Kia is building on the success of its five-door Cee'd with a more sporty three-door version, the Pro_cee'd, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring editor
History has a tendency to be rewritten every couple of years. That's as true about the car industry as it is about great military victories, political leaders or sporting heroes.
Where once a car firm might have been the butt of every motoring joke, a few years of hard labour by the engineers, designers and marketing folk can turn the brand into one of the most reputable on the market.
Think of the "welcome" that awaited the Japanese brands in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. Of course there were some dreadful cars amongst the new arrivals, but there were also one or two gems.
Closer to home, think of the reception for brands like Seat or Skoda received at the outset in western markets.
The motoring establishment has a tendency to dismiss newcomers. So it was that the Koreans took over the mantle from the Czechs at Skoda as the butt of many motoring jokes. Their cars were "tin boxes with lawnmower engines and a fondness for grey plastic". Cheap and cheerless.
However, just as the Skoda brand has long since shed its shoddy image, we are now witnessing a definite shift in the standards and offerings from the Asian peninsula.
Within the next 10 years, expect to see Korean brands treated with the same respect as mainstream European or Japanese cars.
That all depends, of course, on the management maintaining the current direction. For now, at least, things look decidedly positive.
Take the Kia range, for example. It had one or two strong cards in its deck, such as the Sorento and Picanto, but the rest were decidedly lacklustre.
They were purchased by cost-conscious motorists who wanted to buy new and didn't care about handling, ride quality or even comfort and refinement. As long as it got from A to B and kept the rain off, then they were happy.
If the market is static, then it can be a rather profitable segment to be in.
However, the arrival of Chinese and Indian brands in the next decade or so means Kia must find a new market or risk being crushed by these larger Asian giants.
Hence the noticeable move upmarket by both Korean brands. That's not to say they are going to compete with the likes of BMW or Audi. But they will, most certainly, give some Japanese and European brands a run for their money.
A shining example of the change in form is the new Cee'd range.
Family hatchback motoring from Asia was one of the most functional and depressing segments of the market some time ago. Inspiration was in short supply.
Thankfully, with the help of a few well-paid new European signings in the design and engineering departments, the Koreans now boast some really competent rivals to the established European brands.
That's not to say the VW Golf is now going to fall foul of the Kia Cee'd. Not this generation at least. But the choice between these two is no longer black and white.
Add in the seven-year warranty that is transferrable to used buyers during that time and you can clearly see that Kia mean business.
There is no questioning the Cee'd's value proposition. As silly as the model name is, the price tag catches your eye, particularly when you realise that the styling is not the typical mixed-up lines of previous Korean hatchbacks.
With the Pro_cee'd you get an even more convoluted name but even sharper styling.
The three-door version is based on the underpinnings of the more practical five-door Cee'd, but it is longer and lighter. The end result is a car that should wow enough young motorists to keep Kia on the right track for years to come.
There's no question that the styling has an appeal to European tastes. Even the most ardent Golf owners we encountered had positive comments on the Pro_cee'd's design and were particularly taken by the interior trim.
A REGULAR CRITICISM OF KOREAN brands is that their interiors seem to be built from recycled plastic buckets.
Thankfully this is changing. The quality feel and finish on the Cee'd's plastics is remarkable for a car of this price range, while the controls could come straight from a supposedly benchmark European rival.
In short, you can now feel happy behind the wheel of a Korean car.
The praise doesn't end there - the Pro_cee'd manages to carry forward the decent interior legroom and bootspace of the five-door model, while the large doors mean that you don't need to be too agile to use the back row of seats. What's more, the rear can accommodate two adults without complaint, although the sliding mechanisms on the front seats could be improved.
Two engines are on offer in the Pro_cee'd: a 109bhp 1.4-litre petrol or 115bhp 1.6-litre diesel. Both offer decent fuel economy and have CO2 emission figures that should see the new vehicle registration tax (VRT) drop by 2.5 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, under the new emissions-based system due for introduction from July 1st. The tax drop on the diesel certainly suggests it's the better buy post-July and having driven both engines in the past, it's the better performer as well.
That said, the diesel has a slight tendency to turbo whistle, but it's a potent little engine for its size. The official figures suggest it is certainly as powerful as any of its direct European rivals. And that's what may attract some younger buyers.
The good news for their parents is that this car is no hot hatch and is most comfortable cruising at 100km/h.
Despite its sporting looks, this is a regular hatchback that won't be vying with any GTi rivals anytime soon. If anything, the lack of a more performance-orientated version is a bit of a disappointment.
For now, our main gripe would be that the gearbox lacks the sort of mechanical feel that would be most at home in a car designed for more sporty buyers.
It feels a little soft for the task at hand and we have to wonder if it will stand up to the everyday abuse of young enthusiastic motorists. Similarly, the steering is a little light and perhaps too soft for an audience that may come to this from the likes of the VW Golf or the Ford Focus.
However, the Cee'd range was developed with European tastes in mind and honed on German roads, so it's not all that far from our favoured settings.
In terms of added extras, two versions are on offer, with a price difference of just under €2,000 between them.
The LX version is already well equipped and we'd have to query whether there are enough extras on the EX version to warrant the extra spend. It seems to come down to how much you like leather.
The value proposition and what you are getting for your money is hard to ignore. Add a few thousand euro to this price tag and you are still only buying the most basic versions of the best-selling rivals, with underpowered engines and sparse specification lists. And that's before you even consider the quality assurance Kia is offering with its seven-year warranty, created on the back of the firm's confidence in its new state-of-the-art production facility in Slovakia.
Overall, Kia makes a very tempting offer with the Pro_cee'd. If you can get over the silly name, this is a real rival to the traditional players in the hatchback market and should be viewed as far more than simply the value proposition.
Our crystal ball has proved cloudy on many occasions, and there are many bookies who have reaped the rewards of our previous dead-cert predictions.
However, we have already predicted great things for the Cee'd range and the three-door version is an equally tempting purchase.
This is no time for brand snobbery. Only a fool would ignore the Cee'd range in any of its guises when shopping for a hatchback and it's well worth a test drive.
This car brand is clearly on the rise. The history of Kia may well be rewritten on the back of the Cee'd range.
Factfile
KIA PRO_CEE'D 1.6D EX CC: 1582 BHP: 115 0-100km/h: 11.4 secs CO2: 125g/km Consumption (comb): 4.8L/100km (58.8mpg) Price: €23,395
ENGINE: a 1582cc common-rail diesel engine putting out 115bhp @ 4,000rpm and 255Nm of torque from 1,900rpm
SPECIFICATION: includes dual front, side and curtain airbags; ABS with EBD; Isofix rear childseat anchors; air-con with filter; radio/CD with USB input and four speakers; electric front windows; front foglights.
EX version adds on 17" alloys; half-leather upholstery; leather steering wheel and gearknob; electrically folding wing mirrors.
Only other option is metallic paint at €350.
L/100KM (MPG):
Urban: 5.7 (49.6)
Extra-urban: 4.3 (65.7)
Combined: 4.7 (60.1)
CO2 EMISSIONS: 125g/km (126g/km with 17" alloys on EX version)
Price: €23,395 (from €19,195 to €23,395)