Kia Cee'd. Reconnaissance in force

Kia Cee’d. Price: from 441,664 RUB. On sale: May 2007

The wagon is built on an extended version of the Cee’d hatchback platform: the new model has become 235 mm longer and 10 mm taller. The total length of the car now reaches 4.5 meters, and the trunk volume is 534 liters. Later, the plans include the appearance of a three-door hatchback, but there will be no sedan with this name.

I admit, I would never have thought that Cee’d is an abbreviation. It turns out that the letter “C” means belonging to the golf class, while “E” and “D”, separated by an apostrophe, stand for European Design. It sounds somewhat intricate, doesn’t it? However, this is indeed the case. Already in the very name of the new model, the Koreans made it clear which market they are primarily targeting. According to their plan, it is Cee’d that can provide worthy competition to the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla.

And yet, although the appearance of the Cee’d was created in a new design studio in Germany with the active participation of German specialists, it still feels Eastern notes. Personally, I do not associate it with a purebred “European” at all. It is not difficult to identify the country of origin of this car — it has that very characteristic feature that unmistakably points to its historical homeland. But credit must be given: despite the external similarity to other inexpensive models aimed at Europe, the Cee’d looks quite decent and even stylish.

Inside, the car is also interesting. The first thing that catches the eye is not even the design or the quality of materials. Space — that is what immediately wins you over when you sit behind the wheel and look around. It feels like there is even more room here than in the same Focus. And if you turn to the numbers, everything becomes clear: today, the Cee’d truly has the most spacious interior in its class. A weighty argument in the fight for the buyer, isn’t it? And seriously, you feel very comfortable in the car both in the front and in the back. Although, of course, you can’t cross your legs in the second row, but you don’t have to complain about a lack of space.

There are no complaints about the trim materials either. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a soft dashboard on Korean cars. Usually, such cars look flawless, but as soon as you touch the plastic, all the charm instantly disappears. In the Cee’d, everything is honest: it looks good and feels pleasant to the touch. Someone might say that this is not the main thing. I agree. But it is precisely from such little things that the overall impression of a car is formed. And it is clear that the Koreans paid a lot of attention to these little things. Everything is thought out, everything is in its place, and everything is pleasant to touch. Even the ventilation control knobs and the CD receiver are rubberized. By the way, the latter not only can read MP3 but also plays quite well. At first, I even thought that a subwoofer was hidden somewhere in the car — the lows at low volume pump so hard that the insides vibrate. But the search for the “sub” led to nothing: all the power is delivered by four stock speakers and two tweeters.

The base trim includes six airbags, active headrests, an onboard computer, electric power steering, ABS, power windows with one-touch operation, and much more that is only available at extra cost for most European competitors.

For our market, the car is supplied with three petrol engines: 1.4 L (109 hp), 1.6 L (122 hp), and 2.0 L (143 hp), as well as a 1.6-liter diesel. For the test, we got the version with the most powerful petrol unit and a five-speed manual gearbox. A more than acceptable option. It is with this engine that the car fully reveals itself. Lively, dynamic, and even a bit playful — that’s how you can describe the behavior of the Cee’d 2.0 on the road. The car is indeed easy to drive, allowing you not to strain either in dense city traffic or on the highway. And thanks to the CWT system, which regulates valve timing, the car’s appetite is not too big. In any case, the trip computer never showed an average consumption above 12 liters per hundred.

The only thing that somewhat puzzled me was the suspension. For our roads, it is a bit stiff. It is clear that driving on broken asphalt in any car is not a pleasure. But on the Cee’d, you literally have to slow down before every bump. Otherwise, hard impacts strongly transmit to the body. You involuntarily want to stop on the roadside and check if everything is okay with the car. But on a good highway, it behaves impeccably. On a straight line, it doesn’t wander, holds its course clearly, and takes corners without the slightest hint of drift — provided that the speed is chosen adequately to the radius and the car’s capabilities. Well, if you didn’t calculate, you can easily slow the car down. The brakes on the Cee’d are very effective. Front and rear disc brakes, plus ABS, which correctly intervenes in their operation.

Driving
A dynamic and predictable car with fairly sharp steering and excellent brakes. Disadvantages include the stiff suspension.

Interior
Thought-out ergonomics, high quality of finishing. All controls are in sight and easily accessible. Spacious trunk.

Comfort
Excellent sound insulation, comfortable seats, serious stock audio.

Safety
Standard 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, active headrests, seat belts with pretensioners.

Price
Attractive in its segment.

Dimensions, mm	4235x1790x1480
Engine	petrol, 1975 cm3, 143 hp/6000 rpm
Transmission	manual, 5-speed
Dynamics 0-100 km/h, s	10.4
Maximum speed, km/h	205
Competitors	Ford Focus, VW Golf

Advantages and disadvantages
+ Predictable handling, effective brakes, comfortable interior.
– The stiffness of the suspension is designed exclusively for good roads.

Our opinion

Rich equipment already in the standard version, spacious interior, high quality of execution, fresh engines, and other innovations not previously typical of Korean cars in this class are quite capable of fundamentally changing our consumer’s attitude towards Kia cars as cheap ones.