Ceed still growing strong
IF YOU ever needed the perfect illustration of just how far Kia has come you only need to look at the ever-changing fortunes and faces of this car, the Ceed. Perfectly positioned in the popular mid-sized family hatchback market, the Ceed has been on sale since 2006, with this forthcoming version being its third generation model.
Some 1.3 million sales on, the Ceed has underpinned the Korean firm’s fortunes, being one of the brand’s best-selling models in Europe alongside the Sportage crossover and Picanto supermini.
Crucially, this is a Kia that is not only designed and developed in Europe but also engineered and built here too – facts not lost on customers, according to Kia.
And while some other large car companies push towards world cars, whether or not they suit certain local tastes, Kia is doing the exact opposite and enjoying substantial success with a car developed just for Europe.
Will this latest Ceed continue that success? It certainly looks the part, that’s for sure.
It’s a clean shape that might be viewed as conservative from some angles but wears the handsome Kia front grille and headlights with LEDs and the neat rear end reminiscent of the BMW 1-Series.
Wider and lower than its predecessor it will come in three different bodystyles, starting with a traditional five-door hatchback and SW estate, then a stylish Shooting Brake load-lugger early next year.
Rather mouth-wateringly there will also be a more driver-focused GT hot hatch version at the same time. For now, though, there’s the choice of two turbo-petrols and two turbo-diesels.
The former pair are a 120bhp 1.0-litre or a 140bhp 1.4-litre which is expected to be the best seller, with a 0 to 60mph time of 8.9 seconds and 130mph top speed.
Its two diesel models are both 1.6s, with 115bhp or 136bhp, the less-powerful model covering the 0 to 60mph sprint in 10.9 seconds on to a 119mph top speed and returning a 74.3mpg average fuel economy, with 99g/km emissions.
As well as that hot hatch GT model powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine there will also be a mild