The new Kia cee’d looks increasingly sophisticated. Picture by Peter Boam.
ON THE ROAD
ROADTEST FACTFILE
Car: Kia cee’d
Model: 1.6 CRDi 2 EcoDynamics
MPG: extra urban 72.4 mpg/ urban 60.1 mpg
CO2 emissions: 110 g/km
Price: £14,195
Loaned by Somerton Kia, Cowes.
DRIVING with Kia just got greener.
The new 1.6 CRDi cee’d 2 EcoDynamics is Kia’s first car that comes fully equipped with the very latest eco-friendly designs.
Take the smart, cutting-edge Intelligent Stop and Go technology for example — allowing the engine to switch off when the car is stopped, in neutral and with the clutch pressed down.
All of this makes the Kia cee’d 2 EcoDynamics an incredibly fuel-efficient car — good for the environment and great for your wallet.
I drove the Kia cee’d when it first came out and loved the look, as well as the all-important handling and performance.
Since then the cee’d has undergone a facelift, most noticeably at the front, which is now dominated by what has become known as the Schreyer grille, in honour of Kia’s German chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, who created it.
This is an elegant, slim, chrome-edged opening, pinched in the middle to frame the Kia badge.
The grille pattern is echoed in the lower air intake, below the front bumper. The new design gives the new cee’d the look of an increasingly premium, sophisticated product.
The grille is flanked by front-light clusters, with black bezel projection headlamps, as standard.
The bonnet is also new, with sharper creases, taking the eye towards the grille.
At the rear, there are also new lamp clusters, creating an LED effect and adding to the premium character of cee’d.
But back to the highly-impressive Intelligent Stop and Go system (ISG).
This turns off the engine when the car is stationary in traffic and the driver puts the gearstick into neutral and takes his or her foot off the clutch.
I found the engine restarts immediately as soon as the clutch pedal is partially pushed.
Because of the way UK vehicle excise duty bands are structured, ISG will initially be available only with the standard (89bhp) 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engine.
It gives Kia a model to target at fleets and business users who can derive maximum tax advantage from the fuel economy and CO2 improvements it bestows.
With the ISG system, CO2 emissions fall from 119g/km to 110g/km — sufficient to allow companies to claim a 100 per cent company car tax write-down in the first year of operation — while average fuel economy is a highly impressive 67.3mpg.
Business drivers will continue to enjoy a 13 per cent rate of benefit-in-kind tax liability — five per cent lower than the majority of its rivals.
The car is also fitted with Michelin Energy Saver low-rolling resistance tyres, while I was very impressed with the gearshift indicator, which advises you on the most fuel-efficient points to change up or down.
Kia has set itself the goal of being in the world’s top three manufacturers for actual quality within three years, and among the top five perceived quality within five years.
That determination is evident as soon as you step aboard the revised cee’d.
It is now like travelling first class, while paying an economy price.
There’s no doubt buyers will be impressed by the build quality and the excellent quality and feel of the cabin materials.
From the tones and textures of the trim materials to the action and smoothness of the major controls, the spacious and stylish interior has enjoyed an upgrade. And five people can travel in equal comfort on one ticket.
New on the revised cee’d is the sporty-looking four-spoke steering wheel from Soul. The spokes house remote audio and trip computer controls, plus Bluetooth. The wheel-mounted switches are new and work on the smoother-operating see-saw principle.
The perfectly positioned centre console has been completely redesigned to make it more intuitive and more satisfying to use.
There is a new audio layout, with a large central control switch that makes it easier to change the volume, radio stations or CD tracks while on the move.
The cabin is loaded with storage compartments to keep things tidy, while there is ample head and legroom.
Out on the road and the cee’d EcoDynamics reminds me of how much I enjoyed the pre-facelift cee’d.
Like its predecessor, it’s easy to drive, helped by new suspension improvements, with a firm but not uncomfortable ride — even on the Island’s pot-holed roads.
And don’t forget, uniquely, the cee’d comes with a seven-year, or 100,000 miles, warranty period, which is excellent.