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our test drives or view them all

Kia pro_cee’d 1.6 CRDi 3

THERE’S still a stigma hovering around the Kia badge. It’s crazy, but some buyers continue to regard this established South Korean car maker as a questionable Far East producer. How wrong you can be.

I’ve seen the factory facilities for myself and was stunned by the attention to design and construction quality – let alone Kia’s vast annual million car-plus production numbers for the rest of the world.

Europe and the UK are small by comparison to the rest of its market but are still important to Kia. Why? Because by cracking the European market Kia knows it will have proved to the world it can match the best. This is a global player with research and development facilities that are every bit as impressive as Mercedes-Benz, the VAG Group and BMW.

The cee’d is a fine family hatch that sells pretty well in Scotland – but the pro_cee’d is not in the same volume league.

Comparatively expensive alongside the hatch it’s Kia’s niche coupe and a damned good one at that – especially as it comes with Kia’s industry-busting seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty. The peace of mind that delivers at a time of economic uncertainty is a powerful selling point for Kia.

Five models make up the awkwardly named pro_cee’d range – two smooth and quiet 124bhp 1.6 litre petrol versions, a 138bhp two-litre CRDi Sport at the top of the tree and a pair of 1.6 turbodiesels in the middle, producing 89bhp in pro_cee’d 2 trim and a brisk 113bhp in the pro_cee’d 3 guise I was sent to test.

Mr Sensible would be best advised to look at the petrol models or the 89bhp pro_cee’d 2 CRDi – affordable and well-appointed they run from £12,395 for the 1.6i petrol pro_cee’d 2 to £13,395 for the petrol pro_cee’d 3 and a good value £13,145 for the uber-frugal 1.6 CRDi diesel pro_cee’d 2.

But if you need more power and better trim without going to the pricey £15,995 2.0 CRDi Sport, the only option you are left with is the 1.6 CRDi pro_cee’d 3.

It’s a well equipped choice, but getting expensive for a 1.6 turbodiesel at £14,395.

What you get is a superbly trimmed three-door hatch with head-turning chunky good looks that’s cheap to insure in Group 6 and will average an amazing 59mpg while producing a tax-efficient emission level of 126g/km.

Kia cars have been turning in excellent reliability since the marque modernised its range. The coupe falls into that same category and racks up great value with excellent standard equipment level – apart from one glaring omission. Electronic stability control, an accident life-saver, is not available even as an option on any pro_cee’d apart from the range-leading 2.0 CRDi Sport where it is standard.

I really cannot understand why this system, that should be included as standard on all cars in the same way as ABS and airbags are the norm, can be fitted to the flagship at no extra charge but is not even offered as an extra further down the family line. It’s nonsense – especially when you can order an ordinary 1.6 CRDi cee’d hatch with ESP as an option for just £350.

That apart the pro_cee’d is a great all-rounder. As a coupe it works well with purposeful looks and a ground-hugging stance to underline its sporty aspirations that get admiring glances.

Kia has boxed clever with its new range of cars. The pro_cee’d is particularly clever because in many ways it mimics that iconic quality three-door hatch, the Volkswagen Golf.

Design, appearance and handling are similar, but the most interesting comparison is in weight. While a 1.9 TDI three-door Golf in S trim costs about the same and has the same 4.2 overall length, it’s the Kia that weighs more – 1.43 tonnes compared to the Volkswagen’s 1.25 tonnes.

That will surprise many people who might have thought the solid reputation of the German maker would have lead to heavier cars. Not so. It appears Kia, which has recently recruited former VW and Audi top designer Peter Schreyer to head its design team, knows a good thing when it sees it and, in the best traditions of the Far East motor industry, copy it!

That’s no bad thing. For the Kia purchaser it means buying in to a very reliable South Korean car that looks undeniably European.

Where the equation gets difficult for Kia is squaring the problem of higher depreciation while justifying a similar price to the German opposition. Mind you, that seven-year warranty is a buying itch few budget-minded would-be purchasers will be able to ignore.

The pro_cee’d 3 is the highest spec, apart from the two-litre diesel Sport. In this trim it gets the more powerful of the two 1.6 CRDi turbodiesels – 113bhp in place of the 89bhp fitted to the pro_cee’d 2.

In practical terms it gives the higher-spec model more oomph with extra torque at 188lb.ft available slightly higher in the rev range from 1900rpm. That gives the test car a more sport feel and a deeper – though some may say rougher – exhaust note. It also adds 10mpg to the pro_cee’d 3 top speed at 117mph and delivers noticeably brisker acceleration through the gears in addition to a faster sprint to 62mph that beats the pro_cee’d 2 by almost two seconds at 11.4 seconds.

The downside of the 3’s performance boost is heavier fuel consumption – but as the combined figure drops from the lower-powered diesel’s 62.8mpg to a still impressive 58.9mpg the final choice is likely to be based on price. Why? Because the pro_cee’d 3 costs £1250 more than the 2 and gains climate control, cruise control and part leather in addition to the power hike.

If you like a perky diesel, the 3 is the car – but for others on a tighter budget the 2 makes a lot of sense and drives just as well.

In a week of mixed town and country driving the Kia coupe averaged 58mpg overall – but on a long steady cruise along a rain-swept A86 from Kingussie to Spean Bridge that figure rose to a wallet-warming 62mpg.

For diesel choice the pro_cee’d 3 CRDi is the model to aim for. It does everything well and has a good feel. Road manners are predictable and even hitting standing water failed to upset its handling.

The external panels do feel thin and flimsy – but it’s what is underneath that counts and here the weighty coupe is well assembled. There were no rattles or creaks and although the dash looks rather cheap with a lot of plastic, the instrumentation looks good, is easy to read and secondary switches are well placed.

The part-leather front seats are supportive, but room in the back is restricted and the rising body line cuts the size of the rear windows and made passengers feel hemmed in.

But the pro_cee’d is a sporting coupe that deserves consideration alongside the more established badges. It’s a great little car that might owe its existence to South Korea, but is built in Europe.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT:

KIA is one of the car manufacturers you need to take notice of at the moment. Its seven-year 100,000 mile warranties are superb sales tools and deliver peace-of-mind that is unheard of elsewhere in the mass-production world. The pro_cee’d is Kia’s newest model – a roomy and affordable coupe that has the same features and build quality as the successful cee’d hatchback range, but with a lot more style. At a time when the economy is under strain and car-buyers in particular are getting worried about the costs of owning and running a car, the stylish pro_cee’d is an attractive proposition. The brisk little diesel I had on test averaged an amazing 59mpg – just the trick when diesel fuel prices remain at a record high.

CAR FACTS – Kia pro_cee’d 1.6 CRDi 3

• Price: £14,395
• Capacity: 1582cc
• Power: 113bhp
• 0-62mph: 11.4 seconds
  
• Maximum speed: 117mph
  
• Economy: Combined 58.9mpg
  
• CO2 emissions: 126g/km
  
• ESP: Not available
• Insurance: Group 6