2007 Kia Cee'd SR from UK and Ireland - Comments

Kia's and BMW's showrooms are commensurate with their customers. But also, the showrooms were not financed by the carmakers -- the dealers cough up the money to comply with what the carmaker dictates.

If Kia and Hyundai keep up their solid reliability ratings from the last 5 or so years, and with products like the Sonata or the i30, then they ARE now mainstream. Remember Skoda?

I have personally driven both BMW (E36, E46, 520i, 540i, 730i, 120i/d, 118d) and Hyundai (the latest Sonata V6, the older Sonata, the Getz) on several occasions, plus owned a few Audis ('81 Coupe, two 80s, and an A4), and they are different cars. Heck, the BMW and Audi A4 are different. But they are good in their own right, and they exist for a certain market.

But the standards are inching up. The VW Golf used to be a Corolla hatch substitute. But now, from how the door thunks shut to the material quality inside, it's honestly better than a Mercedes (!) A-class. Both the Sonata and Kia Magentis are NOT of the same level of fit, comfort, quietness, or material as, say, the old Picanto or Accent, they're two steps above. A Passat they aren't, but certainly not bad vs. mainstream Japanese sedans.

They're tuned for comfort rather than handling, and their doors shut more solid than any Mazda you can name (yes, even the first Mazda6, I tried.) If they get the Ford suspension guy to defect to them, they'll get ahead.

See results of the UKs 2009 yearly Driver Power owner satisfaction survey in Auto Express no.1059, where the Cee'd wins best car in compact family class, is 6th best car overall, and they quote:-

"It's one of the most significant results in Driver Power history! We knew that the Cee'd would represent a turning point for Kia, but jaws will drop at this result"

"Few would have expected it to push established rivals aside and achieve such an impressive debut"

"A fantastic third place for reliability makes the Cee'd the most dependable car in the class, while the same position for running costs proves it to be a shrewd purchase"

"Beaten into second (in class) is the VW Golf. It is a position VW will be hoping the MkVI can better next year"

The benchmark MkV Golf was ranked 22nd place overall (49th for reliability) and the C-Class Mercedes was in 51st place (66th for reliability) against the Cee'd's 6th place overall and 3rd for reliability.

Any other Kia Cee'd critics may be interested to see how their Audi, BMW whatever rates in said survey, too.. it is not my opinion, it is the opinion of owners themselves.

My friend raves about his Cee'd SW CRDi Sport as being far superior to the previous new A3 TDI and X-Type Estate Diesel Sport he owned. Unlike these cars, the Kia has had no issues at all; no rattles, squeaks or any snagging-he has not been back to the dealer once.

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Kia Cee'd.

The expectations of Kia owners and BMW/Mercedes owners are a world apart.

Kia owners partake in basic A-B motoring, with little care for image.

BMW owners partake in technologically advanced, executive motoring. Obviously they care for image.

The survey showed which owners were most satisfied with their cars, all things considered including price, quality and image. I understand that some owners of Kias may be less obsessive about certain things than BMW owners, but bear in mind many Cee'd owners have downsized from more expensive cars (as is the current trend) and so will compare them to their previous car - just like my friend with the X Type.

The Cee'd is unlike the other Kia models and has excellent quality throughout due to the state of the art production line in Zilnia. With new 1.4SR models from about £9200 off the net, this car even undercuts the best in class supermini. The top spec 2.0 CRDi Sport models are more, but still undercut the rival cars, and still have better satisfaction results.

If all you are interested in is what everyone else thinks, then the Cee'd is not for you - enjoy your "premium" car.

Fact is, the results speak for themselves - Cee'd owners are very happy indeed, and to my mind, that is the most important factor.

In so many areas, the only thing "premium" about the Cee'd's competition is the price.... ;->

Ask an owner!

Expectations differ, but I'd rather have a better car than I imagined than rue the deficiencies in the expensive car I bought. Mercedes are getting back to old quality with the new E Class 2009 but 1995-2008 cars suck. BMW dynamics are good but the cars are poorly packaged and cost a lot more money for not much benefit on congested British roads. The Ceed looks good, is comfortable and reliable and doesn't break. For less than half of the money of BMW.

With prices of prestige brand cars reaching the bottom end of the market now (say, cheapest BMW 3-series within pricing distance of a Mondeo or Sonata), the expectations of the "lower rung" are actually higher than they were a good 15 years ago.

Image is one thing, but no-one who buys a prestige car wants or expects unreliability. Reliability is part and parcel of quality. Would you thing a Rolex is a quality watch if it needed repairs fairly often even when serviced regularly and treated normally? I doubt it. The gold plating and diamonds mean nothing if the watch itself is not dependable. This holds true with cars.

Admittedly, even Audi cannot match the sheer handling of any BMW, if only because of the Bimmer's RWD. But in other aspects such as quality of materials, the solid thunk of the door, the common technology used these days (ASR, ABS, Bluetooth, NCAP crash design parameters), the gap is narrowing far quicker than you think.

A Cortina and a Mercedes 200 from 1981 are planets apart, in price, engineering and build quality. The Mondeo and the C-class are well within the same galaxy. Kia and Hyundai are accelerating in that direction.

I have to say I think it's absolutely ridiculous to be comparing BMW's to Kia's.

For now it is. Comparing a Skoda to a Ford was hysterical to say the least. Ever driven or ridden the new Skoda Superb? Try comparing that with an equivalent E-class Mercedes. Of course it did take the better of 15 or so years...

Yes, the Skoda Superb now beats the Mondeo in most road tests, and Kia has beaten many established rivals in tests.

I've used company BMWs and I am not that impressed, especially with the horrendous 1 series, which is probably the most uncomfortable car I have ever used.

The Kia is not as sharp, but a better all round proposition.

Comparing a Skoda to a Ford is one thing, comparing a Kia to a BMW is an altogether different comparison.

No I haven't driven a Skoda Superb, and I think I'll give the Skoda a miss.

The BMW 1 series is not even competing in the same market segment as the Kia Ceed. The Kia Ceed is in competition with the Proton Gen, Hyundai i30 etc. The BMW 1 series is up against the Audi A3, VW Golf etc.

Just because the Ceed costs one third the price, does not make it a better proposition.

You're a bit out of date, my old friend.

Maybe a few years ago Kia was laughable, but not now.

The Cee'd is a very good car indeed, and more modern than many premium cars.

If in doubt, actually go and look at one. Then maybe you will have the up to date information you need to make a valid comment.

I wonder why the 1 series did so badly on the satisfaction surveys? Totally impractical, cramped and expensive seem to top the comments.

The A3 is an older design than the Cee'd too.

If you want to badge buy, help yourself!! You ain't impressing us.

Ooooh BMW man, it's really amazing what tunnel vision you posses. You are the one that is doing the most comparing without any proof or justification it seems. You are entitled to your opinions, but do please, please go and test drive a Ceed, in fact try the whole Ceed range, then come back and tell us your "true", non blinkered experience. Your views will be better respected then. Most of our statements come from experience, not prejudice.

Wow. I was the guy that originally submitted this review on my Kia Ceed, and have just read the mass of postings (very interesting reading). I still have to say though that having driven and owned my Ceed for over a year now, I still think it is an absolutely great car, and think very highly of it. I do think that badge snobbery plays a massive part in peoples opinions, and this is why they can't just quite except that Kia is a really good car. As someone said previously: Kia drivers do not need their ego massaging by showing off a badge. Equally, then do not need to spend £30k for a BMW, when the Kia suits their needs (and pocket) just right.

On a final note: I think what Kia produce are excellent cars, and hope that my next car will be my fourth Kia (either the new model Venga or face lifted Ceed). Well done Kia, keep up the excellent work.