Kia Ceed 1.6 GDI Spirit in the test

B at the desired start of the week, this time about the Kia Cee'd, you can choose from three idioms: 1. “How have the Koreans caught up in recent years!” 2. “Kia chief designer Peter Schreyer and his Audi past” and 3. “Why are German manufacturers bidding no seven-year guarantee? ”While you're wondering which of these might interest you most, let's test it.

Kia Cee'd prefers a relaxed pace

The Kia Cee 'd 1.6 GDI Spirit, d The most powerful variant with 135 hp and the best equipment. More than aluminum, CD radio with USB port, Bluetooth, automatic air conditioning or LED taillights, the four-door model impresses with its spacious, high-quality, solidly finished interior. The navigation /infotainment system (in a package for 1,690 euros) is one of the easy-to-understand, and further operation is easy. Only the many buttons on the steering wheel are a nuisance; they can be used to control cruise control, radio, telephone, voice control and servo characteristics - oh yes, so does the Cee’d.

Handling is not one of its special talents. This is mainly due to the steering: its three modes only vary the intensity of the electric power assistance, but do not change the fundamental lack of feedback and precision. Because the safe front-wheel drive Kia Cee'd is also a bit spongy at high speeds, a relaxed pace is better.

The dual clutch transmission in the Kia Cee'd acts nervously

Then the direct injection gasoline engine is convincing high smoothness and cooperates fine with the dual clutch transmission. The six-box jointly developed by Kia and Luk costs 1,200 euros extra and, with its gentle gear changes, is similar in character to an automatic converter. The transmission ensures drive comfort when driving smoothly, but even in manual mode it shifts down frantically with a little more pressure on the gas and jumps nervously between the upper gears on the motorway. There is also a lack of fine-tuning here, as is the somewhat bumpy suspension set-up of the Kia Cee'd and the brakes, which are stable, but only slow down moderately.

If you have chosen entry-level variant 1, the conclusion is correct: Yes, Kia has caught up with the Cee'd, but catching up doesn't mean overtaking.