The Kia Cee’d (as the first two generations of the car were titled) was a landmark car. Designed, engineered, tested and manufactured in Europe, for Europeans, this was the car that really brought home the message that the Koreans were serious about becoming one of the world’s most important car makers. After a series of worthy but rather forgettable models from both Kia and sister-brand Hyundai, each better than the last, this was finally a car that could hold his head high, competing for class honours on a test drive, and with industry leading 7 year warranties be a car you could painlessly own for a long time, without regretting your purchase. The initial five door hatchback was soon joined by a capacious estate car and a slightly more stylish three model that got the even clumsier title of the Pro_Cee’d. Regardless of the awkward names, the cars sold very well, taking a significant slice of the most competitive market segment, that of the family-sized hatchback. A second generation model arrived in 2012 and it hit the same bulls eyes, with just the same sort of appeal and updated styling. Despite the market move towards crossover-type vehicles, this class remains significant, so it was no surprise that a third generation model was launched in the summer of 2018, with UK sales starting a few weeks later. Dropping the clumsy apostrophe and underscores from the name, this generation Ceed added a crossover model, the Xceed to a range of five door hatch and estate and a reimagined Proceed that looked more like a CLA Shooting Brake than a Kia. This one get even more positive reviews, and with VW making several mis-steps with the eight generation Golf and Ford also  reducing some of the Focus’ strengths in quest of I am not sure quite what, the Ceed has been acclaimed as the car to beat in this class by many. I drove the estate model in early 2020 in those halcyon few weeks before Covid lockdown, and ended up with an XCeed the following week. Both left me impressed. Since that time, there has been a mid-cycle update to keep the Ceed fresh. Detailed styling changes front and rear require a keen eye to spot, and there have been updates to improve efficiency and emissions performance as well as the addition of more technology in quest for the highest levels of NCAP approval and buyer expectations. I’ve now been behind the wheel of a regular hatch model, currently the doyen of the Group C rental car class at Hert in the UK, to see I think of the car in early 2023. Read on.

Although there used to be a number of engine choices, with both petrol and diesel on offer, the Ceed of 2023 only has one available powerplant, a 4 cylinder 1.5 litre unit badged T-GDI, where the “D” stands for “Direct” and not “Diesel”. It generates 158 bhp, which should be ample to make the Kia feel brisk, but somehow, that was not always the case. For sure it is very smooth and refined, with low noise levels at all times, but the car just did not feel that fast, especially from start of a low speed. Once underway, though, acceleration was more than ample. To get the best out of the Ceed, it was necessary to use the gears. That was no hardship as the gearchange proved very slick and the engine does actually respond well to being revved quite hard. On the motorway, cabin noise levels are generally low, with tyre roar being the most obvious. There is a Stop/Start system and it proved super-eager to kick in, which did make the car sometimes a bit difficult to drive in traffic and also made low speed parking harder than it should have been. You cannot argue with all the things that have been done for efficiency, though, as I averaged an impressive 58 mpg in my time with the Ceed.

As with almost all cars these days, the steering is precise but a bit on the light and slightly vague side. However, this is still quite a pleasant car to drive, with good handling, plenty of grip and negligible body roll and the car is easy to manoeuvre, with one of the tightest turning circles in the class. It rides nicely, too, dealing with the various road surfaces that constitute British roads with apparent ease. This mid-spec car came on the middle size of the tyre sizes offered, 225/45 R17, and these would seem to help strike the right balance between visual appeal and not harming the ride comfort. Unusually, there is still a traditional pull-up handbrake fitted between the seats. The brakes worked well, with no drama. Visibility is good as you get in modern cars with thick pillars and a high window line but at least there is a rear-view camera to help out. There are plenty of the latest safety features included. The Lane Departure Warning system was annoying and the Lane Keep Assist could be brutal, too often wanting to steer me into trouble where there was no trouble. Sadly, this seems to be the way of so many of these systems at present. Also included are automatic emergency braking and a speed limiter.

The Ceed has a good quality interior that definitely looks and feels a bit nicer than average for a volume car. Soft touch materials abound here, with judicious use of silver colour highlights to provide some colour contrast and there is plenty of padding in places like the door’s armrests and the centre console lid. You even get a bit of padding on the dashboard’s covering, so it all gives a much more premium impression. There is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which was pleasant to hold. The instrument cluster makes no attempt to be all modern and gimmicky and is all the better for it, with two simple traditional analogue dials for speedometer and rev counter, with smaller fuel level and water temperature gauges inset in the lower portions of these, and a nice clear trip computer display area between them, the options for which are selected from buttons on the right hand steering wheel spoke. Also on the wheel are cruise control and audio repeaters and again these are nice and simple and hence easy to use. There are two column stalks which include the lights, which have an auto dip function which worked well. The lights were particularly impressive on main beam. The centre of the dash contains the 10.25” infotainment touch screen which is simple to use. There are still plenty of physical buttons for those things which are best handled that way which includes the complete operation of the dual zone climate control. The menu could be a little slow in start up, but once there, the information was clear and easy to find. Included features are DAB radio, a six speaker sound system, Apple Car Play and Android Auto as well as navigation.

The 3 spec trim of the test car means that you get faux leather outers and a mottle-patterned cloth central section of the upholstery which looks good. Seat adjustment is all manual, but it is easily done and there was plenty of travel, and with an adjustable column that pulls well out in addition to going up and down, I can imagine that most people ought to be able to get the driving position they want and there is lumbar support adjustment in all versions of the Ceed and a height adjuster for the driver. The seat proved very comfortable. Posher versions (GT Line and above) include heated seats and a heated steering wheel, thankfully neither of which I needed in my mid March test.

Space in the back is good, with ample legroom even if the front seats are set well back and the Ceed is just about wide enough for three adults to fit in. The floor is almost flat, so a middle seat occupant should have somewhere for the legs, as well. There is a drop-down central armrest with cup holders in the upper surface and useful map pockets on the back of both front seats as well as stowage bins on the doors. Boot capacity is good for the class of car, one of the largest. The load area is a nice regular shape and there are plenty of tie down hook and rings, just as you would help for in a practical car. There is an adjustable floor so you can have it flush with the base of the tailgate for ease of loading, or a slightly deeper area if you move the false floor board out of the way. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and simply drop down to create a much longer load platform. I did find that the tailgate needed a very firm close, as on several occasions, I got in the car only to find the warning light telling me it was not closed properly. I would like think that this was an adjustment needed for this particular car and a more general characteristic of the model. There are plenty of places for odds and ends inside the passenger compartment. As well as a good-sized glovebox and pockets on the doors, there is a useful recess in front of the gearlever and a decently sized armrest cubby.

One of the key selling points for the Kia Ceed is a strong level of standard equipment. All versions come stacked with kit, making the entry-level Kia Ceed 2 the only car most people are likely to need. Standard on the ‘2’ are 16-inch alloy wheels, halogen headlights, LED rear foglights, electrically folding and heated door mirrors, and a rear-view camera. You also get cruise control and a forward collision avoidance system. On the inside, black cloth upholstery is used for the seats, with manual seat height adjustment for the driver. The steering wheel is trimmed in leather, while the list of equipment also includes air-conditioning, remote central locking, multiple cup holders, a dual-height boot floor, luggage hooks for the boot and a sunglasses holder. Infotainment for the Kia Ceed 2 starts with an eight-inch colour touchscreen, supported by a 4.2-inch colour display in the instrument panel. DAB radio, USB connections and a six-speaker audio system are included, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility. Moving up to the Kia Ceed 3 brings a set of 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, rear parking sensors and rear privacy glass. Rain-sensing wipers are included, as are electrically folding side mirrors with integrated LED indicators. Black cloth with faux leather is used for the interior, with the passenger also gaining height adjustment. Both the front seats are heated, as is the leather-clad steering wheel, and there is power lumbar adjustment as well. The infotainment system is upgraded to a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen, incorporating satellite navigation and seven years of subscription to online services. The Kia Ceed GT-Line gains bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels and a special GT-Line exterior styling package. Gloss black is used for the side mirrors, with the LED tail-lights in a honeycomb design. Topping the range is the Kia Ceed GT-Line S, with its 18-inch alloy wheels and panoramic sunroof. The cabin benefits from black leather upholstery with suede inserts, with the rear seats also now heated. Other highlights include a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, eight-speaker JBL premium audio system, front and rear parking sensors, heated outer rear seats, wireless smartphone charging and a blind-spot warning system.

Few would describe the Ceed as exciting, but rather more would definitely say that it is highly competent. The Ceed delivers exactly what buyers in this class are looking for: a comfortable family hatch with enough space for people and their luggage that goes well enough, is economical, decent to drive, has all the essentials and a few “nice to haves” covered from an equipment and safety point of view, all wrapped up in a package that not only would look good sat on your drive but which will prove painless to own and which costs significantly less to buy than most of its direct rivals. Yes, some may want a little more sportiness, which Kia can provide, visually, if nothing else, with the GT-Line trims, but where that sportiness compromises the things that matter day in, day out, then the path Kia have taken would seem to be the right one. Most of the remaining direct rivals have had a refresh since I last drove them, but from what I’ve read, I think they’ve all got a weakness that would rule them out for some people – the iCockpit challenge of the Peugeot 308, the exasperating and unusable touchscreen of the VW Golf and Seat Leon, the dialling back of the driver’s car features and a low rent interior in the Ford Focus and the fact that the Astra is, well, just an Astra. By being good at everything and weak at nothing, the Kia Ceed is very possibly the pick of the C-Segment hatches at present. That 2007 first generation was indeed just the omen of what Kia really wanted to achieve, and now it seems that they really are there.