Specifications
Model tested: Kia Pro_cee’d 1.6 2
Price as tested: £12,395 (£11,795 - £15,595)
Insurance group as tested: 6 (5 – 9)
CO2 emissions as tested: 152g/km (Band C, £120)
Average range CO2 emissions: 143g/km
Company car tax %: 15%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date tested: May 2008
Road tester: Adrian Hearn

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 84%

The Kia Cee’d family hatchback shot on to the motoring scene at the end of 2006 with motoring writers stunned by an unprecedented seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty offered as standard.

Now the Korean car maker has launched a sleeker three-door coupe-esque version – the Kia Pro_cee’d. We got behind the wheel of one for a week to see how it stacked up in the competitive small family car market.

View more images of the Kia Pro_cee'd

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks
While the standard Cee’d is rather plain-looking, Kia has gone to work with the Pro_cee’d creating a three-door hatchback with a coupe look and distinctly European feel. There’s a more aggressive bodykit and it sits on a set of 16-inch, five-spoke alloys. Opt for the top trim 3 model and you’ll be get a set of seventeen’s. There’s a rear spoiler, while the side profile is filled with sleek curves. In terms of design, this is a big leap for the Korean car industry.

9/10

2. Looks inside
While the outside is great looking and suggests a premium price tag, the Kia Pro_cee’d’s interior is a bit more budget. There are white dials and faux chrome to add a bit of sportiness but it’s all very plasticky. The seats are comfortable and offer a lot of support for long trips and there’s a useful trip computer placed at the top of the centre console.

7/10

3. Practicality
As it’s a Pro_cee’d, the hatchback loses two doors immediately reducing practicality. However there was room in the back for a six foot five man to sit comfortably. The boot’s capacity is 340-litres making light of a large shopping trip. However, due to the coupe profile, the Kia’s rear visibility is hampered which may give unconfident parkers a greater challenge.
 
7/10

View more images of the Kia Pro_cee'd

4. Ride and Handling
The Kia’s suspension is plush enough to soak up Britain’s bumpy roads but firm enough to keep bodyroll to a minimum through the corners. You can have some fun with the Pro_cee’d as well, chucking it into corners at speed with the steering precise. After aquaplaning in heavy rain the car was quite easy to regain control of revealing a competent chassis. Over long periods of motorway driving there were no signs of backache. It’s got a great chassis, which is begging for a genuine hot hatch engine to match its looks.

8/10

5. Performance
You’ve got the jaw-dropping coupe-esque looks, but as yet there isn’t an engine to match. We test drove the 1.6-litre petrol engine for a week. With 124bhp and 114lb/ft of pulling power you get 0-62mph (100kph) in 10.8 seconds and a top speed of 119mph. There’s also a 1.4-litre lump which despatches 62mph in 11.4 seconds and has a top speed of 116mph. But the engine to opt for is the 2-litre turbodiesel. With 138bhp and 225lb/ft of pulling power it’s quick-ish and great for overtaking and hill-climbing while it’s also fairly frugal. We’ve driven this engine in the Hyundai i30 and it’s probably the best all-round engine to come out of Korea recently.

8/10

6. Running Costs
The 1.6-litre model we tested had a claimed average fuel consumption of 44.1mpg. After a week of urban and extra urban driving we were averaging just shy of 40mpg. Emissions of 152g/km place it in tax band C meaning an annual bill of £120 – normal for a car of this size. Opt for the 1.6-litre diesel and you’ll get a claimed 60.1mpg while the punchy 2-litre diesel will average 50.4mpg. Both diesels are also in tax band C, costing £120.

8/10

7. Reliability
The Kia Pro_cee’d is based on the same platform as the standard Cee’d and shares many components with the Hyundai i30. Both of these cars are well built motors and the Pro_cee’d continues this trend. Inside, everything feels well put together plus there’s the Pro_cee’d’s trump card – a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty. So if you’re looking for as close to care-free motoring you shouldn’t look any further than the Kia Pro_cee’d.
 
10/10

8. Safety
Standard safety equipment includes all-round disc brakes, ABS and six airbags. On the Sport model you gain electronic stability programme which detects a loss of grip and brakes a wheel or reduces power. Although it is yet to be crash tested by EuroNCAP, the standard five-door Cee’d was awarded the full five stars.

9/10

9. Equipment
You can get the Pro_cee’d in three impressively equipped trim levels; Pro_cee’d 2, Pro_cee’d 3 and Pro_cee’d Sport. Standard equipment on the 2 includes air-conditioning, six airbags, alarm and immobiliser, trip computer, tinted glass, front fog lights, remote central locking, iPod connection and a CD player.

Trim 3 replaces the 16-inch alloys with 17s and adds climate control, cruise control, cloth and leather seats and a sports pack featuring chrome grille and alloy pedals. The top Sport trim (only available on the 2-litre diesel) gains full leather trim, privacy glass, electronic stability control with emergency brake assist and electric folding mirrors. Not many car makers boast this level of equipment on a car so well priced.

9/10

10. X-Factor
If you can look beyond the not traditionally cool nature of Kia and the grammatically strange nature of the word Pro_cee’d, this three-door hatchback is a great little car with punchy performance, a budget price tag and the brilliant seven-year warranty. In terms of comparing it against an equivalently specced Ford Focus, you’ll be paying more than £2,500 for the Ford. Kia is becoming cool.

9/10

View more images of the Kia Pro_cee'd