Forget chassis composure and jewel-effect headlights: the surest sign that Kia has joined the Euro-hatch ranks is the appearance of soft-touch interior plastics. There are some very appealing aspects to this cabin. The heater controls, for example, are a fine blend of usability and style. The instruments are clear and attractive and there’s a socket for your iPod. The seats offer little support, but weren’t uncomfortable over long distances.
In short, forget all notions of Korean crumminess; the Cee’d consigns most of that to the history books. One other notable and laudable inclusion is the indicator function remaining on the right-hand column stalk. It takes a while to become accustomed to this set-up, but the facility to change gear and indicate at the same time becomes invaluable and exposes the usual placement of this function on the left-hand side in right-hand vehicles as an ergonomic disaster.
Rear-seat passengers are well catered for. The bench is comfortable, though like every other in the class lacking in under-thigh support. Boot space, at 340 litres, is good.
With a claimed 60.1mpg over the combined cycle and 125g/km CO2 emissions placing it in band C, the Cee’d won’t be expensive to run. Naturally we couldn’t match that, but we did average 37.9mpg, which included a 23.3mpg stint at the track.
All Cee’ds come with six airbags and rear ISOFIX points, and top-spec trim adds ESP.
And then there’s the small matter of cost. The Cee’d isn’t the giveaway people familiar with Kia's other offerings might have expected. Then again, its credentials dictate that it deserves to be priced more in line with the competition. This car has a list price of £14,245, and a similarly specified Ford Focus would cost £17,390, although a large discount could be scored on the Ford.
So rather than trade on crude engineering and cheap pricing, Kia’s strategy is now based around competitive dynamics, attractive pricing and the allure of that seven-year warranty.