Back in September it became apparent that the A3 cabriolet was not proving a suitable second car. All it was being used for was my commute to work and when called into action for anything else it wasn’t really working – the boot was too small for even a fold up buggy, the little person was too small to sit in the back with the roof down, if he sat in the front you needed tonnes of sunscreen, the opportunities to drive it for anything other than commuting then became almost zero and the 2.0T engine was returning a best of 33MPG for the journey to work. When we found out that baby number two was on the way I did some maternity leave and childcare cost forward planning and worked out that by the end of 2012 money would be tighter than I would like – as such the money in the bank became more important than the car on the drive, so it went.
I needed a bog standard “bus” to do little more than get me to work and back (19 miles each way 90% 60mph+ A roads, 5% 50mph twisty country road and 5% last stretch of queuing off the dual carriageway and into the car park) but be big enough that it could be used as the main car if it had to be – so boring stuff like fitting the buggy or shopping in the boot. Hindsight says I should have bought the vRS Fabia at the start of 2011 not the A3, but we are all Albert Einstein in hindsight and I did enjoy the A3 while I had it. Our other car is a RAV4.
Some hunting around led me to a 59 plate 2 litre diesel Kia Cee’d. The last of the pre-facelift model with 13k miles up and the 140 bhp engine with a 6 speed box in near perfect nick with 5 year warranty left for £9k. Comparable Focii petrol were lower spec with more miles and the diesels were a year older and therefore out of warranty (predictable costs for the 2nd car are important). My personal experience with the Focus is poor, so I wouldn’t have bought one anyway, but the price/spec/age calculation repeated for the Astra, Auris, Leon etc while some of the Golfs were silly money.
So I bought it. I have now owned it for almost six months and almost 4,000 miles so I thought it was time to post my thoughts.
First is that all of these people who say “I used to have a 5 series and I can’t tell the difference” can you please stop it. I consider you are lying to either yourself or other people. There is no doubt that you can tell the difference between the Ceed and a car at least £10k more expensive – whether that difference is worth the money or not is something else.
The bad bits to start with. Tyre noise from the low profile Michelins on a poor road surface is not so good. When you drive on new carriageway the car is amazingly quiet and the engine noise at speed is far less that the RAV4 or the diesel Saab 9-3 I used to own, but on less compliant roads the tyres are tiresome. I put some high density packing foam in the boot which made a massive difference – but just accentuated the noise of the front tyres…
The steering is fussy around “straight on”. Most cars have a bit of a dead spot so you aren’t constantly micro-steering but the Ceed doesn’t and I find myself wandering in lane a bit more often than I have with any previous car I have owned.
The interior light doesn’t turn on when you take the key out of the ignition. Why do I have half leather, finger protect electric windows, climate and cruise control but not this function?!
The gear change is a bit rubbery.
So the bad list is short.
The car build quality is surprisingly good. I hate rattles and squeaks and this car has none so far (the RAV is also doing well in this respect but I remember the Saab being dreadful). The exterior fit and finish is also excellent. The seats are firm but never uncomfortable (but never Saab comfy either) while the half leather is not supple like some but not hard or shiny either. 0-60 is a smidge over 10 seconds which is acceptable but there is a lag in the turbo that explains why it is not as fast as some cars with a similar BHP figure - but in gear it is much less noticeable. MPG on brim to brim touched 50.4 MPG in October when we had that fantastic weather but has fallen to (no lower than) 46 MPG in the recent cold.
This car has found me asking myself what the difference is between the best in class and the rest? 95% of my journey is in a straight line so “better dynamics” really makes no difference (in the summer I put a 420BHP BMW M3 round a track for 20 laps and that had dynamics like no other car I have driven – better than the Porsche I stepped out of 10 minutes earlier). The spec and build quality is excellent and while you can tell some more expensive competitors apart from things like the damped indicator stalks and cushioned grab handles you can ask if you really notice this and whether you want to spend your £ on this or elsewhere – perhaps £2k extra for a similar Focus or £3k for a Golf. Not sure – but used at two years old with 45% of its value shed it is a fantastic ownership prospect. What is different from previous Kia’s is that you are not buying the car because of its warranty or a bargain price but because it is as good a car as anything else on the market AND has a monster warranty remaining.
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Thats a fair assessment, I went from a Mk2 Focus to a Ceed and prefer the Ceed. My next car will probably be a KIA of some sort. The local dealer is good and that helps, even though they have only done a couple of services they beat the Ford dealer hands down.
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Had a cee'd - the equivalent of the UK trim 3 - I'm sure the interior lights came on when the key was removed, there was also "see you home" from the headlights. You may need to juggle with some combination of the switches.
Agree the the remainder of the comments - steer clear of the 17" wheels - but problem with Kia (and Hyundai) is lack of flexibility with options. If you want a reasonably specced car you have to have the larger wheels.
Last edited by: lancara on Tue 6 Mar 12 at 22:13
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The 2010 on facelift models have modified suspension settings. Mine has 17" wheels and is slightly softer than the Focus was on 16" wheels, even though it is an estate.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 6 Mar 12 at 22:19
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I have the SW with the diesel 09 plate. 17" rims.
On Mitchelins (bit pricey) I cant say I have noted noise and the handling is spot on.
Diesel is strong and lazy.
Major irritations are the odd squeak and rattle from behind the dash which I have tried to cure with only a modicum of success. Certainly the heater box plastics groan in cold weather until warm air is blown through. Summer is not an issue. Driver door mechanism froze up a few times last two winters but not the one just gone necessitating a nearside climb over. Known issue but can't be bothered to get it fettled.
Other than that its an ok motor. It is what it is.Also got a 59 Focus which I think is better finished.
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If any Ceed owners are interested there is a five page feature on servicing the Ceed in the March edition of Car Mechanics magazine. Lots of photos and info on adjusting the handbrake, changing filters, brakepads etc.
It may be a bit of a waste of paper, all I have ever had to do to mine is top up the screenwashers. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 7 Mar 12 at 08:36
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>> The interior light doesn’t turn on when you take the key out of the ignition.
Yes, but after taking the key out, you'll immediately open the door and that turns the light on.
>> Major irritations are the odd squeak and rattle from behind the dash
Hmm, I thought only my Ceed has got this problem :-) Mine is '07 1.6 petrol.
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Steering wheel stuck out on a stalk and gear stick too high and too far forward.
Poor ride, even by the poor riding standards of my Focus.
Good value second hand, but not new.
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>> Steering wheel stuck out on a stalk>>
It is adjustable, as in telescopic steering column. :-)
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...It is adjustable, as in telescopic steering column...
Even adjusted all the way in, I still found the steering wheel to be stuck out.
The impression might be caused by the wheel being further away from the dash than other cars.
Whatever, the driving position is filed under 'slightly odd'.
Last edited by: Iffy on Wed 7 Mar 12 at 16:47
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Yes, but after taking the key out, you'll immediately open the door and that turns the light on.
No you won't; first you'll unplug your phone from the charger and rummage somewhere for your house keys. The lighting that allows you to do this without having the door open and the rain blowing in is one thing that distinguishes a nice car from an ordinary one. (We have one of each and I know which I prefer.)
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I like cars which still let you operate the electric windows after you've turned the engine off but still have the keys in the ignition and which don't turn the radio off until you pull the keys out either ( I've missed vital bits of the Archers like that in the past ! ). Oh, and ones which let you re-set the trip counter under the same circumstances, oh ah, but I would like it to disconnect the phone from the bluetooth thingy. If you've ever walked past a parked car while the driver is on his fancy "through the car radio" handsfree you can hear every word being said by his caller.
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>>I've missed vital bits of the Archers like that in the past ! <<
Well, that's your street cred gone out of the window:)
Pat
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Humph's right, and it's a gripe of mine about push-button starters: you stop the engine and off goes everything at once (except the bleedin' 'eadlights, which will stay on full beam while you lock up and walk away as the car beeps feebly in protest.)
If you happen to arrive home just as Black Sabbath are winding up Heaven and Hell, or Alan the vicar finally takes a meat cleaver to sanctimonious Shula for one carry remark too many about his non-Christian wife, you don't want to have to sit outside your own house with the engine running. But in one of our cars, that's just what I do.
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i let the engine idle when i am getting myself together (door keys etc).
this gives time for the turbo to cool down after a bit of mad max road warrior driving in the rio. lol
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I hope the steering box lasts a bit longer than the one on my Sorento did :-( I recommend extended warranty just in case!
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My sister in law had a 1.6 diesel for 3 months as a short term company car. Its just gone back and they liked jt so much they've gone out and bought a 10 plate with their own money.
I drove it, and apart from the numb steering and constant fidgeting from the suspension, thought it was a ready nice car. Pokey engine, loads of space, and very well put together.
I would definitely consider one used against a Focus or Golf, either to get into a newer one four the same outlay, or a similar age for less. The warranty is also a big comfort.
Nice cars IMO
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The "Its a KIA, it must be crap" dinosaurs will be along in a minute or two. :-)
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KIA Cee'd - Kia Ceed - Old Navy
