29/04/08

• Price15,495
• We like...Seven-year full warranty
• We don't...Dearer than other Cee'ds, but has fewer doors

Kia's newest adds a sporty twist to its growing family of Cee'd small carsThe Kia Procee’d. Even a couple of years back, you’d have laughed if we’d told you that Kia had developed a sports hatchback which was pretty good. And if we told you to seriously consider buying it, you’d have split your sides.

But that’s where we are today. Kia’s newest cars are now fine, honest things. Many will pick the Procee’d for its seven-year, 100,000-mile all-singing warranty, backed by Kia. It’s better than any other. But there’s a lot more to the car. Where Kia hatchbacks were once gawky copies of Euro-designed rivals, this one looks sleek and modern. Cool, even.

The name’s a weird one and Kia’ll readily explain how they hit on it. But, truth be told, it’s too round-the-houses a tale to repeat here. And, anyway we don’t reckon anyone buys a car just for what it’s called. Let’s just say that the Procee’d shares engines, running gear and its dash with the five-door Cee’d and the estate, too. But pretty much every panel is different so that, despite having fewer doors, it’s a bit longer than the Cee’d. The roof’s lower, too, and the windscreen and other glass are shallower. The styling has a taste of Audi A3 here, a helping of Astra sportshatch there.

And the Procee’d is roomy for a sporty three-door. In fact, it’s as big inside as the Cee’d, although Kia has reworked the seats to suit this body style, rather than penny-pinch and lift the ones they’d made earlier. The dash and wheel are a straight carry-over, though. While they look ‘right’ in other Cee’ds, they lack the pizzazz to match this car’s hoped-for image. And, because the cabin of our 2.0 Sport is swathed in black leather, it’s a gloomy place to sit.

But we guess that this Kia fights or falls on how it drives. Well, the Procee’d’s no slouch and we can see that Kia has pulled every stop to make it feel sporty. The steering has more weight as you move from straight-ahead and it feels stiffer across the bumps, though there’s enough ‘give’ left to keep those inside comfy. Has Kia succeeded? Sort of. There’s an alertness about the Procee’d that you won’t find in other Kias but it dsn’t have the completeness you often discover in sporty Fords or Renaults. It’s close, though.

The 2.0 diesel Sport we tested is the top model and costs £15,495. It has alloy wheels, climate controlled air conditioning, leather seats and a posh stereo but not the gewgaws you might see on rivals, such as auto-on lights or rain-sensing wipers. Would you pay that much for a Kia? We wouldn’t, but happily there’s a 1.4 petrol-engined model that costs £11,795. It isn’t as glitzy but makes a far better buy.

For us, this is a ‘nearly’ car. It’s good in most ways and disappointing in few. If it were a bit cheaper than other Cee’ds, we’d say, go for it. But, since it costs as much, model for model, we’d vote for the Cee’d, not the Pro...

• Engines2.0
• Power138bhp
• 0-60 mph10.1sec
• Economy50.4
• CO2g/km149
• Insurance groups9
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: