Roy Lewis road tests the Kia Cee’d 1.6-litre diesel stop and go, 6-speed manual (From Hereford Times)

Roy Lewis road tests the Kia Cee’d 1.6-litre diesel stop and go, 6-speed manual

8:00am Friday 19th February 2010 in

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AT-A-GLANCE Kia Cee’d 1.6-litre diesel, stop and go, 6-speed manual.

Price: £14,503.

Top speed: 107mph.

0-60mph: 13.5 seconds.

Fuel: 67.3mpg (combined figure).

C02 emissions (g/km): 110.

Verdict: Excellent for town dwellers, cheap to run, versatile, stylish, well built, well equipped and great value for money with a seven-year warranty.

IT is often said that style, quality and value don’t usually come together.

But Korean manufacturer Kia obviously believes otherwise, especially with the Cee’d, a five-door family hatchback on a par with leading opponents in its class.

It is cheaper than main sector rivals, often better equipped and to cap it all comes with an industryleading seven-year warranty which is transferable.

But, unfortunately, there is still some snobbery over badges which can affect sales and residuals, although since the Cee’d was introduced to the British market it has altered many customers’ perception of Kia and its family range of cars which are built to the sort of standards associated with Ford, Vauxhall and VW.

Kia has tailored cars to the quality European market and those rather cheaper-looking interiors and fitments we used to see have long vanished. Kia’s programme of improvements recently took in the whole Cee’d range which came in for a substantial makeover with changes to the body, a classier cabin and a revised independent suspension set up for a smoother ride. The Cee’d is turning more heads than before with its style and versatility.

And it is now a city slicker. In line with other manufacturers, Kia has introduced a stop-start system called ‘intelligent stop and go’ to help cut emissions and boost fuel economy by about a further 5mpg.

With the five-door hatch, the stopstart version comes with the less powerful of the two 1.6-litre diesel engines and with mid-range trim.

But with its sporty nature the 89bhp motor should be powerful enough for most users and especially for those on a budget.

The Cee’d is fairly economical in any form but the start and go systems is well worth considering if you are a frequent urban user as it works well and is easy to operate.

This version returns 67.3mpg during everyday driving and with C02 emissions (g/km) of 110 it also qualifies for an annual tax rate of £35 – a further saving.

At £14,503, the stop-and-go model sits in the middle of the price range with purchase costs going from £12,153 for the 1.4-litre petrol to £15,831 for the top-specification 1.6-litre diesel with a healthy 113bhp.

The stop-start system operates similar to those of other manufacturers.

When you stop in traffic, you shift the gear lever to neutral and disengage the clutch for the engine to cut out. And immediately you press the clutch pedal the engine restarts.

If you happened to stall the engine, the system will restart the motor upon pressing the clutch pedal and shifting to neutral.

However, in very cold temperatures, such as those we have seen this winter, or if your battery is very run down, the system is automatically switched off.

The 1.6-litre diesel is a popular engine size in this class where the oil burners dominate. It offers plenty of torque or pulling power up through the gears and with its six-speed manual gearbox an enthusiastic driver can enjoy speedy driving and still expect cheap running costs.

The slippery shape and fairly stiff body shell does wonders for reducing noise and vibration to give a quiet, well balanced and well-mannered ride with plenty of front-end grip. The steering may not be as sharp as one or two top rivals but it is nicely communicative.

The five-seat car is one of the roomiest in its class with plenty of head and shoulder space for passengers.

The cabin is well laid out and houses the latest hi-tech wizardry.

The boot should cater for family needs.

Even the equipment list in the entry-level Cee’d is good and includes air-conditioning, a fully integrated MP3 player and CD, front electric windows and central locking. The second of the three trim levels gets alloys, remote central locking and a high-quality sound system which includes a USB auxiliary port while the flagship model adds climate control, rear electric windows and halfleather upholstery.

Safety is paramount with six airbags, anti-lock braking with electronic brakeforce distribution, front seat active headrests and rear ISOFIX child seat anchors all as standard.