The Ceed of a very good idea

Published on 2 September, 2018

Many drivers just want a car, like the Kia Ceed, that does the basics very well with no fuss

Overview

At one time the C-segment was the very bread and butter of the motor industry.

Cars like the Ford Escort/Focus, Toyota Corolla, Opel Astra and the all-conquering Volkswagen Golf reigned supreme as the small family cars - mostly hatchback - that people were proud to own.

They didn't have much personality, but did their job safely and reliably of conveying a couple and their small children. In time, very exciting variants like the Golf GTi came to give some much- needed aggression, but, on the whole, the segment remained very middle of the road. Cars like the Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30 from the mighty Korea gave some much-needed competition in this area but didn't change the template.

However, that has all changed of late as the inexorable rise of the SUV/Crossover has meant that cars like the Focus and Golf begin to look rather puny by comparison and fail to give the perceived height and safety advantages of the new breed of vehicles. Every manufacturer is going down the same route by adding SUV-looking variants, even if many of them don't have any off-road ability. The look is everything.

And that's why you do feel a bit of a comedown, if you go from testing a SUV one week, to a C-segment family car the next. It seems rather retro and last decade.

This was true for the new Ceed from Kia which I had for a week at the end of last month. Thankfully, the useless apostrophe - in this case, not in general! - has gone and the car still stands for, a colleague told me, Community with Europe with European Design. I'll believe him and it's still better than Stonic, which is the company's small Rio-based SUV. The Ceed looked quite unspectacular next to its big brothers, Sportage and Sorrento, and even the Stonic. But inside, the five-door hatch had excellent front, rear and luggage space, as well as good door and hatch openings to complement. Kia would claim best or second best in class for most of these and I would agree. Like all these hatchbacks, they are for four adults - only five in real extremis - but in the case of the Ceed a 'Big Bruiser Like Me' can sit easily behind another BBLM up front.

The cabin finish is bland in a shiny, classy way that might be part of an attempt to justify creeping up the price charts.

The car is coming down with a good safety system, even at entry level, but higher specs have as much as any car on the market under €30k.

There are a whole range of different models, both petrol and diesel. Apparently the best is the 1.4 direct injection turbo petrol unit which will do 0-100kmh in under nine seconds. However, I was in the rather tasty and more-than-adequate three-cylinder, one-litre petrol model with what was called K4 trim. It was very eager and smooth and I had to be reminded constantly to change up a gear.

It is far better than its predecessor to drive with better ride quality and body control. But the Focus would still have the jump on it. Consumption across the range is good - but when these one-litre engines are pushed hard you notice a thirst developing.

After the initial disappointment of its looks and removed from its siblings, the Ceed has a certain appeal on the outside but it is nothing spectacular, much like most of its competition including the Golf. It sits lower and sleeker than previous models, which doesn't really suit me these days, but I was happy enough.

It was a pleasant week in the Ceed with some very confident and quiet motorway driving last Sunday as we circled the M50 to take Ziggy for a walk - as Phoenix Park was otherwise engaged.

The range starts at €22,695 and the K4 test model came in at €25,695, while the top-of-the-pile 1.4 petrol with all the kit is another €3k. And for many the seven-year warranty could be a clincher.

I liked all the safety equipment and would even pay for more in the higher spec, but the Ceed isn't going to set the pulse racing. Kias aren't the bargain-basement cars they once were and now compete in terms of quality with some of the best in the market.

It would be pleasant, very easy to live with but so is my washing machine. And that's what we perhaps want from a car. Does the job, protects, is pretty economical and just goes on and on.

It would be a hard sell to get my partner to agree to one, as she is fed up with being bullied by other drivers when she is driving her small city car around. She is very set on an SUV-style car.

But there are many people who just want a car that does the basics very well with no fuss. For those people, the Kia Ceed is a very good choice, but don't expect to be excited.

Fingers crossed for the driverless shuttle

I was sitting on a Luas between Phibsborough and Dawson Street, amazed at the craziness of so many pedestrians and cyclists who dashed across the front of the tram or who absent-mindedly stepped in its way. It was a nightmare for the driver and makes me wonder about the first driverless shuttle in Ireland, which will make its debut in Dublin’s Docklands on September 21 and 22.

The special event, organised by Dublin City Council as part of its ‘Smart Docklands’ project and in partnership with the Civic Group, will bring us a glimpse of the future of smart and sustainable transport.

The Easymile ‘EZ10’ is a driverless, electric shuttle bus (above right), which can carry up to 15 people and claims to be ideal for ‘last mile’ transportation in particular. It features a built-in access ramp for passengers with reduced mobility and there is no need for additional road infrastructure to operate the vehicle.

The shuttle route will run for nearly a kilometre, from the Dublin Convention Centre to the 3Arena, with four stops.

The event will be open to the public as part of a wider European Mobility Week event when Dublin City Council and its partners will host the ‘Future Mobility Showcase’ on North Wall Quay on Saturday, September 22, from 11am to 5pm.

n A public meeting on the future of public transport and cycling will take place tomorrow in St Peter’s Parish Hall Cabra Road, Phibsborough, Dublin at 8pm. It is being organised by Marie Sherlock of the Labour Party and will have expert speakers on cycling, disability access on public transport and an overview of the BusConnects project.

n The price and specifications of the all-new Hyundai Kona Electric have been released. It will be priced at €35,995 (including government VRT grant of €5,000, a residual VRT grant of €591 paid by Hyundai Ireland and the SEI grant of €5000. P&P is extra.

Hyundai Ireland will begin taking orders on November 5 and will launch the car in January 2019. The Kona Electric has a maximum range in ideal conditions of nearly 500km.