Kia cee'd Review (2007)

Let’s get the name out of the way first. Yes, the name, cee’d is certainly unusual and there are many theories behind it but it really is quite simple.

The cee’d is Kia’s first European designed and built car. The company says that it’s a European car for European people and it won’t be on sale in other parts of the world. To mark the occasion, Kia took the initials of the European Economic Community, EEC or CEE in some places and added ED for European Design. Sensibly realising that CEEED was an ‘E’ too far, they replaced one of them with an apostrophe, thus giving us cee’d and always in lower case.

The choice of name also gives the marketing bods something to play with. Prime examples are the recent ex_cee’d, cabrio concept and there will be a sporty, 3-door, pro_cee’d towards the end of the year along with an estate version, named…er…cee’d SW.

The intention is to cover most of the bases in the C-segment but one word that Kia won’t use is recede, as the company hopes that this car will increase its market share, with expected sales of 100,000 units.

The cee’d is a 5-door hatchback and a replacement for the Cerato. At first, I thought that the new look was a tad dull and boring but it grew on me and I came to like the heavy design creases down the bonnet, somewhat reminiscent of SEAT’s new styling, the sensible rear quarter-lights that aid visibility and contribute to the airy feeling within the cabin. Also notable are the large red-lens, rear light clusters that wrap around the shoulders.

The design is the result of three year’s work and combines styling cues from the Sorento and the Picanto along with new elements that will feature on future Kia models.

Inside, the European theme continues and although Kia is well known for providing value-for money, it is not done at the expense of quality materials. The dashboard and controls are made from soft-touch materials and, depending on the choice of trim, the stylish centre console has a black, blue or silver coloured surround in combination with different seat and door coverings.