We just got the first short test drive from Autocar. Let’s read what they have to say about this hot-looking hatch:
This is the punctuation-bothering, three-door Kia Pro_cee’d (plain Cee’d to you, me and the boot badge).From the outside, the three-door Cee’d has the look of a premium hatch (the Audi A3, mostly). But derivative though it might be, it’s handsome enough.
The interior is more claustrophobic than the five-door Cee’d in the rear, but in the front, longer doors with a rising windowline aside, it’s pure five-door. Which means good rather than great; some cheaper plastics disappoint in an otherwise well assembled, well finished cabin.
Engine options will mirror the five-door range; we tried the new 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel that three-door Cee’ds get first (they’ll filter into other models later). It’s loud around town and though it settles at a cruise, it never feels as refined as the 1.6-litre diesel. The six-speed manual’s shift is precise, and other control weights are very good and consistent.
All three-door Cee’ds are lighter than their five-door counterparts (by up to 85kg), and the suspension has been tuned accordingly. But our test car came on optional 17in alloys, which bring with them even stiffer springs. We had no complaints about body control, but I’m less convinced about the ride. And handling is tidy rather than engaging.
Our Pro_cee’d was also loaded with sunroof, sat-nav and leather, the stuff Kia’s British buyers don’t usually go for. And here lies Kia UK’s quandary. Follow other Golf-segment cars and pitch the three-door at a few hundred notes less than the five-door? Same price, more kit? Or stick leather and nav on it and give it a price increase?
I’m not sure how many buyers will pay extra for two less doors and slippery seats, but the mere fact that Kia is thinking about it tells you a lot about its ambition. And the car.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Who knows if this great looking Kia hatch is going to be imported in to
the U.S.? The c’eed that would interest me the most would be the 5-door
hatch with the 1.6L turbo-diesel motor. The one with 115hp producing 255ft.lb
of torque to the wheels. A 5-speed tranny would be choice.
And, what does 14,245 Euros or lb’s translate over to in U.S. prices? No
problem if it’s not coming to the U.S., but I would like to know. This one looks
very promising and one I’d consider trading in my ‘08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
in on in 5 or 6 years.
I start researching early!
October 30th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Hi Bryan, welcome to the Kia-world!
Unfortunately Kia cee’d (Pro_cee’d and cee’d SW) are not coming to US. The cee’d family was exclusively developed for European market and will be sold only there. The engine you mentioned is really great and recieved recognition among magazine test drivers. It is mentioned to be one of the best in it’s class!
There are no plans to bring it to US.
If you want similar vehicle, you should wait for next generation Kia Spectra. It is going to be exciting car as cee’d!
The price you posted, would be around 19.500 if directly converted to $. But prices in Europe can not be compared to US car prices, because of the different tax system. Most if not all cars cost more in EU than in US.
How much did you spend on Lancer? Did you get a good deal?
The new Lancer looks very nice and I hope you’ll enjoy driving it in the next few years!
October 30th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I spent $21,200 on my Lancer GTS as it has the Sun and Sound package and CVT tranny with
paddle shifters. It is proving to be a fantastic sedan, sporty sedan at that. I love it’s styling and it handles like a dream!
Yeah, I’lll check out the newest Kia offerings. I bought a 1999 Kia Sephia and a 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4
so I do like Kia vehicles and recognize their value and worth.
I like the new Sportage and the Spectra and even the Rio.
himi, is Kia planning a Rio re-design anytime soon? The Rio LX sedan and the Rio5 are both
nice small cars I’m also interested in. The Rondo looks good, too.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
So you are one of many happy Kia owners! I’m glad to hear that and also hope you’ll come back to Kia sometime in the future!:)
Kia usually facelifts their cars after three or four years after coming to the market. Rio was unveiled in 05, that’s why we can expect a facelift in 08.
I have read some very positive reviews about the Lancer. I especially the design of it and the choice of CVT tranny. How does it feel when driving?
November 1st, 2007 at 3:00 am
himi-it is great going in to corners and popping back out of them. The CVT automatic tranny shifts seamlessly and
is a pretty cool and painless way to shift. I am someone who love manual tranny’s but this CVT is a nice replacement
for a “true” stick shift model.
Some have said that the ‘08 Mitsubishi Lancer’s accelerate too slowly-that there’s not enough pop off the line.
I don’t find that to be true, however, I don’t approach driving as a “race”. I was born and raised in the Seattle area
and I truly feel a lot of those drivers felt like driving on I-5 was a race, most obnoxious driver wins. I am not that kind of a driver, hence, the Lancer GTS for 2008 has plenty enough power at 152 hp and I-4 cyl.
Shifting the CVT is easy and fun to do. It moves the power quickly to the wheels and doesn’t jerk the car around while it does it.
I definitely give it a passing grade.