New cee'd sprouts green shoots

Sep 28 2009 Chris Russon

KIA'S cee'd is showing green shoots as the Korean car maker gives its Euro star a thorough makeover.

Only two years after it was launched, the European-built cee'd has received significant changes inside, outside and underneath.

It is now available with a stop/start system which has slashed CO2 emissions to a tax friendly 110g/km and improved fuel economy to almost 70 miles per gallon.

With a new front featuring a wider grille, restyled lamps and pronounced body lines in the bonnet the latest model is much more stylish than before while comfort levels have been increased, especially for the driver.

Almost every niggle - and there were few - has been addressed making the new cee'd even more competitive as a rival to the likes of the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra.

Priced from £11,595 for a three door pro_cee'd to £17,495 for an automatic estate, the cee'd is some £3,000 cheaper than its mainstream competitors.

Moreover it is backed by a seven year, 100,000 mile warranty - something no other manufacturer can match.

Kia is very serious about becoming a major player in the European car market and the latest cee'd demonstrates that the cheap and cheerful image of its original models is long gone.

The Slovakian factory where the cee'd is made is one of the most advanced in the world and it produces cars which are well built, refined and sturdy.

A revised suspension has improved the ride on the latest cee'ds while a new, softer touch steering wheel has enhanced the feel for the driver. Multi-function switches have also been fitted on the wheel for the trip computer and audio controls.

Any notchiness in the gearbox has been ironed out while the dashboard has been brightened up with restyled switches.

The new cee'd range comes in three trim levels - now badged 1, 2 and 3 - and while all models feature air conditioning only the top grade version priced from £15,495 has electronic stability control, a hill start assist and iPod connection.

The engine line up consists of 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrols and 1.6-litre diesels, the latter available in three power outputs of 124, 113 and 89bhp. The two-litre diesel engine has been dropped from the range.

Stop/start is fitted on the 89bhp diesel which Kia is calling the cee'd EcoDynamic. It results in average mpg of 67.3 and emissions of 110g/km putting it in the £35 a year tax bracket for private motorists or 13 per cent for business users.

The low CO2 figure also means that businesses can offset the whole cost of the vehicle after 12 months.

The system works well stopping the engine in traffic as soon as the car comes to rest and neutral is selected. It restarts without any fuss when the clutch is depressed.

On a half hour journey through city centre traffic the engine was off for some ten minutes which showed on the trip computer as an average of 57mpg - impressive for urban motoring.

The EcoDynamic system is available on mid-range models only and priced from £13,895 in the three-door pro_cee'd, £14,195 in the hatch version and £14,995 in the estate.

Compared to the conventional 89bhp diesel its emissions are eight g/km lower and it will average almost two mpg more without any real trade off in performance. Top speed is a claimed 107mpg and 0 to 60 acceleration 13.5 seconds compared to 117 and 11.1.

Even without the eco system the car is not too thirsty. The petrol engines will average mid-40s without too much difficulty and even the auto diesel should be close to 50mpg.

Kia seems to be holding its own even in the current tough economic climate. In the two years since the cee'd was launched some 20,000 have been sold in Britain. The new version can only add to its appeal.