 Kia
Cee'd might be built on the same platform as Hyundai Elantra, but it
looks much prettier, handles far better and is built with higher
quality. Never before Kia had produced a car so competitive. Never
before it had presented so serious threat to the European giants
Volkswagen, Ford, Opel, PSA and Renault. The story started 5 years ago…The Plan In 2002, Kia head hunted Frenchman Jean-Charles Lievens to establish its European R&D operation. The ex-Toyota Europe executive hired many European designers and engineers from rival makers and installed them in Hyundai and Kia's joint R&D center in Russelsheim of Germany, i.e., the backyard of Opel ! in the beginning, the R&D center was responsible for developing advanced common-rail injection diesel engines for use in Europe. This resulted in the state-of-the-art 1.6CRDi and 2.0CRDi engine. Then it also took the leading role in designing a new C-segment family hatch for European market. This is Cee'd.  Designed by European designers, the Cee'd
looks far more modern and stylish than its Hyundai cousin (which was
designed in Korea). It is prettier than Ford Focus, Toyota Auris and
Mazda 3, if not have as strong personalities as Renault Megane, Opel
Astra or Volkswagen Golf. Lievens also persuaded the headquarters to
give the car top-class materials in its cabin. Besides, every aspect of
the car was benchmarked against Peugeot 307, Volkswagen Golf and Ford
Focus. For example, the aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.33 and lift
coefficient of 0.01 are better than Golf and Focus. Torsional rigidity
of the monocoque chassis is 27% higher than Focus. Finally, to make
sure the car handles and rides brilliantly, a fleet of prototypes were
tested extensively in Europe under the watch of Russelsheim. Some 1
million of test kilometers were covered to fine tune the suspensions,
steering, brakes etc. and sorted out quality problems. In the end, Kia
is so confident that it dares to offer 7 years and 150,000 km warranty
to the car, more than any other European car makers !Cee'd is not only designed and tuned in Europe, but also produced in Europe. A new plant in Zilina, Slovakia, will produce 100,000 Cee'ds this year and 150,000 units from 2008. If the reception exceed estimation, the plant can output up to 300,000 units. Furthermore, its twins sister car, Hyundai i30, is going to enter production in another new plant in Nosovice, Czech Republic, which is only 95km from Zilina to take advantage of the same supply chains. That plant has another 200,000 units of capacity. Sorry to European car makers… The Car  To Korean car makers, quality
will be the key of success, or failure. From the tight panel fittings
and fine paint finish, the Slovakia factory seems to achieve the same
high quality standards as Wolfsburg or Russelsheim. Open the doors, the
cabin continues to impress you with a sense of style and quality. The
dashboard design is tasteful. The instruments are clear. The switch
gears are ergonomically placed. Almost everywhere is made of soft-touch
plastics and solidly assembled in the same way as Volkswagen Golf. All
switches and buttons work smoothly and precisely. Besides, there are
some expensive features, such as the dials and displays illuminate in
soft orange at night, a glovebox cooled by air conditioning, or the
availability of an i-Pod socket. The standard audio system is also a
good one. If there are anything preventing it from rivaling Volkswagen
Golf ultimately, they must be the shiny hard plastics used in door
handles and power window switches, or the unsupportive front seats. Given a 2650 mm wheelbase and 1790 mm width, it is unsurprising that the car offers a roomy cabin. There is more shoulder room and rear legroom than most cars in the class.  As mentioned, the chassis of
Cee'd is very stiff. Some 67 percent of the body-in-white is made of
high-strength steel. Both front and rear suspensions are attached to
subframes to decouple from shocks and vibration. To save weight, the
front subframe is produced by hydroformed process. Suspensions are
MacPherson struts up front and, listen, multi-link system at the rear.
The latter consists of dual transverse links and a longitudinal leading
arms. It goes without saying that multi-link suspension provides
superior handling and ride compare to conventional torsion-beam
suspension, otherwise Focus and Golf would not have won so much praise.On the road, Cee'd handles very much like German cars. Its ride is rather firm – firmer than both Focus and Golf – but in return it gets good handling. It corners stable and feels agile to steer. The electric power steering is quick and accurate, if not very communicative. Smooth gearshift and well judged braking complete the fine driving experience. Ultimately, Focus is more talented while Golf is more rounded, but the Kia is already one of the best drives in the class, and the best ever for a Korean car.  The powertrain is also up to
the job. Hyundai group's 1.4 and 1.6-liter CVVT petrol engines are
reasonably smooth and eager, but the most impressive is the
Slovakia-built 1.6CRDi turbo diesel, as it is gusty, refined and frugal
simultaneously. Not so good is the 2.0-liter petrol and 2.0CRDi,
because both of them sounds noisier and vibrates more than the smaller
engines. Overall speaking, Cee'd is a surprising success from Hyundai-Kia group. Although it is not yet in the league of Golf and Focus, it beats most rivals fairly, even before considering its keener price and generous standard equipment. Oh yes, and the attractive 7-year / 150,000 km warranty. |
| The above report was last updated on 7 Feb 2007. All Rights Reserved. |
