Upgrades lift Kia cee’d to a whole new performance level
By Gerry Murphy
Kia has carried out a comprehensive upgrade of its popular Kia cee’d, a model that has provided the foundation for the company’s continuing success in Europe over recent years.
Built to satisfy European drivers, they have evolved the interior and exterior styling of the current cee’d into an exciting new look, with the powertrain team developing a wider range of engines and transmissions.
The upgraded model will come with a new ‘GT Line’ specification, offering buyers the sporty looks and dynamics of the GT models and the versatility of the conventional cee’d model family. The GT Line specification is available in Ireland on two of the three cee’d body types – the five-door cee’d and three-door pro_cee’d.
“Competing in the highly competitive C segment, the cee’d is an extremely important part of our product mix, second only to our best-selling Sportage model,” said James Brooks ,Managing Director of Kia Motors Ireland.
“cee’d owners know well that the car is one of the best in its segment. In fact the cee’d has emerged as the most reliable car in its class in this year’s JD Power Survey in the UK.”
At the front, the cee’d they have retained Kia’s hallmark ‘tiger-nose’ grille, sleek wraparound headlamps and integrated fog lamps. Changes to the ‘face’ of the cee’d include a more angular and wider bumper, with chrome trim around the fog lamps, and a new oval-shaped grille mesh echoing many of the shapes and design forms on the front of the car.
They have also reshaped the rear bumpers with sporty-looking reflectors adding greater volume and strength to the car’s appearance. LED rear lamps complete the rear of the car, adding a higher level of refinement while updating the cee’d’s night-time light signature. Stylish new 16- and 17-inch alloy wheel designs are also now available across the range.
Meanwhile the basic form of the cabin remains unchanged, but a number of subtle enhancements bring a more modern look and feel to the interior.
For the launch of the 2016 cee’d, Kia is introducing its all-new 1.0-litre ‘T-GDI’ (turbo gasoline direct injection) engine. This new downsized, three-cylinder power unit has been engineered to improve fuel consumption and emissions, while offering strong, willing performance and immediate responses to driver input.
Take it from me, this is a brilliant little engine that packs a punch well above its size and is the highlight of the range; and with added improvements in the handling, chassis and suspension, it takes the cee’d to a whole new level of performance.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.