When Kia launched its vehicles in South Africa 10 years ago, they weren’t the hit the manufacturer hoped they would be.
They had a range of problems, from collapsing front seats to the interior panels on the A-pillar falling apart.
In some instances the chassis could not keep up with the car, but as Kia managing director Ray Levin points out, there were no problems with the engines.
“We had teething problems, but we have grown and we are now at a point where demand for the Kia Picanto is so phenomenal that we can’t bring stock into the country quickly enough,” said Levin.
With 23 vehicle launches in the past 10 years, it is safe to say that Kia has grown into a brand that car buyers are confident with.
With its latest model, the pro_cee’d, Kia is hoping to capitalise on the brand’s successes, which include the Picanto and the Sedona multi-purpose vehicle.
The oddly named pro_cee’d (with the irritating punctuation marks) is the top of the cee’d range, which includes hatchbacks and small sedans.
Cee’d is an acronym for community of Europe and European design.
The pro_cee’d, which was built in Europe, is a top-end sporty hatchback.
The European styling heralds a new departure for this Korean brand but the pricing, which has not been finalised, will be one of the biggest problems with this car.
It is expected to cost in the region of R235 000 to R275 000.
At that price there are many competitors in the sporty hatchback segment and most of them have more power and perform better.
The pro_cee’d was put through its paces at the recent media preview at the Zwartkops raceway in Pretoria.
The 2,0-litre engine, which produces 105kW of power and 186Nm of torque, performed well enough.
It ensured that we got up to speed quickly and we were able to throw it around the twisty bits to have fun.
But the normally aspirated engine punched home the point that this wasn’t a sports hatchback designed to blow your hair back.
It made the track time fun, but didn’t do it with brilliance.
There are many cars in this price range that deliver on exciting driving. There are even cars that do it almost faultlessly.
The pro_cee’d is a good, comfortable and composed car. But to win people over, it needs an injection of power and a slightly harder suspension to pull off being a sporty hatchback of note.