Car Statistics: Kia - Ceed Series 01 (4 stars)

Styling (3 stars)

The Ceed won't look out of place next to its European rivals, and the three-door Pro Ceed is a genuinely smart car. Either could pass for something from Vauxhall or Mazda - and that's a compliment. Point is that, whilst it's perhaps unoriginal, the Ceed's inoffensive design language makes sense to Western buyers.

Handling (4 stars)

Quick and accurate steering coupled to a grippy front end makes this Kia surprisingly decent to drive. It's impressively agile - particularly the Pro Ceed - but still no match for a Focus.

Comfort (2 stars)

The ride's overly firm and even choppy at times. Intrusive thumping noises over bumps get progressively worse on larger-wheeled models. Fully-adjustable high-set front seats are fine, rear bench is less comfortable.

Quality (5 stars)

An incredible improvement over Kias of old. Inside the striking dash impresses with soft-touch plastics and rubber-finish switches, whilst outside the fit and finish of panels and paintwork seemed excellent. Unprecedented seven-year warranty is a great back-up.

Performance (3 stars)

Both the 1.6 and 2 litre petrol engines provide decent mid-range shove but are loud and often feel strained on the motorway. Our pick is the enthusiastic 1.6 litre diesel with 125bhp - it's well worth the £1000 premium you'll pay over the petrol equivalent.

Roominess (4 stars)

Enough space to fit in four full-sized adults with adequate leg, shoulder and headroom for all. The boot's a bit small, but that's because Kia left room underneath for a bulky multi-link rear suspension set up which benefits the handling.

Costs (5 stars)

Long-term costs are taken care of by that mega warranty which covers the drivetrain (engine, gearbox etc.) for seven years and the rest of the car for five. A Kia-claimed fuel consumption figure of around 60mpg for the 1.6 litre CRDi diesel should help keep costs down.

Value (5 stars)

A well-equipped £11k entry-level Ceed undercuts even the most basic Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra by around £1500. And that's before you consider the seven year/100,000 mile warranty, which is transferable from owner-to-owner so could help to bolster Kia's traditionally poor residuals.

Stereo (4 stars)

It's the first factory-fitted, properly integrated CD stereo Kia has used in Europe and this six speaker system sounds fine. But the USB and auxiliary plug-ins found on all models above LS spec is a real bonus, allowing easy play back of tunes from your iPod or memory stick.