Kia Pro Ceed SE 1.6 GDi 3dr Car Review - May 2013

The Kia Pro cee'd SE 1.6 GDi has the same basic underpinnings as its 5-door counterpart, so although the Pro c’eed has sporty looks it is something of a sheep in wolves’ clothing. Top speed is 121mph and 0-62mph takes around ten seconds, with the 1.6-litre petrol engine producing 133bhp and 164 lb-ft of torque at 4,850rpm. The handling doesn’t live up to the sporty looks, with cumbersome steering and noticeable road noise at higher speeds. The body roll on the Kia Pro cee’d is also more pronounced than its rivals, although you probably wouldn’t describe it as excessive. The Kia Pro c’eed should be comfortable to drive though, with plenty of driver’s seat adjustment available and a well planned dashboard and interior which feels premium, and whose only downside is a restricted rear view from the chunky C-pillar.

The styling of the Kia Pro c’eed is much more radical than the 5-door c’eed on which it is based. The sleek 3-door body style is more akin to a 3-door coupe, and misleadingly suggests a sporty pedigree. The Kia Pro c’eed is an eye-catching design, arguably the most striking offering from the Korean car maker to date.
The Kia Pro_cee'd SE 1.6 GDi boasts power steering, central locking, electronic stability control, alloy wheels, climate control, electric door mirrors, electric windows, cruise control, rear parking sensor, alarm and immobiliser, CD player with mp3 connectivity and bluetooth, and satellite navigation as standard, an equipment list which compares favourably against its rivals.

The Kia Pro_cee'd SE 1.6 GDi 3dr comes with driver, passenger, and front side airbags, and is fitted as standard with electronic stability control. A pleasing aspect of the Kia Pro c’eed is the amount of rear seat space, which gives ample access and space for a couple of a brace of fully grown adults. There will be room in the back for their luggage too, as the well proportioned and sized boot holds an impressive 380 litres, rising to 1,225 litres once the split-folding rear seats have been fully lowered. The Korean car maker caught the UK car industry on the hop when it started offering its new cars with a 7-year manufacturers warranty, and this is included with every new Kia Pro c’eed with a 100,000-mile limit.

The Kia Pro_cee'd SE 1.6 GDi sits in the middle of the Pro c’eed range at £19,500. With its looks it may attract sporty-minded buyers, but that price tag is almost a grand more than the SEAT Ibiza SC Cupra 1.4 TSI. The two have similar running costs, with the Kia having a combined fuel economy figure of 47.1mpg and 137g/km of CO2 emissions seeing it fall into Road Tax Band E. The SEAT is a genuine hot hatch though, so the Kia is much less to insure by falling into group 15 as opposed to group 27. That is because, despite its looks, it wont attract the performance minded buyer due to its lack of handling and performance, but for drivers who put a greater emphasis on equipment, reliability, and comfort, it will be a viable option. And with the sporty looks and long warranty, new buyers will not be disappointed, although its too soon to tell how strong residuals will be.