Britain is probably the second biggest hot hatch market in the world, after Germany. Go to Essex and you will see people waving at you if you drive a Focus RS or a well tuned Golf GTI.
After last year's debut of the three-door pro_cee'd GT, Kia is now ready to play in the same ballpark as the semi-big boys, with a practical and yet reasonably fast 5-door version of that car. It's called simply the "Cee'd GT" and is powered by the same 1.6-liter turbo engine.
Making 201bhp and 265Nm of torque, the engine is only about as powerful as a Renault Clio RS or Peugeot 208 GTi, which are smaller and lighter, so don't expect blistering performance. However, the 7.4 seconds to 60 mph ensure you might be able to enjoy a fun car.
If you want even more kit, the £22,995 GT Tech model comes with 7-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, European mapping, a reversing camera display, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, plus an engine start/stop button with a smart entry system. Also standard are exterior door handle illumination, rain-sensing front wipers, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with an ioniser, an automatic de-fog system, an automatic-dimming rear-view mirror and Xenon adaptive headlights with headlight washers and automatic levelling in place of the cornering lights on the GT.
Making 201bhp and 265Nm of torque, the engine is only about as powerful as a Renault Clio RS or Peugeot 208 GTi, which are smaller and lighter, so don't expect blistering performance. However, the 7.4 seconds to 60 mph ensure you might be able to enjoy a fun car.
Trading power for style and equipment
The Cee'd GT might not be as powerful as the Golf GTi or Focus ST, but it's quite well equipped and looks interesting. Like all Kia, it's overstated and overequipped. The base £20,495 hatch comes with new front and rear bumper designs, side sill mouldings, dual exhausts, ‘ice-cube’ LED daytime running lights and 18-inch graphite grey alloy wheels with red brake calipers. Inside, you get Recaro seats, finished in leather and suede, with power lumbar adjustment. Both the steering wheel and gear knob are covered in leather and get red accent stitching, and there is black headlining and high-gloss black trim garnish.If you want even more kit, the £22,995 GT Tech model comes with 7-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, European mapping, a reversing camera display, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, plus an engine start/stop button with a smart entry system. Also standard are exterior door handle illumination, rain-sensing front wipers, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with an ioniser, an automatic de-fog system, an automatic-dimming rear-view mirror and Xenon adaptive headlights with headlight washers and automatic levelling in place of the cornering lights on the GT.