Kia Cee’d, Virtue Is In Balance

Born in 2012, but suitably redesigned in 2016, the Kia Cee’d represents South Korea in one of the most competitive segments of our market. With rivals of the size of the Volkswagen Golf, the Ford Focus or the Renault Megane, you cannot walk with half measures if you want to take part of the cake.

The change suffered by this model over the years has been memorable, to the point of occupying the top positions in the reliability rankings, which is indicative of the desire of Kia to offer a product with a very high quality at a very interesting price. Let’s see it in parts:

Kia Cee’d design

Its general lines are modern and careful, the brand has not wanted to take too many risks in its design in order to please the widest possible range of public. The risky ways have been saved for its sports version, the Kia Pro_cee’d.

The front is the most striking part of the vehicle, with a very sloping nose that follows the descending line of the windshield. The sleek spotlight design fits nicely with a rather oddly shaped grille. At the same time, the lower part is crossed by a black strip that joins the two fog lamps and gives the front a more sense of width.

The side view is the usual in the segment, with a fairly high waist line that penalizes the size of the rear windows and taillights that go into the side of the car. The front wheel arch is much more marked than the rear.

The rear end features simple but modern shapes, with horizontally positioned lamps and bulging bumpers that add a touch of personality to the Kia Cee’d, as they feature black trim that lends a certain sporty air to the rear.

Inside

This section is one of the strengths of our protagonist. If it can boast of anything, it is having one of the best-resolved interiors in the category, with dimensions more typical of a higher-segment car, something commendable for a compact of only 4.31 meters in length.

The front seats are very comfortable and spacious, with an attractive dashboard, which mixes a touch screen (located a bit low) with a number of buttons unusual in these times, to which we find no inconvenience. The quality of finishes is very good, although it is not at the level of the Golf in terms of quality of materials, although it is in its settings. Everything gives a feeling of robustness and durability.

In the rear seats the Kia Cee’d can raise its head in front of its rivals. Few come close to the level of comfort that Korean passengers will enjoy. The Hyundai i30 is also another of the highlights, remember that they are practically the same car with different clothes. The legroom is very good, but what stands out the most is the width at the height of the shoulders, where three adults will be able to face medium-distance trips without problem.

The trunk, with 380 liters of capacity, is in the middle of the category. There are rivals who improve this figure, but not everyone can enjoy the regular forms of this Kia. In addition, it has bag holder hooks, very practical for shopping.

A ten for this Kia Cee’d in terms of interior livability. Hopefully it will serve as a lesson for competitors who do not achieve those figures even with a few inches more in length.

Engines and dynamics

The search for the comfort of the occupants is its greatest incentive. Following the Asian style, the suspensions are slightly soft, which gives the Korean a very good isolation from the irregularities of the asphalt. The acoustic insulation is also very well worked and achieves a very comfortable running silence.

Wide roads, such as expressways and freeways, are his favorite workplace. With road qualities at the level of the best in the segment, its occupants will enjoy the comfort more typical of a saloon. It maintains the trajectory with ease and the feel of the steering and the gearshift is very pleasant.

On twisty roads, that soft suspension takes its toll, with a more pronounced body roll than rivals like the Ford Focus or Opel Astra. At legal rates you will not find problems, since their reactions are very neutral and safe, but if you are looking for a compact to have fun on a mountain road, there are better alternatives.

It has only a correct mechanical variety, with good staggering of powers, but we miss versions of more power that its rivals do equip.

• Gasoline : as an entry engine, Kia relies on the 1.4 CVVT of 100 hp, a naturally aspirated engine that gives poor performance. Above, with the 1.0-liter turbocharged block, it offers two power levels, 100 and 120 hp; the latter is an ideal option for the Korean.

• Diesel : with the 1.6-liter block, the brand offers two power levels: 110 and 136 hp. Both are highly recommended for performance and consumption, but the one with the highest power fits better with the car’s traveling spirit.

Price

Part of the € 18,050 that the brand asks for the 1.4 CVVT with the basic Concept finish up to the € 28,150  worth of the version with the 136 HP diesel engine, automatic transmission and GT line finish with the Luxury Pack. They are frankly competitive prices for what the Cee’d offers, lower than those of most rivals.

The overall balance of this Kia Cee’d is commendable. It is difficult to get a negative point from this album, except for a little bit of dynamic qualities. In the rest, it fully complies, and is one of the best options if you want to squeeze the versatility of a good compact to the maximum.