Kia pro_cee'd 2.0 CRDi Sport

Jan 2 2009 Edward Stephens

WHEN Kia launched the cee'd it was a breath of fresh air in the Korean car maker's line up.

But the cee'd wasn't for everyone. It was designed to appeal to families and motorists who needed four doors and more traditional styling.

So rather than miss out on motorists who were looking for something a bit more sporty, a bit more dynamic it launched a trendy coupe in the form of the pro_cee'd.

And if ever there was a Kia with youthful flair this is it.

It's one of those cars that if you removed the badges it could easily be mistaken for one of the prestige German manufacturer's models.

The pro_cee'd does for the cee'd range what the Astra Sport did for the Vauxhall Astra family hatchback - by being a far more eye-catching, more appealing model.

It's not a hot hatch but with its fine tuned lowered suspension, high waist and rakish roofline it does have the appearance of one.

Despite its svelte appearance, however, this coupe does have plenty of interior space, as I found out when I had to transport a number of lightweight but bulky items. With the rear seat backs folded down the pro_cee'd becomes a real Tardis, accommodating far more than you would ever think possible.

Despite the low roof, headroom in the rear is more than ample and for someone of average height like myself there was even enough room to stretch my legs out.

Coupes can be awkward to get into for rear seat passengers but large doors which open to 70 degrees and sliding front seats mean reasonably easy access in this case.

Although a member of the cee'd family the coupe is a separate model in its own right. It is longer, lower and lighter than the five door cee'd with only the bonnet and front wings being common parts.

What is surprising is that both the five door saloon cee'd and the three-door coupe pro_cee'd are exactly the same price. So no one is penalised.

In the case of the 2.0-litre diesel Sport that I tried £15,770 will buy you either. It will also buy you the best warranty in the business. Seven years or 100,000 miles, which shows just what confidence the company has in the product.

On the road the 2.0-Sport with its six-speed manual gearbox is punchy, has an abundance of torque but best of all offers the sort of flexibility through the gears that allows it to cope easily with the hassles of modern motoring.

As well as being lively around town it's an impressive motorway cruiser too and during my week with the car the average fuel consumption never dipped below 45mpg.

The Sport comes well equipped, with features which include full leather trim, privacy glass, ESP stability control, climate control and cruise control.

You also get a multi function steering wheel with buttons on it for the cruise control and the radio not to mention USB and auxiliary sockets near the gear shift.

FAST FACTS

Kia pro_cee'd 2.0 CRDi Sport

Price : £15,475

Mechanical : 138bhp, 1,991cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox

Max speed : 127mph

0-62mph : 10.1 secs

Combined mpg : 50.4

Insurance group : 9

CO2 emissions : 149g/km

BiK rating : 19%

Warranty : 7yrs/ 100,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 6yrs anti-rust