Kia Cee'd 2 1.6 CRD i
Price on the road £15,320 Review John Kaponi
Kia have launched a credible 1.6 litre CRDi estate which should worry Ford, Vauxhall, Fiat because of the versatlity of the model and its fuel efficieny.
When Kia delivered the vehicle to the London Daily News it took some time to work out what Kia wanted the driver to think, but driving the economic 1.6 CRDi soon reveals the answers. Taking a trip to Harrods and parking the car next to Ferrari's, Mercs and the rest, the car is not something to be ashamed of, and actually stands out because of the fresh design approach Kia have adopted with the new exterior look, and the new "super efficent" EcoDynamics.
Driving in the West End of London, which is hard play sometimes is not so bad in a diesel engine. The engine is a little noisy, but the design of the new Cee'd has meant that the driver and the passenger can relax in a very appealing interior with new trim materials, that create the feel of a car that is more expensive. The driver has the advantage of enjoying the "all-independent suspension" which allows control of the car to be precisely controlled and accelarate out of trouble if need be.
Motorway driving is enhanced with a 6-speed gear box on the manual allowing 113 @ 4000 bhp, and has a steel and alloy block and an alumnimium cylinder head, fuelled by second generation high presure common rail fuel injection. At no point was the car ever compromised, either by extreme weather conditioons or by congestion. The car held the road well on the motorway, and equally in the centre of London, the stop start routine normally experienced, did not detract from the cars performance. The only one thing that I would recommend is to have a parking sensor added to the car if you want to use the Cee'd for urban use.
In terms of those wanting to use the luggage capacity of the Cee'd you have 534 litres before laying down the back seats, which then gives you 1664 litres of space. On a loading exercise we could easily fit, passengers luggage and still enjoy the drive. The silver roof racks are standard on the car, which give it a sporty look.
In terms of the areas that Kia need to look at improving I would say the driver seat needs to be reviewed on future models, the option to control the comfort on the chair with more electronc options; but that is not a serious issue, standard seat design have wide cushion and firm support, and both front seats have a manual lumbar support control.
In terms of the cars it will compete against, Ford and Vauxhall will be the main contenders, with VW and others strong favourites for drivers. The Kia has introduced this very credible model to the estates market with a very attractive 1.6 CRDi engine, which means you save much needed money on fuel and also benefitting from the 7-year warranty of Kia.
It's going to be a favourite for the tradesmen, and those up and down the motorways delivering or servicing for clients.
3/5 ***
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