Numpty in a reasonably priced car ….
This is the nearest I’ll ever get to appearing on ‘Top Gear’ driving ‘a reasonably priced car’, a Kia Cee’d. But this wasn’t the ‘hot’ 124 bhp, 1.6 litre petrol version as used by the Stig and his celebrities, this was the rather more modest 89 bhp, 1.4 litre diesel version with steel wheels.
Now don’t go confusing ‘reasonably priced’ with ‘cheap’. Cheap it is not, but reasonably priced it most certainly is, compared to its rivals. You get a lot of kit for the money while the sensible 15 inch steel wheels shod with Continental 195/65 x 15 tyres have sidewalls which absorb their share of the shocks inflicted on the suspension by Scotland’s weather ravaged roads.
Actually, the tyres got a good try-out during the appraisal too. On my return home from Mochrum at the weekend, I came over the New Galloway road from Newton Stewart, up through Moniaive and the Dalveen Pass to join the M74 northbound towards home, and it had been snowing. The 195 section tyres provided plenty of grip in the slushy conditions and despite its modest powerplant the wee Kia was fairly singing along.
And yet I was disappointed. The best I could manage was 49.8 mpg. Only kidding, 49.8 was pretty good in such slittery conditions plus the fact that the wee thing was so enjoyable to drive, it was tempting to play with the 6 speed gearbox. Even then, it only dropped to 49.4 mpg. Considering the engine had only done 3500 miles, I reckon 50+ would be a doddle with a few more miles on the clock.
Having said all that, I was driving ‘normally’ and not trying in ‘fuel efficient’ mode to eke out the best fuel consumption possible. Maybe I could have got closer to the 67.3 claimed Combined figure had I been less carried away by the conditions and the grip, but it was fun while it lasted. Which just goes to prove that you don’t need oodles of power to enjoy a decent handling wee car. There is a slight tendency to understeer – but maybe that was just the ice!
In fact it was going so well, I thought it was a 1.6 diesel, but when I looked at the Spec Sheet for the car, realised it was only 1.4. On the way down to Mochrum over the East Kilbride moors and down the Ayrshire coast road it was running pretty smoothly, and it was only when I got to the hilly bits that doubts set in. Most hills required a single change down to fifth, but on the way home, some of the steeper bits needed fourth or even third. And yet it was still perky enough to do the business when catching and passing other folks running in super-economy mode.
This was the Sportswagon version, and although it’s not an estate car, the five door hatch has got a lot of room inside. That should determine its target market, a proper family car for the family on a budget. And if that’s the case, the interior trim looks tough enough to cope with rowdy weans. The fabric material on the seats is quite tough and the plastics look pretty robust.
Equipment levels are high too for a 17 grand motor with two 12v sockets in the centre dash alongside the USB and MP3 player connections. The radio/CD player has Bluetooth with Voice Recognition & Music streaming but that’s far too technical for the likes of me. As for driver information it’s got all you’ll need with a trip computer that records distance, fuel consumption and average speed, plus external temperature display (as if we need to be tellt up here!), door open warning (so the weans don’t fall out) and a clock with the date so we don’t lose track of time.
It’s also got the Flex Steer system which offers Normal, Comfort and Sport steering modes which seems a bit of overkill on such a modest motor, but then again, that might appeal to those who lack upper body strength or take a daily dose of Haliborange before they kick-start their zimmer frames first thing in the morning!
On the mechanical side of things it comes with Electronic Stability Control and Vehicle Stability management plus ABS and Brake Assist, and it’s even got Hill-Start Assist, not to mention multifarious airbags. And to top it all off, the leather trimmed steering wheel has loads of buttons to control all the music and display options. It really is nicely furnished.
No one is going to buy this car for its sporty potential, despite the tyre squealing antics of its petrol powered cousin on the telly, but for those on a budget and who hate visiting service stations too often, it’s just the bizz.
If I had a bigger family and was a bit older I could be tempted, but not yet.