Kia Pro_cee’d

A key aim for bosses is to change the way people think of Kia and its cars. So it’s no surprise that styling is a top priority – Audi TT man Peter Schreyer was hired as head of design, and he’s been busy ensuring the new Pro_cee’d has a character all of its own.

This meant distancing the new three-door from its five-door brother – a trick that rival Vauxhall proved can work with the Astra. So, although the Pro_cee’d was designed in Europe like the Cee’d, its looks more athletic. It certainly stands out better than the five-door, and we think Kia will succeed in attracting younger buyers.

Sitting 30mm lower than the five-door, the new car has an elongated, coupé-like stance – an impression reinforced by the long doors. These can be a problem in tight car parks, although it’s the same for many other three-door models.

The sporty theme continues with a deep front bumper and prominent foglamps. But the rear is the real talking point, thanks to the high-set lights, raked screen and narrow tailgate. Add in the strong shoulder line and it’s clear that Kia has created a stylish and distinctive car which rivals the Astra for visual impact.

It’s a shame the interior isn’t as bold. It’s virtually identical to the five-door’s – and we had expected something a bit different for the sportier version. But there’s no arguing with the quality: although not quite up to Focus and Civic standards, it’s not far behind, with a soft-touch dash and neat air-conditioning controls. One gripe is with the stereo – it’s easy to use, yet constantly needs retuning.

Accessing the back seats isn’t easy, but this is a criticism you can level at all three cars, and it’s worth noting that the Kia has good knee room. The boot is big, too; at 340 litres, it’s larger than the Astra’s, and also more user-friendly than the C30’s. Folding the seats is quick and simple as the headrests don’t have to be removed.

The 2.0-litre common-rail diesel features in Kia’s larger models such as the Magentis, and this is its debut in a Cee’d range. It’s quiet enough on the move, but a little noisy on start-up and can clatter when pulling from low revs. What’s more, while it is gutsy, it never feels particularly quick. In our tests, the Kia recorded the slowest 0-60mph time, at 9.7 seconds, although it was the most frugal car and has by far the lowest emissions.

The six-speed manual transmission is a little disappointing. It feels spongy and second gear is too long – engineers could have spent more time perfecting this. What doesn’t help is the turbo lag between changes; when you shift up a ratio, it takes a second to restore boost.

But this doesn’t detract from the decent handling – the steering is nicely weighted, offers reasonable feedback and turns in precisely, with strong grip. Although the Kia is not quite as sure-footed and confidence-inspiring as the Vauxhall, body control is good. The ride suffers a little, but it’s preferable to the overly firm Astra.
The Pro_cee’d is great value at £15,495 – you can’t get a diesel Astra Sport Hatch for that money – and prices start from £12,295 for the 1.6 petrol. Our Sport is the flagship model. It’s well equipped, with climate and stability control, leather seats and an iPod link – kit the Vauxhall misses out on, even though it costs £2,800 more. Plus, you get Kia’s 100,000-mile, seven-year warranty. We just wish that Kia’s designers had been let loose inside as well as out.

Details

Price: £15,495
Model tested: Pro_cee’d 2.0 CRDi
Chart position: 3
WHY: The three-door Pro_cee’d aims to bring a dose of excitement to the Kia ownership experience.

Economy

Considering it has the least powerful engine here, it’s no surprise that the Kia proved the most economical car on test. It returned 38.4mpg. That’s a fair way short of the claimed 50.4mpg, although a range of 448 miles is good.

Residuals

Second-hand values for the new Pro_cee’d aren’t yet available, but figures for the five-door suggest it will trail its rivals in this test. Best performer in the range is the 1.6 SR, which should retain 40.9 per cent of its price when new.

Servicing

Kia dealers seem to be fairly confused about the Pro_cee’d, with two we spoke to refusing to admit it existed! An outlet finally quoted us £595 for three services, based on the five-door. The seven-year warranty provides great peace of mind.

Tax

These cars are unlikely to be considered alongside each other for company drivers, but the Kia is the most affordable, due to CO2 emissions below 150g/km. It sits five tax brackets beneath the Astra, and lower-band owners pay £648 a year.