhat uninspiring car to drive. It does everything very well but without those last few degrees of polish required to make the step from inoffensive to involving. The latest models benefit from tweaks to the clever independent suspension system designed to sharpen steering responses and produce a suppler ride. Softer springs are compensated for by stiffer shock absorbers and anti-roll bars.

Today's cee'd is a bolder proposition visually thanks to a facelifted front end featuring Kia's wide chrome-ringed grille and sharp creases running down the bonnet to the angular light clusters. The tail end has LED lights and a subtle tweaked bumper design. The car still plays it safe in terms of its overall look but the extra character will not go amiss in marking it out from the crowd.

Although it was indisputably a massive step in the right direction for Kia, the original cee'd interior still lagged a little way behind the family hatch sector's finest. The latest cars attempt to address this and while you'll never mistakenly think you've climbed aboard a Volkswagen Golf, most of the materials and detailing work to pleasingly upmarket effect. There's plenty of space inside the cee'd with ample accommodation for four adults (the fifth might be a little squashed) and a monster of a boot. There's capacity to carry 340 litres in the rear and up to 1,300 litres with both sections of the 60:40 split rear bench folded down.

No need for a crash course in Kia trim level nomenclature. The manufacturer has thoughtfully 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 7-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 details and 16" alloy wheels. Go for the range-topping cee'd 3 and there's 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.

Everybody who's anybody in the car manufacturing world seems to have an eco-brand these days. It's a moniker they attach to their most efficient models to give buyers looking to cut costs a helpful shove in the right direction. Kia's is called EcoDynamics and is applied to the cee'd 2 EcoDynamics model. Packing the 89bhp 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engine, this cee'd features ISG Intelligent Stop and Go which cuts the engine when the car is in neutral and the clutch is raised, restarting it instantly when the clutch is depressed. This has the effect of lowering the car's CO2 emissions to 110g/km and helping it achieve 67.3mpg on the combined cycle.

Also in the interests of improving efficiency, all cee'd models with the smaller wheel sizes have Michelin Energy Saver low rolling resistance tyres and six-speed gearboxes are standard on all manual diesel models. The 1.4-litre petrol cars can return 139g/km with 49mpg economy while the high powered diesel still achieves nearly 63mpg and emissions of 118g/km.

In the future, we may well look back and point to the cee'd as the car that propelled Kia into the big time. The original version was good enough to be taken seriously alongside the market leaders if not quite up to their levels of polish and desirability. This facelifted cee'd comes closer still with sharper looks, improved dynamics and greater efficiency all adding to the car's burgeoning reputation.

TOP 5 CEED DEALS

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Kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi 3 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £13,555 Read Ceed Reviews	Save £3,840
Kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi 2 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £12,895 Read Ceed Reviews	Save £3,100
Kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi 2 5dr Diesel Station Wagon
Price £13,845 Read Ceed Reviews	Save £3,100
Kia Ceed 1.6 3 5dr [6] Hatchback
Price £12,350 Read Ceed Reviews	Save £3,840
Kia Ceed 1.6 2 5dr [6] Hatchback
Price £11,690 Read Ceed Reviews	Save £3,100
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