Kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi LS

Having owned a 2008 Kia Ceed for over 2 years now I thought it about time to bring to the attention my opinion of this much talked about car.

First of all like many quality manufacturers when they are doing well there are always some people that like to bring them down, whether a competitor or just a moaner, but at the end of the day remember, you have a car with 7 years warranty, and if it does have any issues they will get sorted try taking a F..d, F..t or V.....ll back after 6 years and asking for the work done under warranty it isn't going to happen.

In the 21,000 miles I have done the car has ran with no problem, drove very smooth with plenty of power to overtake safely without worrying that its guts are about to spit out, average fuel consumption 50mpg with almost 70mpg on a good run, never less than 46mpg even in busy town, no faults other than a slight knocking noise which wasn't serious but was done quickly and free of charge under the warranty, bodywork is in great shape and the engine still runs like it is new, having owned New Audi's, BMW'S and Mercedes in the past this car drives every bit as good. I will keep my KIA till mid 2014 when it still has almost a years warranty remaining and then I will buy another car.....Yes another KIA Ceed.

Faulty tracking,failed handbrake,faulty door locks,faulty steering column had to have a new one after 4000 miles,new ignition barrel, drivers seat active head rest failure FOUR times, car was bought April 2011. We are currently in a the process of a solicitor to have a refund and return the car,Kia customer service is a joke,will NEVER buy another Kia.

There is a lot of room for adults to sit, has excellent fuel economy. Great acceleration. Very easy and smooth drive, picks up speed very quick. Has a wonderful shape, and has auto stop for less pollution. Very easy to keep clean. The ride's overly firm and even choppy at times. Fully-adjustable high-set front seats are extremely comfortable. An incredible inside the striking dash impresses with soft-touch plastics and rubber-finish switches, whilst outside the fit and finish of panels and paintwork seemed excellent. Unprecedented seven-year warranty is a great back-up. Overall a totally great, everyone friendly, spaceous, with great feachers.

problems with ecu remapping broke down twice had rac out could not find fault on laptop taken into garsge twice by rac garage alleg fixed 4 weeks later same again,seems to me this is a major problem on kia cars result of this means car shudders betwwen 30 34mph 40 to 42 mph 50mph lack of power and using more diesel overall poor service from acorn garages brownhills they will only deal with vehicle if taken in by rac.This morning office staff told me they are presently unindated with kia carens with same problem

Excellent fuel economy. Great cabin space for four adults. Quiet and great acceleration. Great all round vehicle. Suspension a bit hard but sure it will ease with time to give a great ride.

I choose the Kia Ceed SW for many reasons, but mostly because my 6 year old Vauxhall Omega was costing a small fortune in petrol. So I wasn't very hopeful in finding an economical car to replace it. If I was going to save running costs it had to be a diesel. Clonky, Smelly Tractors kept going through my mind.

I went to the Excel motor show and was looking at the larger KIAs when I overheard one of the Kia staff say 60mpg to someone so I lowered my sights and took a look at the Ceed. I was very impressed with the finish, although I thought its probably just for the show and went away.

Later on I went past a Donalds Kia showroom and noticed a 3 day test drive promotion. I had a lot of travelling to do and thought, At even 50mpg I could save myself a fortune on fuel so signed myself up to test drive a Ceed GS Diesel. Although there wasn't really enough boot space we crammed everything in and set off. I returned the car 1400 miles later, with a totally different opinion. It didn't average 60, it did 57mpg and considering how laden it was I was impressed. I was also impressed with the ride; It was comfortable; It was reasonably quiet, especially for a diesel; It was really fun to drive once I got used to the manual gearbox. I seriously thought about buying one, even if it was a bit small in the luggage dept. Lucky for me the salesman, was totally uninterested in a sale and put me off by offering me 1000 less trade-in than anyone else for my Vauxhall.

By chance, Kia phoned me in September, and told me of their Buy a diesel for the same price as a petrol deal. They also told me Kia had just launched the Ceed SW. I thought Id try a different dealer so went to look at what Donalds (Ipswich) had to offer. What a difference the dealership makes. They were very helpful and gave me a much better trade in. So I bought one, A Ceed SW LS Diesel

The Ceed SW is easily big enough to carry all my junk about It has storage nooks and crannies everywhere for me to hide everything away. Even the glove box is refrigerated. Its roomy and comfortable enough for our family to travel without feeling drained after 8 hours driving. The extra power output of the SW LS diesel engine is a joy to drive, with that extra punch when overtaking. It feels very stable when throwing it around country lanes and seems to have put the fun back in driving for me. Its not as noisy as a lot of other diesels ad the controls are very nicely laid out. It doesn't seem to lack for anything in my eyes. It has more toys than my old Omega; the cruse control is better, and the climate control needs less fiddling. Everything about this car is cheaper, The road tax is only 135 and insurance is £70 cheaper. I don't know what the after sales service is like as nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with the car so far. I can say however that KIA phoned me after a month to ask if I was happy with my purchase. Yes, Im very happy I bought one. I'm now in the throws of ordering another for my wife, as she seems to keep borrowing mine!

My car broke down within half an hour of picking it up!

A week later it was returned.

Again 4 months later the gearbox is lying on the floor of a main agents for the last 8 days thrust bearing broken I have been told.

I have been in touch with Kia no response from them yet.

I would like a new car or better still my money back.

All potential Kia owners be aware!