SATISFYING CEED (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_kiaceed_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 58

Back in 2021, the improved version of Kia's third generation CD-era Ceed further sharpened its proposition in the family hatchback segment, with smarter looks, extra technology and stronger standards of safety equipment. As before, value continued as a strong suit and there was an industry-leading warranty. Potentially then, there's a lot to like here on the used market.

Modelsword count: 11

5dr hatch / SW Estate (1.0 T-GDI, 1.5 T-GDi, 1.6 CRDi)

Historyword count: 390

Automotive historians will look back at this model line's originator, the 2006-era first generation cee'd (which then had an apostrophe in its name) as a landmark design, the first to take on the European and Japanese market leaders on their own terms in the volume Focus and Golf-dominated Family Hatchback sector. Built in the heart of Europe, it was targeted at the heart of the European motor industry, hence the unusual name, a combination of the French abbreviation for European Community (CE) and this car's project title (ED). In MK1 'ED'-series guise - and in the subsequent second generation 'JD'-series design launched in 2012 - it shamed the established players by matching their quality while massively undercutting their prices and offering an astonishingly long 7-year warranty. But times change - and so do market segments. So in 2018, Kia re-designed the MK3 'CD'-series model with a more athletic look and added more efficient engines and extra technology. Then enhanced the whole package three years on, creating the car we're going to look at here. The most popular hatch body style was only one of several sired by the Ceed model line in this era. One was conventional - the Sportswagon estate; one was trendy - the Xceed SUV; and one just plain unusual - the Proceed shooting brake stylised estate. But as part of the 2021 refresh, all shared rejuventated engineering brought well up to date and embellished with fresh powerplants. This update brought the brand's 'Smartstream' 48V mild hybrid tech for the 1.6-litre CRDi diesel; and a cutting-edge 1.5-litre T-GDi petrol powerplant too. If you're familiar with the earlier 2018-2021-era version of this MK3 CD Ceed design, you'll notice the exterior upgrades made as part of this facelift. And inside, plusher versions got a big step forward in media tech. All of which this Kia needed back in 2021 because by then, all of its segment's big hitters had been completely redesigned. But they'd also got much more expensive. In a Ceed, you could get Golf, Focus or Astra-style technology for much less. Plus Kia gave you a more sophisticated suspension set-up than you'd find on base versions of those models. And threw in a longer 7 year warranty too. The Ceed sold in this updated form until late-2025, when it was replaced by the brand's new K4 model.

What You Getword count: 500

The original version of this third generation CD-era Ceed was a very complete car, but it needed slightly more appealing packaging. Delivered to some extent here as part of the 2021 facelift update. Hatches like these of course, always look better with sporty trim but with this one in particular, that makes all the difference, so try and stretch to better-spec 'GT-Line'-trim: with a base '2'-spec Ceed, things really do look rather dull. With 'GT-Line' trim though, the Ceed is actually quite an appealing-looking thing. From the side, you get more of a perspective for the bold shoulder line, something even more evident on the alternative Sportswagon estate version of this model. Earlier, we referenced the facelift changes made here, which are most noticeable at the front where the nose section got adorned by Kia's then newly-introduced logo. Below that, the brand's usual 'tiger nose' grille gained satin upper and lower wing-shaped garnishes. At the rear, the surface between the LED combi lamps was smoothed as part of this update to accommodate a sleeker central brand emblem. Those lamps gained a smarter look on the 'GT-Line' variant - 48 honeycomb-shaped modules surrounded by a red frame, the LEDs in certain rows lighting up sequentially when the driver uses the turn signals. At the wheel, the extent to which you might be impressed with this car will probably depend on how far up the range you've ventured with the version you're sitting in. Entry-level versions of this updated MK3 model don't look very much different to the original, but if you can avoid one of those, then your attention will be taken with the far more sophisticated 10.25-inch Touchscreen Satellite Navigation central screen, which offers advanced 'Kia Connect' media features and was a fresh addition as part of this facelift model's spec. Lesser variants got a slightly larger 8-inch monitor and all Ceeds featured a further, small, 4.2-inch colour trip computer read-out between the two analogue dials in the instrument cluster. Getting comfortable is easy, thanks to plenty of seat and wheel adjustment, along with lots of cabin storage space. And build quality from the Slovakian factory seems to be agreeably tight. The original version of this third generation Ceed offered a useful step forward in rear cabin space compared to earlier models thanks to a 34mm increase in shoulder room; even by 2021, the total 1,406mm figure was still one of the best in the class. That, along with a notably low centre transmission tunnel, meant that this Kia could more comfortably accommodate three rear adults than many of its segment rivals. In the hatch version, the boot is 395-litres in size. Opt for the boxier Sportwagon estate and the luggage area size grows to 625-litres, while on the stylised Proceed shooting brake model, it's 594-litres. In the hatch, if you need more space and want to push forward the 60:40-split rear backrest, you'll find that the 1,291-litre capacity freed up still isn't quite as large as you might hope.

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