It’s grown up - but at what cost?

Kia demonstrates a genuine maturity and focus on what customers want and need with the second generation cee’d. It’s at its best with a 1.6-litre diesel under the bonnet, but price creep means it’s not the conspicuous bargain it once was.

Expectation places tough demands. Both objectively and subjectively, the second generation Kia cee’d is a massively superior thing to its hugely successful predecessor. Given this superiority, how can it possibly fail?

I’ll tell you how. It can fail by becoming part of what it originally beat up on so refreshingly, namely the mid-priced mainstream.

When the cee’d first appeared in 2007, it was a breath of fresh air. Clean styling, decent quality and low, low prices made it the Reasonably Priced Car that was anything but a joke. In fact it had most of the big European manufacturers quaking in their boots.

Now we have the second act and it faces an uphill task. One thing’s for sure though. To see it at its best you need to choose one with a CRDi diesel engine.

The first cee’d was quite a handsome thing. The silhouette was a little retro but the detailing was neat. This time round, the cee’d has a far more contemporary stance that’s both longer and lower than its predecessor, giving the five-door hatchback a more wedgy look.

The cee’d, especially in diesel form, is no longer conspicuously cheap. The 1.4-litre ‘1’ spec car might open at under £16,000, but most people will prefer a 1.6-litre cee’d ‘2’ which will demand over £18,000 of you, with another £1,100 on top of that for the auto model.

If prices have crept inexorably upwards, it’s good to see Kia introducing some worthwhile efficiency methods to claw some of that outlay back over a typical ownership period. Go for the budget 1.4-litre car and the NEDC fuel economy figures are 68.9mpg on the combined cycle and 53.3mpg around town.

The punchier 1.6-litre diesel actually does better, getting 76.3mpg on the combined cycle and 68.9mpg urban figure when specified with 15-inch alloys.

It’s hard not to be impressed by the Kia cee’d diesel. Cover up the badge on the steering wheel and most people would have no clue they were sitting in a South Korean car.

There’s an assurance and maturity about its design that speaks of a manufacturer really finding its stride. Where it runs into trouble is in the judging criteria.

Things the old cee’d would have got away with due to a bargain price now become salient issues. The cee’d just doesn’t drive as well as a Focus and it won’t retain its value like a Golf. If you’re priced with the big boys, you have to take your lumps with ’em too.

Nevertheless, with its seven-year warranty and generous equipment levels, the cee’d will continue to find buyers. It’s no longer the no-brainer proposition it used to be, but those with a bit of savvy will recognise that with new cee’d comes new attractions. Subtlety hasn’t always been a big sales winner though.

Despite this, I have faith that Kia knows what it’s doing. This cee’d does just about enough to earn a recommendation from us.