2018 Kia Ceed ‘2’ CRDi 1.6-litre Diesel Review

With keys to the brand new Kia Ceed, we brought it out for a drive to see if this Korean hatch can indeed contend with its esteemed European rivals.

What’s the 2018 Kia Ceed ‘2’ about?

Kia has introduced a significant refresh with their bread and butter hatchback, cue the brand new Kia Ceed. We’ll see if it’s a concise hatch worth taking into consideration.

If there’s a thing that the Korean manufacturers particularly master, it’s the surface aesthetics. They have dulled the edge of the 3rd generation Ceed, but imbued it with today’s, elegant and contemporary look that may appeal to a wide audience.

It really is an unoffensive method of car design, even though it’s not especially noteworthy or groundbreaking, it really is a stylish styling decision. Painted in ‘Infra Red’, a £550 option and sitting on simple 16″ 5-twin spoke alloys, the Ceed imposes a modest on-road presence.

Our Kia Ceed is just about probably the most basic you can choose, and it includes a simple and practical 1.6-litre CRDi turbo diesel inline-4. It touts 114 horsepower and 280 Nm of torque, a good amount.

The engine is then married to a 6-speed manual transmission that delivers the energy to leading wheels. This drivetrain will propel the Kia Ceed from 0-62 mph in 10.6 seconds, onto a high speed of 118 mph.

With Kia’s ECO Pack, this drivetrain combination is rated at 74.3 mpg combined while putting out just 99 g/km of CO2. They are definitely competitive figures in its segment.

Having said that, the engine is really quite a vintage unit. However, Kia has definitely spent your time and effort to boost and innovate in which to stay contention with this ageing diesel.

How does it drive?

It’s the most elementary, simplest of engine you can choose in the Kia Ceed, nonetheless it does perform admirably. With prompt torque delivery and a feeling of urgency over a wide range, it’s quite a satisfying engine to start.

Although a diesel hatchback sounds boring, I could definitely see folks choosing this engine simply for its urban capability. Having said that, it does clatter a lot at ideal but quickly gets tamed as the revs rise. It’s competent on the motorways too.

The 6-speed manual is slick with an easygoing but assured actuation action. Paired with the featherweight clutch and bundles of torque, the Kia Ceed is incredibly easy to drive even coping with heavy traffic.

Although it is rated to become more economical than its petrol counterpart, there’s without doubt that it’s a heavier engine overall. This may compromise the handling characteristic and dull the cornering edge that compact hatches nowadays generally enjoy.

It can have an instant and precise steering feel, with a sprightly nose that dives into corners well. However, it’s not particularly communicative and progressive as other rivals, from Ford and VAG. That’s not saying it doesn’t prosper, that it’s less confidence inspiring than its competition.

Feeling nimble and agile doesn’t translate to assertive cornering like this of a Focus. Because of that, the Ceed eminently relies more on its electronics to keep it in balance, and if you’re a spirited driver it might seem it works against you, but that isn’t the case, it is effective.

That’s not saying that it’s terrible, that its competitors are exemplary. The Ceed is a well-sorted, price-emphasised hatchback nevertheless. It’ll manoeuvre through corners with poise, so long as you adapt your driving behaviour to the Ceed’s ways.

As the Ceed is basically compliant through all however the most unfortunate of crevasses, it once more just loses out to its more refined rivals, including the Golf. Having said that, the Ceed remains amenable even though dealing with rough bumps.

What is it truly like inside?

Move inside though, and what you’ll notice is that it’s surprisingly appealing. Our basic CRDi ‘2’ trim makes do without leather, but its simple cloth interior is nothing that you need to fault either. It’s comfortable, provides good support and it looks sufficient.

As the materials used here aren’t exactly praiseworthy, the construction here’s respectable. I reckon that the Ceed’s fit and finish is in fact much like its German rivals. The switches are put sensibly, and its own dynamic shape evokes an elegant feel.

Even in its most elementary trim, you may expect a 7″ touchscreen infotainment system at the centre console, in fact it is generally intuitive and quite responsive.

The visibility out leading is great, but less so at the trunk. Thankfully a reversing camera is standard on all models to create your daily life easier. Front passenger room is enough capacious unless you choose the electrically adjustable seat with less selection of adjustment than manual.

While legroom is less generous at the trunk, headroom is ample even for tall people. In the event that you do choose the First Edition which has a sunroof, which is always an appealing feature.

Start the boot though, and you’ll visit a minuscule boot lip with an extraordinary, cavernous 395-litre boot that’ll easily gobble up any shopping you’ve got. The trunk seats fold in 60/40 fashion if you want more.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Driving the Kia Ceed was a standard solid experience. It’s a robust compact hatchback that’ll last perfectly well, so long as you can overlook its minor flaws that’s only apparent when you’re making direct comparisons. What the Ceed has choosing it though is a good look, a decent driving experience and a great deal of kit for your cash.

THE PRICE

A Ceed, with the 1.6-litre CRDi engine like ours, begins at £19,545. In the event that you stick to the 1.0-litre T-GDI engine which can be reportedly quite sufficient for the Ceed, it starts at £18,295 instead, a less strenuous pill to swallow if you don’t want the diesel efficiency.

Verdict

Make no mistake, the Kia Ceed is a plenty capable car. This is a competitive segment, however the updates sent to this car put it back strong competition with a number of the once again common options. Through the years I think we will have more and more of the cars on the highway. It is safe to state that they can have good residual values and include that dependable 7-year warranty.