Kia Cee'd (2007-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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The rather hard ride, combined with quite a bit of road noise, loses the Cee'd a star here, but apart from that, the Cee'd is a pretty comfortable place to spend time, especially as it has driver's seat height and lumbar adjust as standard on all models.

There's a fair bit of room in the back too, thanks to what Kia claims to be a class-leading 1,880mm interior length. Certainly there seemed to be plenty of leg room for an average-sized adult male (5' 10") in the back when the front seat is adjusted for a similarly sized driver.

In the boot, there's a decent 340 litres of space, increasing to 1,300 litres when the 60/40 split rear seats are folded.

But where Kia has really done its homework is when it comes to kitting out the Cee'd, adding shedloads of equipment as standard.

There are four trim levels - S, GS, LS and TS. The basic S trim comes with air con (with cooled glovebox); fully integrated CD with the capacity to play MP3 discs (still uncommon, even on well-specced cars in higher market segments) and a four-speaker audio system; steering wheel audio controls; trip computer; plus the aforementioned airbags and active headrests.

The GS trim level adds 16" alloys, electric and heated door mirrors, another two speakers with the sound system, remote central locking, leather steering wheel and gear knob, plus an Aux and USB port to plug in an iPod, flash drive or USB hard drive - a sure sign that Kia is targeting tech-savvy thirtysomethings with the Cee'd.

LS adds full climate control, rear electric windows, fog lamps and part-leather seats.

Specify the range-topping TS trim and you'll get 17" alloys, a six-CD autochanger, alloy pedals, electric folding door mirrors, carpet mats, black bezel headlights and snazzy 'sport concept' cloth and leather seats.