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Driven: Kia Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi. Image by Kia.

Driven: Kia Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi
The 1.0-litre Kia Cee'd enjoyed on the UK's roads.

   



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Kia Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi

3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5

Good points: rev-happy engine, smooth transmission, comfortable ride, impressive refinement, seven-year warranty.

Not so good: not very quick despite sporty GT Line looks, pricey, poor fuel economy in reality.

Key Facts

Model tested: Kia Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi GT Line
Price: range from £14,805; 1.0 T-GDi GT Line from £19,720
Engine: 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol
Transmission: front-wheel drive, six-speed manual
Body style: five-door hatchback
CO2 emissions: 115g/km (Band C, £0 VED first 12 months, £30 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 57.6mpg
Top speed: 118mph
0-62mph: 11.1 seconds
Power: 120hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 171Nm at 1,500- to 4,000rpm

Our view:

Kia offers its new 1.0-litre T-GDi three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in two power outputs. Either one produces 170Nm of torque and then your choice is between 100- or 120hp. Go for the more potent of these triples and the trim choices are '3' or GT Line, as tested here.

This takes its styling inspiration from the range-topping, 204hp Cee'd GT. GT Line buyers will therefore enjoy twin exhaust pipes, side skirts, those distinctive 'ice cube' quad LED daytime running lights and various bits of gloss black trim. It works well and with the Cee'd's hawkish headlamps, it looks a mean car from dead-on front and a generally handsome piece of kit all round. There's something very purposeful about the Cee'd 1.0 GT Line that makes it look punchy, even when it's standing still.

Which makes its performance a let-down. The 1.0-litre T-GDi is a lovely little engine and, for our money, 120hp and 171Nm are about the bare minimum of what's required to move a 1,279kg C-segment hatchback about. It's perfectly fine on part-throttle acceleration and it stays velvet smooth even when you start revving it out to 6,000rpm, but at no point does the Cee'd feel rapid. In actual fact, once the torque starts tailing off at 4,000rpm, there's little point hanging on for peak power at 6,000rpm. Short-shift up a gear and you'll probably be going just as quickly as if you mercilessly thrash the Cee'd.

It's much the same story with the chassis. The Cee'd GT Line is a very clean and competent car in the handling stakes. Body control is good although some pitch, dive and roll is evident, the front end has a lot of grip and a reluctance to understeer - although the rear axle doesn't seem to do a lot beyond supporting the Kia's backside - and the brakes are excellent, with nice modulation and good bite. That six-speed manual gearbox has a relaxed action that's utterly unobtrusive, so it's just as easy to snick another gear in under meaningful acceleration without making the whole car lurch awkwardly, as it is to flow from one ratio to another in a near-seamless fashion at city speeds.

Chief dynamic high point is the ride, which remains composed at all times and makes the Kia a very appealing vehicle to simply 'get from A to B' in. Despite all that sporty body addenda, the Cee'd 1.0 is a much more likeable and impressive machine when it's being driven gently. It's a mature car that makes local 'nipping here and there' driving exquisitely simple and that sort of character has got to be worth its weight in gold to many buyers.

So, beyond the slightly lacklustre high-end performance, is it otherwise flawless? Ah. No. For a start, in GT Line trim as tested here, the Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi starts at a price perilously close to £20,000. Given that these 1.0 turbos are supposed to be a substitute for older 1.6-litre normally aspirated lumps, that seems a lot of money for a mid-ranking C-segment hatch. Yes, you get a spacious and well-finished interior for that, as well as a decent roster of toys, but all things considered this Cee'd didn't feel like astonishingly good value.

Perhaps worse than the list price is the 1.0's thirst for unleaded. Take no notice whatsoever of a near-60mpg official number, because we saw a far more alarming 36.4mpg indicated, and all we did was potter about in the Kia (300 miles at a sedate 31mph average). A long motorway run might have improved that return somewhat, but the reality is that anyone buying a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and expecting it to match a compact turbodiesel for fuel consumption is living in a dream world.

The Kia Cee'd 1.0 T-GDi GT Line is a perfectly pleasant hatchback. Not especially memorable, beyond that raspy little three-pot motor, but quietly assured in most departments and another of the Korean firm's products that constantly reminds you just how far the company has come in the last decade. It's not quick enough for our liking and it's too juicy on fuel considering its modest performance, while it could be a couple of grand cheaper too - at which point, with its seven-year manufacturer's warranty, it would make incredible sense. Nevertheless, if all you're after is a handsome, spacious, refined and well-equipped hatchback with a peace of mind-laden ownership experience unmatched by anyone else, you'll struggle to do much better than this Cee'd.

Alternatives:

Ford Focus 1.0: similarly pricey in 1.0-litre guise and similarly heavy on fuel in reality, the Focus' dynamic acuity is well ahead of the Kia.

Peugeot 308: French car's three-cylinder engine option produces an extra 10hp and 59Nm, making it much better on fuel in day-to-day driving.

SEAT Leon: this SEAT doesn't have a three-pot, but a four-cylinder unit, one of our favourite Volkswagen Group lumps, which is rev-happy and velvet smooth. Goes easy on petrol, too.


Matt Robinson - 21 Mar 2016



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2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.

2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.2016 Kia ceed GT Line. Image by Kia.








 

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