Weran a coupleof Proceeds as long-termers, too,
butfoundthemlackingin just a few areas, most
notablyoutrightperformance andtheall-important
elementof character.
It must be said, thislatest additionto theFast
Fleet is offto a fairlygood start on most counts.
A basic price of £25,850 gets you thefive-door
hatchback,andyou’llpay no extra for TrackRed
paintwork, whichis theonlyinterestingshade
currentlyavailable.Theresultis quite handsome,if
notas strikingas ouroldyellow Proceed(thelatest
Proceed, incidentally, hasbecomea kindof shooting
brake/five-doorcoupecombo). Theinterioris
similarlyneat, withclear instruments, supportive and
comfortableleatherandfaux suede seats, andwhat
seemson early inspectionto be a highstandard
of buildquality.
Theunderpinnings are solid,too. Like theold
GT, thelatest car uses just a 1.6-litre turbocharged
engine,butdespite an identical 201bhpoutputit
feelsmuchstronger – the0-62mphfigure that’s just
a tenthquicker at 7. 2sec doesn’ttell thefullstory.
Meanwhile,a Sportmodesharpensthings up and
addsextra parp to thesoundtrackin thecabin.
TheCeed is oneof a handfulof cars in the
hatchbackclass to get a multi-linkrear endas
standard – a signKiacares aboutengineeringas
muchas cost. Andin additionto firmersuspension,
GTs rideon 18-inchalloy wheelswrapped in Michelin
PilotSport4 tyres – yet anothergood sign.
Whiletheendresultis unlikelyto proveas
entertainingas ouroldi30N hatchback,or our
currenti30N Fastback for thatmatter, thesheer
level of competence here is already impressive. Not
just day-to-day niceties suchas a completely logical
infotainmentsystemeither, butalso importantevo
characteristics suchas steeringprecision,body
control andperformance. Timewilltell whetherit
also manages to get underourskin.
AntonyIngram(@evoAntony)
Date acquiredApril 2019Total mileage
2732 Mileage this month 566 Costs this
month£0mpg this month39.2
T USED TOBE SOEASY. INTRODUCING
somethingnew andKorean would
virtuallywrite itself. ‘Amazinghow far
they’ve come,’ we’d say. ‘Great valuecompared
to thecompetition.’ Or maybe‘better thanits
predecessor in everyway’.
A note of reservation? Damningwithfaint praise,
perhaps? Well there’ll be noneof thatthistime
around.To day, cars suchas theKiaCeed GT arrive
atevowiththeweightof expectationon their
shoulders. Weknow whatKiaandHyundaiare now
capableof: we’ve rated cars suchas theformer’s
Stinger GT S andthelatter’s i30N amongthebest
of theirpeers.
So there’s no more makingexcuses on thebasis
of value,or resortingto wondermentat incremental
improvements. Whilewe’re aware thenew Ceed
GT isn’ta full-scale assault on thehothatchback
market – that’s still thei30N’s job– it needs to
deliver thesamequalities as otherGTI-level cars in
thissegment:Golfs, Méganes andthelike.
Ideallyit needs to delivermore. A few years
ago even theoldProceedGT – thisCeed GT’s
predecessor – was well-rounded enoughto see off
a FocusST in a hot-hatch grouptest (issue207).
I
‘TheCeedGTarrives
atevowiththeweight
ofexpectationon
itsshoulders’
KiaCeedGT
Has our new arrival got all the ingredientsto continue Kia’s good form?
FastFleet
Newarrival