Kia Ceed – tame tiger

Ten years ago, no one would have imagined that Korean automotive concerns would be able to fight for the most important customers in Europe and the world. Experts boldly said that it is not a single design, not these finishing materials, and a complete lack of emotions. Today, no one would dare to call KIA cars boring and poorly finished. Rich equipment and excellent driving characteristics of individual models elevate them to the absolute top of the sale. It can be seen with the naked eye that moving the design studio to Europe and employing the best constructors and designers have brought the intended results. We invite you to test a compact hit from South Korea – KIA Ceed, available at PANEK Rent a Car. 

Michał Garbaczuk is testing

Sporty on the outside 

The designers of the Korean concern gave the silhouette of the new KIA Ceed a dynamic appearance. The headlights that strongly overlap the fenders and the characteristic grille are supposed to resemble a tiger. I believe that the reference to the Asian predator, so eagerly used by many global manufacturers, fits the KIA brand perfectly, because the dynamic body line of the Ceed model encourages you to take a seat behind the wheel.

Sporty inside 

Inside, there is also a sporty atmosphere. The dominant color is black, and the matte and satin structure of the dashboard is broken by the shiny moldings and the cold silver of the gear stick area and the sports steering wheel. The dashboard architecture will appeal especially to young drivers, because despite the large multimedia system screen in its central part, a lot is happening on it. Soft lines and a multitude of buttons give the impression of a delicate chaos, but it is not difficult to find individual functions, the more that they are concentrated in “thematic” groups. The equipment includes: automatic air conditioning, sensors with a rear view camera and heated seats.

You can see at first glance that the KIA Ceed was built to overcome long journeys. The front seats support the body well, while maintaining maximum comfort. The driver’s seat is adjustable in several planes, and in finding the perfect position, it is helpful to adjust the length of the steering column, with an exceptionally large jump between extreme positions, so if, due to your height, you have not been entered in the Guinness Book of Records, you will certainly find a comfortable position behind the wheel. Two adults will comfortably sit in the rear, and the sofa has been contoured to provide passengers with comfortable back and thigh support.

The trunk, for a compact car, is large, has geometric shapes, and due to the high-opening hatch, access to it is almost exemplary. The standard 395 liters can be increased to 1,319 liters if required by folding the rear seat backrests.

First of all, dynamics 

Under the hood of KIA Ceed cars available from PANEK Rent a Car, there are gasoline, turbocharged engines with capacities from 1.0 to 1.5 liters, each of which provides decent dynamics. Last month, vehicles with a larger motor, which are best suited for longer journeys, appeared in the offer. An engine with 160 HP and a torque of 253 Nm, which is available in the range of 1500-3000 revolutions per minute. The power to the front axle wheels goes behind via a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The good performance shown in the catalog (8.6 seconds to 100 km / h and a top speed of 210 km / h) was definitely confirmed by a test drive. The car eagerly accelerates and maintains dynamics in any situation and at any speed. Interestingly, the Koreans managed to fine-tune the gearbox so that the individual gears are shifted almost imperceptibly, which is not so obvious in the case of double-clutch designs. It should also be added that the passenger compartment is well soundproofed, which additionally increases the sense of comfort.

The suspension, on the other hand, is rather sporty and makes the Ceed stick to the road very well. There is practically no understeer here, and the grip limit has been pushed very far. You can see that the designers did their best because the car drives exactly the way Europeans like it. It’s no secret that KIA and Hyundai moved their design office to Germany and enriched the ranks of engineers with world specialists in building cars. The driving characteristics and the general appearance of the “Far Eastern” models are not a coincidence, but the planned action and very hard work of a team of competent people.

The KIA Ceed is certainly not a boring compact that is only used to get from A to B. The Korean car has a lot of vigor, and the dynamic engine and springy suspension can raise the corners of the mouth of a driver who likes motoring. A well-designed car with rich equipment will surely be a good companion during weekend trips.