Kia Cee'd 2008 - long-term test
Kia’s Cee’d has proved itself in every area, from cruising to carrying loads. but what happened when it entered the world of motorsport?
It’s one of the most unassuming cars on our fleet, but our Kia Cee’d has the motorsport bug.
It first proved its mettle by taking me to Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire, so I could become one of the first people to test the venue’s new rally school. But the Cee’d hasn’t only been great transport; it’s also tackled a motorsport event itself!
Despite its lack of sporting pretensions, I entered our Kia in a local motor club sprint, held at an airfield. These are great events, because as long as you have a competition licence, you can turn up in a normal road car, and there’s no need to fit any expensive safety kit. They really are a throwback to the traditional ‘run what you brung’ school of motorsport.
The format is simple - complete a lap of a course as quickly as possible. I entered in the diesel class and finished fifth, beating some rally cars in the process! But after the glory, it was back to more mundane motoring – and the Cee’d continues to excel at this. It’s an easy car to live with day-to-day, simply because it’s so comfortable and user friendly.
In our last report, we explained how we changed to Goodyear Hydragrip tyres for the winter. And after 10,000 miles, the rubber is still giving great performance. We also reported that the handbrake hadn’t been fixed to our liking at the car’s first service – and this is still not behaving as it should. On hills, it doesn’t seem to hold very well – we’ll get this examined at the next check-up.
According to our calculations, the hatch averages 43.1mpg, and after nearly 28,000 miles, the five-speed gearbox has a smooth feel – with the exception of a notchy change into first.
It’s the 1.6-litre CRDi engine that’s the real gem, though. Everybody who drives the Cee’d is impressed by the responsive nature of the powerplant – as well as its refinement. Not only is engine noise subdued, but it’s smooth at motorway cruising speeds, pulling only 2,000rpm in top. In fact, ever since I picked up the Cee’d from the factory in Slovakia, I’ve been impressed with its ability on long runs.
These have included several trips back home to Northern Ireland, and in the process I have covered thousands of dual-carriageway miles. Every single one of them has been comfortable.
Neat touches in the cabin help on long trips, too. The USB socket is extremely useful – not only does it let you connect your MP3 player, it also charges it while you listen to your digital music. What’s more, the steering wheel-mounted audio controls are brilliant. Only when you drive a car without them do you realise how useful they are.
Over the past 12 months, the only thing to have annoyed me was a driver who reversed into the front wing of our Kia in a supermarket car park. Luckily nothing was broken, and a little persuasion with a screwdriver slotted the bumper into place.
My time with the Kia has been thoroughly relaxing and trouble-free. And despite its exploits in the world of motorsport, it’s the Cee’d’s ability as dependable transport and a motorway cruiser that makes it a winner for me.
