Kia has introduced its new three-door variant of its fashionable cee’d, with the arrival of the three-door pro_cee’d. It joins the cee’d five-door and cee’d Sportswagon (estate) to complete the model line-up. When we first got a glimpse of this car at the 2012 Paris International motor show, we were impressed, it’s a striking looking hatch.
Now, sitting in front of us on Irish roads in Techno orange (one of five special colours), the pro_cee’d is a stylish, modern hatch back. It’s obviously sportier than its five-door sibling, with which it shares the chassis. Although it’s the same length, width and has the same wheelbase dimensions as the five-door model, the pro_cee’d’s roofline is 40mm lower. Its B-pillar has been moved back and there’s a new C-pillar, tailgate, rear bumper and light clusters to complete the car’s differentiating looks. The interior offers ample space for all occupants, the controls are neatly laid out, with the dash angled towards the driver. The main instrument cluster is particularly clear and easy to view, simplicity is the key here, you can concentrate on the road ahead and yet glance at your main instruments with ease.
There are just two models of the pro_cee’d on sale in Ireland, there is also a hot pro_cee’d GT variant which can be imported if you so wish, although it will be a rare sight on our roads. Irish motorists have a choice of two engines, both diesel, a 1.4-litre that provides 90hp and 220Nm of torque, it’s priced from €22,900. The second offering is a 1.6-litre diesel engine, this is the model we recently tested. It’s a proficient unit, producing 128hp and 260Nm of torque. Interestingly both variants produce 114g/km of CO2 emissions and are therefore seated in tax band A4, with an annual road tax fee of €200. The six-speed manual transmission provides a fluid gear change, it’s an enjoyable car to drive with accurate feedback from the steering which has three modes. We selected Sport mode for the majority of our drives, this gives more weight and feel to the steering wheel. The pro_cee’d excels at city driving and is also competent at motorway speeds, with a decent amount of torque you can cruise in sixth gear at a fine turn of pace with low revs, therefore benefiting from excellent fuel economy.
The Kia pro_cee’d is obtainable in just one trim, EX which provides a host of equipment. The 1.4-litre model is equipped with 16” alloy wheels, while the 1.6-litre gets 17” alloys. Just some of the standard equipment on both models includes, Bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning, electric mirrors, LED lights front and rear, rear parking sensors, cruise control and flex steering system. ESP, ABS, BAS (emergency brake assist),HAC (hill assist control), VSM (vehicle stability management) and ESS (emergency stop signal) are also a standard fixture. As with all Kia’s it comes with a seven year warranty for peace of mind motoring.
The pro_cee’d is a stylish competent hatchback that has all the correct ingredients to satisfy its owners, it’s also very reasonably priced. Take a test drive and you’ll see for yourself why it’s brightened our motoring week.
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