Kia Pro_cee’ds along the right track

THE people who come up with names for Kia cars back in Korea are testing our patience.

They were the first to use an apostrophe with the cee’d; then there was a hint of an email address when they used an

‘underscore’ in the smaller pro_cee’d.

The names certainly grab your attention and I always think of the late Con Houlihan, who famously said that you couldn’t trust anybody who misplaced an apostrophe. But to be fair to Kia nothing is misplaced in the cee’d or indeed in the new pro_cee’d which I drove last week.

This is the second version of the pro_cee’d. The car has been transformed into a sporty and pacy looking motor, thanks to a roofline that has been lowered by 40mm to give it a much sleeker look.

I drove an amber coloured version which was a brilliant choice as it really stood out in the supermarket car park. Amber is a coloured that is not used very often but I remember Suzuki and Skoda also using that colour and it really works well in some models. It’s also the colour used by Kia Ireland on their website, so clearly they are happy with their

‘amber gamble.’

Externally the car looks great with Kia’s famous tiger nose grille and the headlamps are really impressive. The 17- inch alloys add to the overall sporty look.

The interior is also impressive. The front seats are really comfortable and I had no complaints from my back seat passengers about the leg or head room. The dash is well designed and with the clock mounted high on the dash, well away from the steering wheel, you do get that spacious feeling.

Regular readers will know that there are no fans of two-door cars in our house, but this time the family members made an exception. Access to the back seats is excellent and the front seats are very flexible, so I had no complaints this time. However, the back seat passengers cannot open the rear windows. The car is long enough for four doors, but by having just two doors does give it that classy look. The boot is large and there is still space for a

‘mini’ spare wheel.

Officially it takes almost 13 seconds to get from zero to 100km/h, but on the road the 1.6 diesel four-cylinder turbo diesel engine won’t let you down and you will not be left behind in the race to take off at the traffic lights. On the road this is a very smooth and comfortable car to travel in.

The pro_cee’d is available at a starting price of

?¬22,900 for the 1.4 diesel, while the 1.6 version I drove will cost you

?¬23,950. You should get a combined fuel consumption between motorway and urban driving of approximately 57 mpg. Road tax is e190 per annum.

Also coming soon will be a GT version of the pro_cee’d. And of course you can relax in the knowledge that Kia is the home of the seven-year warranty.