THERE’s lots being written about hybrid and electric cars at the moment but what if you just want a good old petrol powered car – what’s the best motor for you?
Well how about a car that can do near to 60mpg yet has all the toys and creature comforts you could want… and all for around £25k.
I am talking about the latest Kia Ceed. Those awfully nice people at Kia loaned me a near range topping GT-Line S 1.5 T-GDi six speed manual recently and I put it to good use for a trip to a friend’s wedding.
It proved to be an excellent motorway cruiser with equipment like cruise control and lane assist but the real surprise was that, on the way back, I put £20 in the tank which got me all the way from London to Bolton – impressive.
That’s with no ‘eco’ or ‘sport’ options yet 0 to 62 comes up in a very respectable 8.4 seconds and top speed is 130mph from its four cylinder, 158 bhp 1.48-litre engine.
As we have come to expect from Kia the equipment list is long with other standard kit including auto headlights and wipers, heated front seats, air con, touch screen sat nav and infotainment on the large central display plus a reversing camera and raft of the very latest safety systems.
Also you are being suitably green as the Co2 figure is just 129 g/km also meaning reasonable road tax. But it is that frugality that most impresses and with petrol prices set to go only one way as the Labour chancellor eyes up motorists for her next tax ram raid that has got to be a good thing.
Kia say the Ceed with do up to 56.5 mpg on a long run and I would say that, unlike some over-ambitious car makers, they have not exaggerated their figures and that is a real world number.
Being the GT-Line S our car also has lots of style inside and out with Tinted Privacy Glass (Rear Windows & Tailgate), 17″ Alloy Wheels and GT-Line Styling Pack.
The Ceed family has one of the most comprehensive C-segment line-ups and its enduring presence in the Kia range highlights the model’s outstanding customer appeal and reputation.
There is a choice of body types with the Sportswagon estate car, posher ProCeed and an off-road styled XCeed.
With a key role in establishing the Korean brand in Europe, the Ceed was Kia’s first car designed, engineered and built here specifically to appeal to European tastes.
Now contributing 25 per cent of Kia’s European market share, the Ceed range remains one of their best-selling models and is manufactured in Slovakia alongside the Sportage. In 2023 the Ceed accounted for just over 12 per cent of Kia’s total UK sales.
The Ceed range starts from £23,700 for the ‘2’ 1.5 T-GDi 138bhp 6-speed Manual.
For more information see www.kia.co.uk
By Motoring Editor Steve Howarth